O’Reilly Auto Parts

Five stars for George! Probably saved me ~$ 70-​$ 90 at the dealership. Super nice guy, knowledgeable, and honest.

Go here and ask for George!!! He knows his stuff and will help get you what you need. This is the best O’Reilly’s in Houston for customer service. I know lots of people who drive across town just to visit this location.
Keep up the great work.

Now this is a story, all about how
My car wouldn’t start, like it shut down
And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there
And tell you how my battery died outside a town called Bellaire
I’m a south Houstonian, not born but raised
In the office is where I spend most of my days
Chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool
And all shootin’ some pool right outside the school
When one day I got off work, and headed to the gym
Had to stop by Valero, ‘cuz my tank was slim!
I filled her up to the brim, and I got back in
Except not a damn thing happened with the ignition.
I got a jump from a bud, so my battery could run
Then rode straight to O’Reilly’s to get a new one
Didn’t know jack about cars, but the employees were nice
Told me what the heck was up, and gave me a fair price
I said «I can’t install it!», they said «it ain’t no thang!»
And switched it out for me right in the middle of rain!
By the way, also told me that my coolant was low
And got me back on the road, with great service fo’ sho!

Sometimes you gotta make minor maintenance on your vehicle and it just doesn’t need to be done at the dealership. Depending on which side of town I’m on I usually pick O’Reilly over Autozone.
This location is close to my house in the medical center so I can swing on by and pick up some windshield wiper fluid or some other random item. The prices are fair and the sales people are actually somewhat helpful.

First of all, their computer system does not have the correct information for my Honda Accord, a common vehicle. I bought brake pads here that we’re outright wrong, and when I tried to return them in the box with the receipt the employee I dealt with (Craig) was very rude. He basically did everything except accuse me of trying to scam him. It wasn’t until he walked away from me that I asked another employee (George) to help me that George pulled up my phone number to prove I hadn’t stolen this and forged a receipt. I tried to explain to George the mistake their system has with the Honda Accord brakes, and he told me it was probably a mistake I made with my model car. This might be possible, except I checked and their computer has those same brakes for all models, and I checked a year before and behind. He wouldn’t consider that their system might be wrong. This store has some rude employees and inaccurate car part information, so I won’t be going back.

Stopped in to get my truck diagnosed from the check engine light that came on. Which is free! Staff was very friendly and helpful. He quickly printed the report and also gave me pricing on the parts. I also asked if he knew any mechanic shops near by, he gave me a few recommendations with names and phone numbers. I appreciate when you are given great service, he did more than his job, he exceeded friendliness.

Anyone who’s been to a big box auto parts store knows what to expect. Low-​wage earning staff with little to no expertise on cars, their parts, or how to fix them. Lets face it, if the staff were auto mechanics, they would be making at least 8 times what they make at O’Reillys. And we all know these people are constantly bombarded with complicated questions from desperate people who don’t want to spend the dough to ask an expert. That being said, the staff at this O’Reilly Auto Parts are really quite helpful.
The first time I entered the store, I was looking for an oil drain pan that was low enough to fit under my Camaro. It was a Sunday afternoon, and the store was packed with people. I was standing in the aisle, eyeing a couple of drain pans wondering if any of them would work, and a staff member ran past me while helping someone else. He saw me standing there, stopped what he was doing, and asked me if he could help. I told him my situation and he told me to go ahead and take them all outside and see which one fit under my car. I thanked him and he walked off to finish helping his other customer. Considering the neighborhood, I was shocked that he was so lenient about letting someone he had never seen before just walk out of the store with the merchandise while it was so busy that no one could possibly watch to make sure I didn’t just drive away with it. Sure enough, I found one that fit without having to make a guess.
I have been in the store several times since then to look for car stuff that you can’t find elsewhere. I have always had a great experience with the staff. Just this past weekend, my wife and I were finally fed up with the brain-​scorching, skin melting heat of getting in our car after it sits in the hot Houston summer mid-​day sun. So we decided to buy a window shade. It’s a simple item, but they don’t have one that fits my window at Target, so we made a special trip to O’Reillys. Again, it was fairly busy in there and I thought it should be easy enough to find in the store, so we wandered around looking for one. After circling the store twice we were unable to find one. Being the guy that hates to ask people for help, I was about ready to leave, thinking that maybe they were sold out of window shades. Just then, a staff member, who was in the midst of helping someone else, stopped and asked me what I needed. I told him and he showed me two places where they kept window shades. Who knew there would actually be a sign hanging from the ceiling that said «Window shades» down one of the aisles?!? They have several varieties with logos and designs, but we found a simple one for $ 6 (that’s ½ the price of the window shades at Target). I also have to note that it really does the trick. My car is at least 10 – 20 degrees cooler in the mid-​day sun with the window shade… and no more complaints from the wife!
I would recommend this store to anyone in the area for auto parts. The staff go out of their way for you even if you aren’t the type of person who likes to ask for help.

Since Chastity Bono announced that she’s having a sex change to turn into a man (I think she’s plenty «manly» right now), I decided that I need to amp up my man quotient**.
But, these changes (like sex changes) should be gradual to avoid shocking the system. Came here Saturday to pick up some wiper blade refills for the car since the effectiveness has dimmed over the 3 years that I’ve owned the car. Helpful hint from not-​so-​Heloise: Ozone eats away at the rubber components of our cars: tires, wiper blades, hoses. You should replace the easy parts periodically for driving comfort and safety.
If you feel a little self conscious at the parts store, you can check out their website to find the part, part number, and price of anything you might want to explore. I used it to cross-​reference against my owner’s manual first to make sure the part was in stock before taking the trip.
While your part price will differ, my Honda refill cost me $ 5.99 plus tax. Imagine taking this chore to the dealer or mechanic and you’ll be looking at a $ 29.95 «service». Puh-​leeze. I’ll do it myself. Brought the manual inside to maximize efficiency and used the diagrams to illustrate the question I had to the clerk over which one was a better option. The first clerk was jovial and eager to help.
Seeing that I was on a roll, I decided to replace it right in the parking lot while parked in the shade. Well, this was a bit tricky — I couldn’t interpret the pictograph on how to take the wiper assembly off from the arm. After 5 minutes of public floundering, I went back in and asked the shop clerks if they could help me. [Unlike some men, I don’t have a problem asking for directions or help after trying to solve a problem.]
The gal stared at me like I was from another planet. The other guy motioned me over and he looked at the pictograph and told me «you have to push and swivel». Since I was already in this pickle, I asked him if he could come outside to show me. Like most men, I’m very visually oriented.
He looked a bit put out by my request but still hopped to it. It took him 3 seconds to do it, I thanked him, and he offered a cheery «You’re welcome.» So, points for that. Of course, I couldn’t reverse the procedure since it happened so fast and I didn’t want to ask again. I took my parts and went home to do it in the privacy of my garage — 20 minutes later, I am the Master of Wiper Blades!
I feel more manly now and, unlike Chastity Bono’s sex change operation, my added manliness cost me only $ 6.48. Four stars for the first clerk, less one star for the other clerks’ reactions.
** Unrelated to Chastity and the pressure she’s putting on me now, I went to Discount Tire last weekend. June is turning out to be a «butch» month for me. Soon, I’ll be rasslin’ alligators.