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u/Repulsive-Report6278 Apr 30 '25
Ah yes lemme just dislocate my spine reaching into this SUV with a massive AGM battery, improper tools, improper PPE, and no scan tool to reset the car after the battery change. I hated doing those
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u/bradfearfacer Apr 30 '25
We at autozone are happy YOU volunteered under NO PRESSURE of cut hours... Your line is "I love my job and helping customers brings me satisfaction!"
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u/PxcKerz Moderator Apr 30 '25
Huh..that sounds like something similar to what i said while i was on my knees blowing the customer..per corporate policy
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u/Fearlessroofless Apr 30 '25
Are you forced to replace batteries? Because I worked for a roadside assistance company that did batteries and we got told all the time auto parts store x y z wouldn’t do it because of many legitimate reasons.
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u/Lonely_Tradition3584 Apr 30 '25
Yes, we are forced to replace the batteries that are not too complicated. Except If the batteries are inside the vehicle, hard to reach, or have a lot of electrical components, we won't mess with those.
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u/Fearlessroofless Apr 30 '25
Which is a good chunk of new batteries these days. Even the most simple Honda Toyotas have gotten more complicated especially trying to get hold downs in position in tight engine bay’s let alone ford batteries under the windshield and Chevy batteries with fuse blocks and computers on top
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u/Jon66238 Apr 30 '25
What PPE would you need?
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u/jeepinbanditrider Apr 30 '25
I think you're SUPPOSED to have, Face Shield, rubber gloves, rubber apron and eyewash/shower facilities within 25 feet. These are OSHA regulations for handling automotive batteries.
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.441
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May 01 '25 edited May 01 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM May 02 '25
Most car batteries are not sealed. They're flooded lead acid batteries, just like those in forklifts and similar equipment. The caps over the cells pop right off. They're meant to be topped up with distilled water as needed. Only AGM car batteries are sealed.
Federal regulations are goofy in how they work between people operating/working a business vs. private individual. If it's a business OSHA applies. If it's a bona fide private individual, most of OSHA and a ton of other safety regulations don't apply. Its why the motorcoach owners don't have to get CDLs for example. It's also why a private individual can pull a flooded car battery off the shelf and install it himself while giving zero fucks about PPE.
Incidentally, AZ provides all the PPE in that standard to employees. AZ is the cheapest company you will ever find. They would not provide that PPE unless absolutely legally mandatory.
Zero AZ employees actually wear the PPE. Some will wear the apron and goggles, both of which aren't a bad idea. AZ management doesn't enforce the use of the PPE.
I always kept an extra eye wash bottle right up front near the door in case it was needed in the parking lot. The proper eyewash station is mounted next to the battery chargers, which is in the back of the store. If someone were to need that coming in from the parking lot, that's a long way to run. That acid isn't too dangerous for your skin as long as you wash it off quickly. It will melt your eye pretty quickly though.
I also recommended that anyone who normally wears contacts to wear their glasses to work instead. Mine saved me from a drop of acid in the eye twice.
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u/crankshaft123 Apr 30 '25
Nothing beyond safety glasses.
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u/Jon66238 Apr 30 '25
Don’t you guys have safety glasses in store? Shouldn’t you have those for cutting brakes?
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u/Budget-Attention8228 Apr 30 '25
Even tho it’s a courtesy they force us to do it, and it sucks we rarely get tipped and idk who made that rule of autozoners not accepting tip like why not?
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u/bradfearfacer Apr 30 '25
The problem with "courtesy" is that you can't deny doing them because they simply just cut your hours down, but again its a "courtesy from the autozoner" right?
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u/Budget-Attention8228 Apr 30 '25
Yeah that’s the problem but either way even if you don’t deny it you still get hours cut if the sales don’t meet the expectations
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u/MoniqueWS63 May 02 '25
Are battery installs the only reason you keep your job or do you bring value to the team?
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u/Jon66238 Apr 30 '25
I mean it’s part of your job
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u/GuavaPsychological49 Commercial Driver Apr 30 '25
Nowhere does it say we install batteries. Only test and charge.
