Fel Pro Gaskets from AutoZone

[Mark W]

Amen, Will. Amen. frown

 

[Markus]

autobahnsho:

shojuan:
For married men: Omit the label "for future use". Divert funds as opportunity arises in manner least likely to raise suspicion. Spend half for toys and half for goodies to place in the box. Rub palms together like a greedy boy.

hehehe
Even if it's to keep the car running, the wife says, "Do you really need that?" (DUH!) to any purchase, at the same time she buys a new friggin' purse for $70 every other year- "My old one was worn out"
Sigh.
Will

I couldn't have said it better.

 

[LaTechSHO]

well.... guys.. i understand the notion of buying from autozone because they are the cheapest...but most parts stores.... at least big chains price match....

for instance... advance auto won't even think twice about price matching those gaskets to autozones 71.99.... o'reilly is the same way and i'm sure the big chains...wherever you are would do the same


of course i don't have that problem -- employee discount comes out to right at 49 dollars for that fel-pro set..... sometimes i love working at the parts store


Louis

 

[Mr Anonymous]

lb-sho:
well.... guys.. i understand the notion of buying from autozone because they are the cheapest...but most parts stores.... at least big chains price match....

for instance... advance auto won't even think twice about price matching those gaskets to autozones 71.99.... o'reilly is the same way and i'm sure the big chains...wherever you are would do the same


of course i don't have that problem -- employee discount comes out to right at 49 dollars for that fel-pro set..... sometimes i love working at the parts store


Louis

So why not become the offical forum re-seller of those gasket sets!?!? You could sell them for $65/each plus shipping, beating everyone elses price, making $16/each, which would probably amount to a couple hundred extra bucks a month in your pocket. C'mon, let's do it!!!

<small>[ April 06, 2003, 08:59 PM: Message edited by: SHOooo ]</small>

 

[sdpatt]

Regarding sources of gaskets:

I recently installed a set of cam seals for a SHO owner who has purchased the Fel-Pro set of three seals. When the sealed box was opened, three National (Federal Mogul) seals fell out. They were the black, rubber covered seals that resembled the Fel-Pro seals that I am accustomed to seeing in this set. They did not look like the red, National seals that you can buy separately.

The front main oil seals that I have pulled out of cars that have not been replaced before (including mine the first time) were labeled with the National part number rather than the Fel-Pro markings.

You should try to order the valve covers seals from AutoZone.com before you are resigned to think they are discontinued. I have heard this same story for the last several years from folks trying to order them at local stores. You can look them up for the Gen I SHOs as they are not listed for some of the Gen IIs.

 

[OSHSHO]

The Advance store here would not match AZ's price because they said it was a "special order" bs item. How "special" can it be if they can have it quicker than a brake rotor for an '87 Dodge Dakota???

 

[F-22 Raptor SHO]

Here is a bit of info from the investment guy: Federal Mogul (symbol: FMO) maker of Fel-pro parts, has been facing many financial problems due to asbestos litigation. I sold alot their stock (at 25 a share) before the asbestos litigation trials began because they never go well. Company is in chapter 11 now and the stock was delisted last year (traded at 0.25 last I checked). They are trying to get their act together. They trade now under the penny stocks under a different symbol now.

I am encouraged that az can supply the fel pro sets, but for how long I dont know.

 

[LaTechSHO]

lb-sho:

shojuan:
http://www.autozone.com shows that the FelPro VS50378R is $71.99 normal stock for online ordering. For in store it shows it as not available.

Same deal with the FelPro intake manifold gasket set MS94831 $45.99.

For store availability they say: Not Available - Temporarily unavailable.
Please check back soon.

I found the same thing with some common items that a lot of us get from Autozone: Wells CPS and CID sensors for instance. Available for online ordering but not available (temporarily unavailable) for in store special ordering. Maybe they're revamping their in store ordering system?

you are absolutely right... they are in the process of changing the way that they handle inventory.... going from a conventional owning of things in thier store to how walmart does business.....

