Advance Auto Parts Poor Service! Defective Brake Parts! Threat to Public Safety! Takoma Park Maryland
I am a VERY dissatisfied customer. I had to get a Master Cylinder on my 96 Geo Prizm. I hired my licensed mechanic friend to replace my Master Cylinder, which is going bad. I went to one store, nearest to where I live. When they couldn't find the part after my having waited 10 minutes even though their computer said it was in stock, they did a search through all of the stores within a 10 mile radius, close to where I live, and only one store had the part, the Takoma Park Store. I went to that store and bought the part for $115. The part turned out ot be defective! Only one master cylinder for a 96 Geo Prizm in my area and it is defective! This is very unacceptable! The Master Cylinder is the most vital part of a car's braking system and that's the best they can do???. No excuse! Had my mechanic not noticed, it could have a posed life threatening hazard and a danger to public safety! Someone could have gotten killed! The part was no good! It could have been a disaster waiting to happen! I could have been in a major accident costing me my life and the lives of others!
My old worn part works better! Not to mention that this has been a waste of my time! I am outraged that Advance Auto would not keep more of this vital part in stock, but instead have defective ones that are in stock! This is not right! I am very angry! This is not right! There is no excuse for a lack of functional master cylinders!!!
Janet
Riverdale, Maryland
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Amy
Pekin,Illinois,
U.S.A.
Try having a corvette...
#5Consumer Suggestion
Tue, November 16, 2004
We have a 1992 Chevy Corvette, and all parts for it are impossible to find. We recently had to replace the master cylinder in it, and NO ONE had one in stock. We had to wait 4 days until one could be located. We called ALL auto parts stores in our area (8 stores in all)...not only Advance. (Unless we wanted to get one from a dealer for $500...I don't think so!) At least your car was still driveable. Ours was not.
We have gotten defective parts from Advance and from Auto Zone..it's not their fault. It is the manufacturers fault. They have always been very nice and apologetic about it, and replaced it or gave us our money back. It's not always convenient, but at least they try and make it right.
Danny
Toney,Alabama,
U.S.A.
and the winner is......
#5Consumer Comment
Mon, November 15, 2004
...and the winner is.....
the ASE dude !! very good professional post.
to the poster, you seem "unacceptable"
to the Advance manager, you seem " un-employable"
Don
Wilmington,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
Can't stock them all
#5UPDATE Employee
Thu, October 21, 2004
I am a manager with Advance Auto Parts and as was previously stated we can not stock every part for evey car out on the road if we did our store would be 3 acres big. A Geo Prism is not a real big hot item as far as parts go. We stock by the need for the most selling items. This reminds me of the it's all about me syndrome. I can not get over how some of the people that come into my store think they are the only ones in the world, best suggestion: go some where else.
Jerry
Crowder,Oklahoma,
U.S.A.
Auto Stores are not the parts police
#5Consumer Suggestion
Fri, October 01, 2004
I have no connection with Advance, but I am an ASE in auto parts. First you need to realize that your part is only "vital" to people who drive a car like yours, which is very few.
Second, Advance does not make or rebuild master cylinders for any car, so it's hardly their fault if the part was defective. Auto parts stores don't police parts for quality, especially at the store level.
Third, just be thankful that your mechanic is as good as he is, some so called mechanics would have put it on anyway and let you drive away!