[hemisareslow]

I was heading down the highway this past saturday at about noon when i got the dreaded battery not charging light on the dic...no breaking assist...no power steering..no heat and it was 8 deegrees out...tow truck took an hour to get there....i was heading to the rents house to put on a new alternator...which i thought was the pulley that was on its way out....turned out to be an idler pulley...and guess what...pep boys...napa...advanced auto parts...auto zone...none of them carry that gm part...most of them could not even find reference to it in the computer...all of them could sell me the tentioner pulley...all of them had that in stock...but not one had an idler pulley...whats up with that??? napa had the new belt...but that did me no good...of the 6 chevy dealers within 30 miles of my house...one was open on saturday but closed before i could get to them...none are open on sunday....so my 40k+ truck has been sitting since saturday am because national chain part store can not carry a 15 dollar pulley??? wtf is up with that??? is it a gm thing??? anyone who knows pls let me know....sorry for the rant but i find it to be messed up!!!

 

[cooperhauling]

most auto stores dont even have pulley in their system. I tryed to get a set of bbc pulleys and i had to head to the dealer or a speed shop.

 

[236ek]

I think you just got a bunch of sales people that didn't know how to look up a part number on their own computer system. I just looked up AUTOZONE.com and found an idler pulley (part number 835979) listed for your 2003 duramax. It is even a stocked item in the stores. I just bought an idler pulley and a tensioner pulley for my 02 from O'Reileys.

Now it is my turn to boil off steam. I too get very frustrated at the lack of experience that is behind the counter of most large auto parts stores. I was told yesterday at Napa that I had to bring in my old light bulb because they couldn't look up what direction light bulb I needed (I remember the old days when they would actually look in their books to help you out). Same store told me they don't make a goodyear gatorback for my truck, so I gave them the part number and said "order this one".

Don't take no for an answer when you are looking for parts. Often you will have to get firm and insist they look harder at their computer.

 

[partsguy662]

I think you just got a bunch of sales people that didn't know how to look up a part number on their own computer system. I just looked up AUTOZONE.com and found an idler pulley (part number 835979) listed for your 2003 duramax. It is even a stocked item in the stores. I just bought an idler pulley and a tensioner pulley for my 02 from O'Reileys.

Now it is my turn to boil off steam. I too get very frustrated at the lack of experience that is behind the counter of most large auto parts stores. I was told yesterday at Napa that I had to bring in my old light bulb because they couldn't look up what direction light bulb I needed (I remember the old days when they would actually look in their books to help you out). Same store told me they don't make a goodyear gatorback for my truck, so I gave them the part number and said "order this one".

Don't take no for an answer when you are looking for parts. Often you will have to get firm and insist they look harder at their computer.

Yep, that works every time...):h

 

[hemisareslow]

Ahhh now the part that i forgot to mention...i did call autozone and was told yeah we have it in stock...even gave me that part number...what they tried to sell me had a bolt hole twice the size of the gm idler pulley...also the bushing on the back of the gm pulley sticks out a little more than the pulley...the auto zone pulley's bushing is recessed.....not sure how they can say that is the right part number..it was not even close

 

[deepsouth]

Brain surgeons and rocket scientists, they are, I tell you!! Have had the same problems in the past, just learned to get the gm number, then tell them what I want. I usually Have to MAKE them cross reference by part number, not by year model. It is amazing that they cannot even tell the difference between a tire tool and a spark plug without the computer telling them.

 

[hemisareslow]

Scott is this a part napa should carry?

 

[deepsouth]

I bought mine from NAPA, Auto Value was out. The NAPA ones I got were in GM boxes. They said they buy alot from the GM warehouse. Didn't matter to me, it worked, and was a little cheaper than the dealer.

 

[Josh2002cc]

VERY OFF TOPIC
but while all you rant about lack of knowledge, go to your local auto parts dealer and ask for a set of spark plugs for a chevy 6.5L diesel. Honestly they will actually go pull them off the shelf. As if that wasnt enough ask for a volkswagon beetle lower radiator hose...lol

​

 

[Tolliwacker]

I went to get the Sump filter for my Allison, and the guy said "it aint got one" and I said it sure as hell does and he said all it has is the spin on cause the "Holy grail computer says so" that was after going through the 2 or 4 door, auto or manual, ect... I told him I will just go to a more competent store where they know what parts are...

 

[partsguy662]

VERY OFF TOPIC
but while all you rant about lack of knowledge, go to your local auto parts dealer and ask for a set of spark plugs for a chevy 6.5L diesel. Honestly they will actually go pull them off the shelf. As if that wasnt enough ask for a volkswagon beetle lower radiator hose...lol

Yep, come on in my store and try that..see what happens...

 

[sierradiesel]

You are right about the lower rad hose for the vw and the spark plugs for the diesel. Unfortunately crap like this happens fairly often to me--what's even worse is when you call in an order and they deliver it and you have to call the branch manager to have them pick it up again.

 

[Josh2002cc]

I agree with you about calling them once to order then once agian to pick-up. I guess i dont get to call the branch manager to pick the stuff up, i call the same guy pry because it happends so much. For example i ordered a barb fitting and the guy told me on the phone barb fittings dont have threads on one end...i guess he uses osmosis to fuse the barb to the intake. lol

 

[80K10/6.5TD]

No need to replace the whole idler,I removed mine took it too NAPA they cross-referenced the bearing the shop pressed out the old an in the new only had around $20 in it and minimal down time.

Merle

 

[slow300z]

man around here they dont clame they dont have any thing for my truck so i got a 12 mile drive to see a friend at the dealer to get his cost and free glow plugs and filters i so i kinda like the dealer now

 

[partsguy662]

I agree with you about calling them once to order then once agian to pick-up. I guess i dont get to call the branch manager to pick the stuff up, i call the same guy pry because it happends so much. For example i ordered a barb fitting and the guy told me on the phone barb fittings dont have threads on one end...i guess he uses osmosis to fuse the barb to the intake. lol

You can get barbed fittings in a splice or with pipe threads on one end. If you don't explain what you're after on the phone, don't gripe when you don't get what you had in mind.
(Just a helpful hint from someone that answers calls from geniuses like yourself.. )

 

[lilwes278]

I'm not even gonna get started on the crap I've had to deal with lately just trying to get the right U-joints and ball joint adjustment tool for my '90 GMC Jimmy.... Thankfully Scott was able to look up the CORRECT part #'s for me so I could tell the high school dropouts that work at my local Napa what to order & where to order it from. He even offered to ship me the right parts if they couldn't get it right. Now THAT'S customer service! Unfortunately all these retards behind the auto parts counters give the the occasional good guy a bad rap.

 

[dmax3500]

its just the world going to crap, no one gives a dam anymore,theirs no customer service left

 

[AlligatorPerformance]

Are you sure it wasn't the Edge? That is what happened to me when the Edge would shut my truck down. Sometimes it would fire right back up, but others, I would have to remove the Edge to get it to fire. Just a thought, but sounds very familiar to me.

 

[MaxRoadArmor]

the only guys at parts stores that know anything are usually the old guy in the back, everybody else is the 10th grade drop out that doesnt know a ford from a chevy. If you dont know anything about cars dont work at an auto parts store. You walk inot any diesel part store and everybody there is an expert, like all stores should be.