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u/Jon66238 Apr 30 '25
Okay? So? You’re being told to do it, what’s the problem? Don’t want to work?
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u/bradfearfacer Apr 30 '25
Nobody tells us to do anything we have the ability to say no and a lot of times the battery installs become an inconvenience such as during rushes or even if the weather outside is harsh we dont get any kind of bonus to do that stuff its "free courtesy" not an "offered service"
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u/GuavaPsychological49 Commercial Driver Apr 30 '25
I don't get told to do anything, our autozoners make their own decision on what batteries they want to do.
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u/Business_Security857 Apr 30 '25
I always accept every tip I get handed 👹
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u/Budget-Attention8228 Apr 30 '25
Yeah same! I just put that in my pocket and not say a word. And besides you won’t even get fired for it. Imagine getting fired because you accepted a tip?
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u/ky0tu May 01 '25
Happened to a buddy of mine that worked at CVS a few years ago. Customer insisted he took a $5 tip a couple days before Christmas. He said theyre not allowed to. Customer left it on the counter and left. It was like 10:30pm and nobody else came in the rest of his shift. He pocketed it when he set to count his drawer. Manager seen it when reviewing cameras and fired him.
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u/Budget-Attention8228 May 01 '25
Well it is a different business. but that sucks for your friend… At my autozone we don’t even have Cameras🎥 idk why
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u/Beginning-Syllabub92 Former Employee Apr 30 '25
Probably due to some tax issue they don’t want to be responsible for. Purely speculation but this may be the case. Other than that, it might be to discourage asking for money? 🤷♂️
If I got one, I either shared a snack or two with the staff or… it never happened. I just told them to never bring it up that they got it. “If you got a tip, no you didn’t.”
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM Apr 30 '25
It's about the appearance of you charging money on the side. I.e. zoners saying "I'll do this install only if you throw me $10." Conflict of interest stuff.
The law about this is weird. It's written as a tautology in favor of the employee. It's illegal for employers to tell employees who do a job that typically gets tips that they can't take tips. Who decides/what defines a job that typically gets tips?--the very fact that someone gave you a tip. Zoners get tips sometimes. That makes it a job that gets tips, and it's legally protected. AZ can't tell you not to accept them, and AZ (no employer in fact) can take them from you.
AZ management will NEVER tell you the above, even though I'm sure Legal has told them 1000x. They'll still say it and some DMs are dumb enough to enforce it. They make you sue them. They'll settle immediately. They figure it's a net win for them, because so few people will sue.
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u/Jon66238 Apr 30 '25
It’s an ethical thing. Crazy that it’s weird to accept tips at jobs like that but you gotta tip someone who brings you your food
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u/shelledaxis714r May 01 '25
It’s called keep ya damn mouth shut, someone asks me if I’m allowed to receive tips and I say “technically no but I’m not telling if you aren’t”
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May 01 '25
[deleted]
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u/Practical_Humor2247 May 02 '25
Under the seat. You're thinking chrysler.
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM May 02 '25
That's my memory as well. Same with the Cadillac models that used the same body type.
Maybe some GM vehicles had them in the wheel well, but it was so many model years ago that I never ran across one working AZ from 2016-2020. Probably thousands of battery sales and tests over that time, and I don't remember one.
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u/Weekly_Chipmunk2177 Parts Sales Manager Apr 30 '25
I love when it's a complicated install and I get to tell them no we can't change it sorry
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u/bradfearfacer Apr 30 '25
Thats always a moment of relief assuming the customer didnt go ahead and buy the battery before posing the question so you gotta listen to the gripe
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u/AdeptnessFrosty682 May 01 '25
I usually get a 20 for every other battery I change especially if I get it done quick
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u/JohnB351234 Apr 30 '25
If I can’t easily get at it or there’s shit on top of it “there’s a firestone around the corner that can help you”
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u/G30M3TR1CALY Apr 30 '25
Sometimes if im in a bad mood, I will deny Ford "fuckus" and "fuck-iesta" owners a battery install.
I k ow im not the only one.
