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The guy at the auto parts store who refused to sell me a bypass filter
So last month at an O'Reilly in Austin, this old mechanic behind the counter literally pushed my filter back across the counter and said 'that thing will blow your transmission in 20 miles, trust me.' I argued with him for 5 minutes until he pulled up a photo of a destroyed valve body from his phone. Has anyone else had a clerk save them from their own bad idea?
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patel.leo3mo ago
That exact scenario played out for me at a NAPA in Houston back in 2018. A guy named Carlos refused to sell me a cheap splice-in cooler kit for my 4L60E, spent 15 minutes explaining how the line pressure drop would burn up the clutches. He was right because my buddy ran that same kit and killed his trans in 40 miles. Sometimes those old counter guys have seen more blown transmissions than we've seen oil changes.
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miles_perez3mo ago
The old guy at a local shop here in San Antonio talked me out of a "quick fix" torque converter for my F150 once. He showed me these specs on his tablet, compared the stall difference to what the truck actually needed, and even pulled up a forum thread of guys who grenaded their transmissions with the same part. Ended up going with his recommendation, a stock reman unit, and it's been solid for two years. That photo he pulled up of a destroyed valve body is basically the same thing Carlos did for you - those guys have seen the aftermath of bad ideas first hand. Idk, maybe it's just me but sometimes getting turned down at the counter is the best thing that can happen to your wallet.
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kelly.emma3mo ago
idk, i kinda see it the other way. those old-timers come off like they know everything but sometimes they're just stuck in their old ways and can't accept that parts have changed. a bypass filter isn't a magic bullet failure waiting to happen, tons of people run them just fine with proper install and maintenance. maybe it's just me but i've seen more issues from guys refusing to listen to new tech or different setups than from actual bad parts.
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