AutoZone's 'Pay on Scan' Poses Hurdles for Suppliers
by Brian Cruickshank
Editor, Counterman Magazine

AKRON, OH -- This is an excerpt from an in-depth article that will appear in the March issue of Counterman magazine. Today, aftermarketNews.com presents part one of a two-part series.

A month ago, if you would have said the letters 'POS' to someone in the industry, they would have assumed you meant "Point of Sale."

Mention those same three letters to a manufacturer these days, and you're likely to get an earful -- not about the innocuous 'point of sale', but rather something far more controversial called "Pay on Scan" (POS). POS is AutoZone's newly proposed payment system that is causing ripples throughout the company's supplier base.

Several weeks ago, auto parts giant AutoZone told its own vendors that it was moving to the POS format. Under this system, AutoZone will pay manufacturers only after a product has been scanned for final sale at an AutoZone store (with terms). Previously, merchandise had been paid for upon receipt (with terms).

The POS format is similar to that of a consignment program in which manufacturers own the merchandise right up until the point at which it is sold at the store level. Vendors are paid based upon actual end-user sales, rather than upon receipt at the warehouse or distribution center.

Though it's common in other markets (grocery stores, mass marketers), implementation has not always gone smoothly. New York City-based bookseller Barnes & Noble, for example, recently tabled its plan for the second time to move its network of 620 stores to a POS format. The sticking point for Barnes & Noble, not surprisingly, has been widespread opposition from vendors.

Barnes & Noble originally announced the implementation date of their POS format would be late last August. Implementation was postponed to December 28, and has now been put on ice for another four to six months, again because of vendor concerns. Perhaps not coincidentally, AutoZone's current CFO, Michael Archbold, previously served as Barnes & Nobel vice president and CFO. Additionally, Zone Chairman Steve Odland formerly worked in the grocery store industry where POS systems are common.

AutoZone is caught between the need to carry larger inventories to satisfy its growing commercial program and the criticisms of investors who say the company has too much inventory. For AutoZone, the benefits of POS are obvious: Through POS, it would no longer need to carry vast inventories on its balance sheets. The proposed POS format effectively moves the inventory burden back onto the manufacturer.

The AutoZone POS plan was unveiled to its vendors at a meeting held in Memphis in January. According to an AutoZone memo distributed to suppliers at that meeting, here is how the program will work:

*AutoZone will convert all existing SKUs identified as pay-on-scan to a new pay-on-scan vendor number. New SKUs that are not currently in the AutoZone system can be set up as pay-on-scan under this new vendor number. AutoZone intends to convert the entire SKU line at once, rather than one DC at a time.

*AutoZone will still cut POs to the vendor. AutoZone, however, said that it must be able to distinguish between pay-on-scan and non pay-on-scan SKUs so both cannot be combined on the same PO.

*Shipping will remain the same and AutoZone will receive merchandise in the same manner (with pay-on-scan and non pay-on-scan POs received separately).

*Once a week, AutoZone will run a report of pay-on-scan SKUs (net of returns). Zone will then pay the vendor based on each week's net sales according to terms (weekly pay-on-scan plus 90 days). These reports will be sent to vendors, who will in turn invoice AutoZone for the weekly pay-on-scan SKUs sold.

AutoZone claims this system is a "win-win" for both the retailer and supplier. However, from the suppliers' perspective, the ramifications of such a system are potentially huge. Manufactures are greatly concerned that this move to a POS format would seriously impact their businesses.

Counterman magazine contacted many AutoZone suppliers and none would publicly comment. However, several commented anonymously that they had grave concerns about how this arrangement would impact their businesses. One commented, "It's not that we don't want to comply; we just don't know if we are able to comply."


on a separate note... here is some interesting info on the federal-mogul situation posted a little later on...

FEDERAL-MOGUL ANNOUNCES PLAN TO EMERGE FROM BANKRUPTCY
Southfield, MI -Federal-Mogul Corp. announced that it plans to emerge from bankruptcy court protection under the umbrella of a new organization plan.

Federal-Mogul and its major U.S. creditor constituencies have reached an agreement to reorganize and emerge from Chapter 11 free of asbestos liabilities.

