At the auto parts store yesterday

[MineralMan]

I dropped a bolt while working on my 1996 Ford Ranger yesterday. I was installing a new Idle Air Control unit, and its mounting bolts, which have a somewhat unique design, are located at the back of the engine right near the truck's firewall. Where did it go? Who knows? I looked, but it was nowhere to be found.

So off I went to the local O'Reilly auto parts store to buy a new one. I was very pleased to see that everyone working in the store had masks on, and so did I. Social distancing was maintained as the parts desk and I found the right bolt. I had taken the remaining bolt with me, so we had a model to look for. I bought four of them, just in case. Bolts are cheap.

Anyhow, the store was following the rules. I can't say the same for the other customers in the store. I was the only one wearing a mask among the dozen or so other customers.

Oh yeah...the truck is running much better now, and not dying at traffic signals any longer.

[Freddie]

1. My husband is manager of an auto parts store

Most of their business is parts delivery to garages but they do some walk-in business. Masks required and he’s told people to leave that weren’t wearing one. All employees wear masks unless they are working in a room alone. All parts delivery is left outside the garage and prepaid online (or billed). Frequent hand washing. Delivery vehicles are cleaned daily. They get it.

[MineralMan]

5. I'm glad to hear that.

I wish everyone did the same.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Masks might become mandatory in your neck of the woods

as they are now in mine. https://www.twincities.com/2020/05/21/coronavirus-masks-will-be-required-indoors-in-minneapolis-mayor-frey-signed-an-order-thursday-st-paul-is-thinking-about-it/ It will be interesting to see if most people comply. Since the percentage of Trumpers in this area is relatively small, there might be only isolated outbreaks of The Stupid, and not much defiant gun-toting. I hope.

Congratulations on the successful repair of your truck. What you really need is a much older truck that has a carburetor. I was able to do field repairs on an ancient Datsun that used to die at traffic signals by using a screwdriver to hold open the air intake valve on top of the carburetor. Owning decrepit old cars taught me a lot about how they worked, but now I can't even identify most of the parts of new cars when I look under the hood.

[samnsara]

3. well our county just MANDATED the posting of the CDC signage that ADVISES the wearing of masks..

..in public. WTF?

[MineralMan]

4. I'm sure it is required, but a lot of businesses aren't complying.

Customers are even worse about that.

I hear you about an older truck with a carburetor. Trouble is that those are all "classics" now, and cost too much for me.

I can still change parts, though, so I do appreciate the ability of fuel-injected, computer controlled engines to start anytime you need them to, even when it's 15 below zero. So, there is that.

My ideal pickup truck would be an early 1960s Ford Falcon Ranchero. I can fix that vehicle with a blindfold on. I also owned so many little British cars with brands like Morris, Austin, and MG that I can work on them blindfolded too, I'm quite certain. All of those cars, though, now cost in the mid four figures and up, so they're out of the question as beaters.

I only drive my Ranger about 500 miles a year, so if it's running now, it's likely to still be running this time next year, I figure. It's my trash hauler and lumber and home repair stuff carrier. I did move a piano for someone with it last year, too. I'd rather not do that again, really, but the guy is very practically savvy, so we managed it without incident.

[Hoyt]

6. National musical instrument store limits people inside, staff and customers must be masked, etc.

Went Thursday and expected to see some slackers, but they were serious. Also had Plexiglas shields at checkout.

[MineralMan]

7. Good for that store!

There are a couple of posts this morning about business owners that are throwing out customers who do wear masks. I've not seen anything like that, although I do see a lot of customers around who are not masked. I can avoid them, though, in most cases.

[matt819]

8. Same here

Went to pick up something at o’reilly’s thatI ordered online. All employees were masked and observing social distancing.

At the local advance auto parts you call them when you arrive at the store and tell them what you want and they bring it to the car.

Mask wearing is probably in the 80% range at the grocery stores I use and at Home Depot. All employees and most of the customers.

Same at my local car mechanic. Not so much at the lawn mower repair shop.

[MineralMan]

10. I'm glad to see that such protections are pretty common out there.

It would have been pretty tough getting those bolts by calling, though. Unless you were at the parts desk at a Ford dealer, the exact parts aren't available. So, I had to have the remaining old one to figure out its size and thread. The parts guy did it in about 10 seconds in the hardware area. It would have taken me a couple of minutes to find it, but he came around and found the part for me.

The Ford Ranger is one of those vehicles that has mix of inch and metric fasteners. Most of the stuff on the Ranger's Mazda-designed 2.3-liter engine is metric, while most other stuff is inch sizes. Fortunately the place had 6 mm X 1 mm flanged-head bolts the right length in packages of four. The only difference was the size of the hex head. Otherwise, I would have had to go to a Ford dealer's parts department to get an exact replacement. I did replace both bolts, though, so they'd both have the same head size, for the next guy's benefit.

[mitch96]

9. "I can't say the same for the other customers in the store. "

Same at my local Home Depoo... Social distancing was right out the window.. People were actually bumping into me.. One a-hole had his mask hanging off of one ear.. "Hey I'm wearing it man, what's your problem?"
This was in the early afternoon. I went at 6 am this morning and it was empty... Same with my local Spanish grocery store.. I was pleased to see that the manager had a clip board and was actually taking all the employees temperatures with a IR thermometer and logging them in.
Good show!!

m

[MineralMan]

11. It seems like a lot of guys who fancy themselves as handy

are also Republicans. Not all, but a lot. So Home Depot and auto parts stores are going to have a lot of customers in them who eschew masks, etc., I suppose.

The local farm supply store also has a majority of customers not wearing masks. I've been going early to such places so they're thinly populated with customers.

[quickesst]

12. *****

"its mounting bolts, which have a somewhat unique design"

Interpretation - a pain in the ass

I have had many moments with "unique designs" over the years.