[truckster]

I've been turning wrenches a long time. It's a hobby now, but long ago I maintained a fleet of vehicles that included everything from forklifts to tractor-trailers, plus all the refrigeration equipment and industrial equipment. I had a local NAPA that had a decent machine shop - they could do most of what I needed. They knew me when I walked in and if I needed a part they would find it for me, no matter what I was working on.

Now my local NAPA doesn't even have a brake lathe, or if they do, it's sitting in the back gathering rust, because they don't turn drums or rotors. They can send them out to be turned, but it's about the same cost as new replacements. They're not particularly friendly or customer service oriented, and most of them don't seem to know a head gasket from a heater hose.

I still maintain about 20 vehicles (one of the advantages/disadvantages of having a really large family) and my local O'Reilly's used a have a really good manager. Dan was his name, and we'd talk about the classic vehicles we were working on and compare notes, and he always seemed to be able to help me find hard-to-find parts, usually within a day or so. Dan was promoted out of the store, and they've had a string of managers since then that probably had been managers at McDonald's before they went to O'Reilly. And the counter help is every bit as surly as NAPA. They seem to have the attitude, "Hey, I was having a good time stocking the shelves in back. What did you have to come in here for?"