The new plan calls for 49.9 percent of the new common stock to be distributed among the company’s creditors; and 50.1 percent will be distributed to a trust established for asbestos claimants. U.S. trade creditors are expected to receive one or more cash distributions under the plan.

As of presstime, the company and its U.S. creditor constituencies expected to file a joint consensual plan of reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court by the end of the company’s current exclusivity period in early March 2003.

Federal-Mogul spokesperson Kimberly Welch said the company hopes to emerge from bankruptcy by mid- to late-summer 2003. And once the plan of reorganization is filed, the company will file a disclosure statement and identify potential new board members. The new owners will then nominate and elect a board of directors. Welch did say however, that the company is continuing to work under its current leadership succession plan.

"We are still operating under our leadership succession plan, and we are still under the assumption that Chip McClure will become our CEO," Welch said.

Added Federal-Mogul Chairman and CEO Frank Macher, "We are very pleased to announce that we reached this important agreement and expect that we will emerge from Chapter 11 later this year with a much stronger balance sheet and with a full resolution of the company’s asbestos liability issues.

"This agreement, combined with our recently announced letter of intent to acquire Honeywell’s Bendix friction materials business, should position the company to be an even stronger and more competitive global supplier to the automotive industry. The plan will eliminate over $2.5 billion of interest-bearing indebtedness, remove the taint of asbestos liabilities from the company and give customers, suppliers and other stakeholders the confidence they need in the long-term health and success of Federal-Mogul."

 

[shojuan]

Wow, that was quite informative.

 

[LaTechSHO]

ok....spoke with John at federal-mogul - fel-pro division today..... he said that they are currently producing the gasket sets for our cars... and there is no current plan to discontinue them, claimed to have over 50 of them sitting on his shelf right now waiting on an order......

so that autozone ******** is ...... just that... ********

Louis

 

[shojuan]

lb-sho:
ok....spoke with John at federal-mogul - fel-pro division today..... he said that they are currently producing the gasket sets for our cars... and there is no current plan to discontinue them, claimed to have over 50 of them sitting on his shelf right now waiting on an order......

so that autozone ******** is ...... just that... ********

Louis

That's great news! Way to go finding out the truth for us Louis! thumbup

 

[TimboSHO]

POS? That's usually what people call my car! It can still take them down though! thumb

 

[F-22 Raptor SHO]

Good to hear someone spoke with a fel-pro person in person!

I do hope Federal Mogul comes out of it, since 98% of chapter 11 reoganizations do not work out and the company eventually goes into the dirt.

 

[LaTechSHO]

i understand your concerns.... but honestly... from what i can tell...if any company could pull out of it.... federal-mogul would be it.... they are an OE supplier to ford, daimler chrysler, and probably GM as well as probably the biggest aftermarket auto manufacturer group in the world

at any rate.... they will continue to make the gaskets for our cars until they DO close up shop.... so all is well and you can slap your nearest autozone rep that says otherwise


Louis

 

[rangerj]

autobahnsho,

Be thankful she bought a purse that ONLY costs $70.

My wife bought a "Coach" purse for $270 because it is gauranteed for life. Yeah, like she is going to never need another purse for the rest of her life! I saw the darn thing twice, and haven't seen it since. Then they have to have new shoes to go with the purse.

And I thought I was the only one! Oh well guys, it's our fault we married them!

At least our tools pay for themselves. Do You need that? How many more tools do you need? Yeah I need it baby, my old tools are out of style! They Don't match my new work shoes. HELLO? headbang headbang And if you have daughters it becomes a conspiracy. oh_my rangerj

 

[Yamaha V6]

Bankruptcy...

"Chrysler Corp"

It can happen. Where's Big Lee when we need him?

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Yamaha V6:
Bankruptcy...

"Chrysler Corp"

It can happen. Where's Big Lee when we need him?

Making margarine...

 

[Mike Kopstain]

You guys can always just buy them from us at $69.99 a set.

 

[luigisho]

Mike, are you really selling fel pro gaskets for 69.99? If so I may just get the next set from you.