parts at outrageous prices

[RayIN]

Fellas, does this thread remind you of the old "parts guys"?

Remember going into an auto parts store or a tractor shop, and there would be a counter with books and three ring binders stacked everywhere?

And the parts guy would know just where to look to find the part. And he'd grab the big phone to call in the order.

And if you're really old, you might remember this:

You'd go in and buy a battery, but you didn't take it home right then. The parts guy would pull out the battery your spec'd, then fill it with electrolyte and set it on a charger. "Come back in an hour and it will be ready for you."

Good memories . . .

Or the new battery came with some small bottles/ bags of electrolyte. That's back in the days of wood battery cases, coated with tar. You know, when you sat them on the ground they would discharge in a couple days.

 

[Jstpssng]

You guys talk like this is something new. Remember before the internet, when you had to actually visit the store, or order through JCWhitney, then wait 2 weeks? Somewhere around 1990 I needed a speedometer cable for my Yamaha motorcycle. It was a dealer only item and I had to order it. They charged me full retail plus shipping; and also a restocking fee.
The last two cost more than the of the part itself. I tried to dispute the restocking charge to mo avail, and I had to have the cable.

Before that I needed a flasher for my 450 Honda. They wanted about 6 times the price of what an auto store sold them for but I needed a sticker.
The bike was in the back of my pickup so I pulled the flasher out of the truck, put it in the bike and got it inspected.

Then swapped it back into the truck for the ride home.