I usually get my parts from Autozone and Advance for the same reason I get Craftsman tools from Sears- most of the time the quality is fair to good and I can usually find one of their stores in wherever I might be in the country, and they have pretty good warranties. Maybe I've been lucky, but I've never had problems with a lifetime warranty limit (I replaced a starter on an F100 10 time in one year because I couldnt afford to get and install a new flexplate :) So I use Autozone and Advance for most major parts, and run over to Napa is I need something small and hard to find, like crankshaft output bearings, or ujoints that are greasable.
As for the help, it depends on your individual store. Here in Allentown, PA, I have yet to find a counterperson who knows beans from bearings, no matter what store I go to. If I go home to Bloomsburg though, if I don't know what part I need, the guy can usually tell me what I need to check, how to measure, what else I can use, and rattle on about how he had to do the same thing on his old truck.
A good tip to picking a store with knowledgable employees? Look where the employees park and notice what kind of cars or trucks there are. Old muscle cars with primer, beater trucks that forgot what color they where years ago but with no leaking fluid, and tires in good shape- probably someone who knows what they're doing. In Allentown I've learned if you see a parts store with no trucks or ANY "riced-out" car at all, STAY THE HECK AWAY...
To each his own,
Mike S.
93 Dakota V6 5-speed with a younger engine
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