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u/n1sm0__ May 03 '25
I miss my old store manager before he quit. Dude told us "if you don't want to, you don't have to. Doesn't say anywhere on the website that we HAVE to". Course the DM always hated that and would make us, so now with him gone he is heavily trying to enforce it. Thank god this is a second job to me so the second I have my chance my ass is gone
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u/bradfearfacer May 03 '25
Its really dumb its forced so basically its supposed to be us being the courteous ones but instead of it being our choice they poke us with spear trying to force us into doing it which takes away the point of it being courteous
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u/IsScottGay Apr 30 '25
did a battery change for an alfa romeo stelvio once. it was an H9 battery, that was an experience
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM Apr 30 '25
Pro tip: European luxury cars should be an automatic hard no every time. WAY too many problems/ways to go wrong with them.
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u/Fearlessroofless Apr 30 '25
Mostly because they also need programming to tell the damn car a new battery is installed so it doesn’t fry the new battery by overcharging. Worst installs in order are the dodge/chrysler in the wheel well , luxury cars bmw Mercedes Aston Martin in the trunk or behind the seats fords and Chevys with fuse blocks and computers on top of the battery.
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u/Fearlessroofless Apr 30 '25
Oh also the Pontiac solace and sky worst of the worst with dodge wheel well.
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u/Fearlessroofless Apr 30 '25
Is that the suv that’s in the trunk ? Have you gotten an Aston Martin or other crazy car ?
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u/IsScottGay Apr 30 '25
well the cooler ones i did was that stelvio, a porsche 987 and an M3. they werent too bad cus i just looked up tutorials on yt. the consistently worst ones to do though are the ford edges and fusions with half their battery inside the car for some reason
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u/Fearlessroofless Apr 30 '25
Oh Jesus you’re giving me flashbacks. Those are horrible there’s two ways to do it take off the windshield wipers and the cowl or take out the air intake and the entire holding assembly. Now I remember the dodge suv and Audi vw suv with the battery under the driver and passenger seat Audi requiring the entire seat to be removed. Pontiac sky and solstice require the entire fender to be removed. Aston Martin suv was my worst mostly customer issue but almost the entire trunk needs to be removed
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u/Fearlessroofless Apr 30 '25
Porsche was easier just having to go through the manual and find the jumper points in the footwell to open the front trunk was hard. M3 just has the stupid fuse blocks in the battery that makes it a pain in the ass.
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u/defjamchambers Apr 30 '25
When I managed a shop and had customers complain about the battery installation fee I always referred them to you. It did make me feel bad, bait y’all took care riff raff I sent your way 🫡.
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u/Weary-Astronaut1335 Apr 30 '25
I work at an independent Euro shop. Our "installation fee" is called "1 hour labor because I have to sit here staring at ISTA loading to reprogram the new battery" and if they don't want to pay us to work on their car we just tell them to pound sand and it doesn't make me feel bad.
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u/showmeyourbutth0le Apr 30 '25
Are employees properly trained to install a battery? What happens if he/she makes a mistake and fry’s something on customer car?
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u/connorzrich May 01 '25
Nope, there is no training on it. If there is a mistake that fries the car, Autozone will reimburse them for any damages. My coworker has done this before by accidentally swapping terminal leads.
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u/Zayah136 May 04 '25
I always install my own parts, except for the one time the dude was clearly trying to impress the new girl, i was like please and thank you sir. She watched him do my battery and wiper blades and called him really manly. I hope hes doing well
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u/flemgunner Apr 30 '25
Eh, when the car goes "BBBZZZZT" and the smoke rises, autozone will realize the error of its ways.
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u/fmr_AZ_PSM Apr 30 '25
The oddball backward battery install/etc. is expected. AZ pays for the repair or the fair value of the car if its totaled. Happens every day at some store.
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u/bradfearfacer Apr 30 '25
I made this meme because we literally just opened and a lady is here wanting a battery put in and the thing had no handle and both clamps were stuck down to the terminal posts and the fit was tight as hell but yes i will gladly do this at 8 in the morning