Whether you have been to one yet or not, chances are you will need to visit an auto parts store at some point in your life. Even if you don't even know how to check your oil, there is something for everyone at most auto parts stores. Today's auto parts store options range from the old mom and pop operations that sell more for the serious mechanic, to chain auto parts vendors that have almost anything for any newer make or model, to the super-stores that carry a variety of auto parts.
In some areas of the country, you may still find small, independently owned vehicle parts stores. While most people today are familiar with the chain stores like NAPA Auto Parts and Auto Zone, independent auto parts stores are usually the places that are trusted by professional mechanics and serious gear heads. Many small independent auto parts stores specialize in certain areas of home car repair such as hot-rodding or customizing. Other independent auto parts stores are merely glorified garages that branched out to selling auto parts to do-it-yourselfers. Unfortunately many of these independent stores cannot afford to stock parts before customers order them. If you want a part from an independent store and they do not have it on the shelves, chances are, they have the resources and catalogs to order you exactly what you need and get it to you in about a week.
Almost any town in America big enough to have an auto parts store has a large chain parts store like Auto Zone or NAPA . The chain stores specialize in convenience, selection and service. At a chain store, you can find anything from a cam for a 72' Chevy Nova to a Jesus air freshener.
When you go into one of the chain stores you may notice that the floor is divided between the large area in the front of the store designed to sell frequently purchased parts and vanity merchandise and the rows boxed car parts in the back of the store that are meant to be accessed by the staff. The front of the store is where you buy the Jesus air freshener and the back of the store is where the 72' Nova cam comes from. If you cannot find the part you need in the front of the store, one of the helpful staff members will gladly search through the inventory in the back.
All you really have to do in one of the chain auto parts stores is tell the staff the make, model and year of your car and the part that you need, and they will look it up on the computer for you and tell you exactly what you need and how much it will cost. If there is the slim chance that one of these chain stores does not have the right part, they can easily have it shipped to you. The staff at these kinds of stores is also usually willing to help you with minor repairs such as installing a new battery or replacing your windshield wiper blades. The prices at the big chain stores may be cheaper or more expensive than those at the independents depending on where you shop.
You are almost always guaranteed to get a good price in the auto parts section of super-stores like Wal-Mart or K-Mart. Unfortunately, the selection of parts at a super-store usually resembles the selection of parts in the front half of an Auto Zone. The super-stores also lack the service and experience found in specialty auto part stores. If you are looking for a simple part or a vanity item at a good price, super-stores may be a possibility.
By Alex Turman