-
Welcome to Auto Parts Forum
Whether you are a veteran automotive parts guru or just someone looking for some quick auto parts advice, register today and start a new topic in our forum. Registration is free and you can even sign up with social network platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, and LinkedIn.
AutoZone Announces Change to Executive Committee
-
Similar Topics
-
By OReilly Auto Parts
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Oct. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (the “Company” or “O’Reilly”) (Nasdaq: ORLY), a leading retailer in the automotive aftermarket industry, announces the release date for its third quarter 2023 results as Wednesday, October 25, 2023, with a conference call to follow on Thursday, October 26, 2023.
link hidden, please login to view -
By Counterman
Standard Motor Products (SMP) announced that it completed its strategic partnership selection for an upcoming comprehensive website redesign and Umbraco rebuild.
SMP has selected
link hidden, please login to view, a digital marketing and web development agency that it says has a strong focus and history of working with the Umbraco platform. Umbraco is an open-source content-management system. The new websites for smpcorp.com, and its brand-specific properties, aim to redefine the customer experience in the digital space, enhancing navigation, functionality and overall user engagement across the company’s diverse divisions, Standard Motor Products said.
With an intuitive UI/UX interface, the revamped
link hidden, please login to view will feature streamlined content, simplified navigation and enriched multimedia functionalities, ensuring users can access all the vital information within a few clicks, according to SMP. “Investors who need up-to-date financial performance data will be able to start their user journey quickly and find what they are looking for through intuitive and readily available tools, while customers looking for detailed product information will swiftly be redirected to the newly designed brand websites,” SMP said. “In addition to aesthetic upgrades, these websites will be rebuilt on the latest release of the Umbraco content management system (CMS). This cutting-edge platform allows for better scalability, security and ease of use for both end-users and the marketing team.”
“We look forward to Scandia transforming our vision into reality, as their expertise in web design and Umbraco is why we selected them for this project,” added Jay Eckstein, director of marketing at Standard Motor Products. “We anticipate a corporate site and new brand websites that not only look beautiful but also offer a seamless user experience that will allow our customers, partners, and investors to find what they need, when they need it.”
Rebuilding on the Umbraco CMS is a strategic move aimed at future-proofing smpcorp.com, the company said. Umbraco is a fully featured open-source CMS with the flexibility to integrate various third-party applications, enabling businesses to reach beyond the limitations of a traditional CMS and truly craft a digital-experience platform. It’s known for its robustness and user-friendly admin interface, allowing for effortless content updates and website management.
The post
link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view.
link hidden, please login to view -
By Counterman
Sealed-beam headlights were simple and easy. For years, that’s all there was. A headlight was held into its bucket by a round or rectangular stainless-steel trim piece, with either three or four screws. Sometimes you had to remove a decorative trim piece first, but still always just a few screws.
Then it got even easier throughout the 1980s as the industry transitioned from the traditional sealed beam to composite headlights with replaceable halogen bulbs. There wasn’t anything wrong with the sealed-beam design; they worked great. But there were only a few options, which limited automotive design.
With composite headlights, automakers were designing cars with the look and aerodynamics that were previously restricted by one simple part. The best thing was, you simply opened the hood, and you could see the rear of the headlamps with the connector for the bulb protruding out the back. You unplugged the bulb, removed a retaining ring and out it came. It was that easy, and many still are that way. There’s not much to it.
Sticker Shock
However, all good things come to an end, and we’re seeing more and more cars where the aerodynamics, the shape of the front end and the tight, space-restricted engine compartments make it impossible to get to (or in many cases even see) the rear of the headlamp.
Often, you must completely remove the headlamp to access the bulb. Sometimes you have to remove fender liners, or in worst-case scenarios, even the bumper cover or grille. There are times when it may take 45 minutes or longer to replace a headlight bulb. It’s uncommon – but it happens, nonetheless.
Replacing headlight bulbs typically has been so simple for so long that most consumers have been programmed to think it’s a quick and easy job. You could literally replace one in less than a minute, and many shops – especially for regular customers – got in the habit of replacing them for only the cost of the bulb.
That’s become a thing of the past as they get harder and harder to get to. Imagine the consumer’s shock to tell them it’s going to be $50 to $70 in labor just to replace a headlight bulb. That’s when a lot of people decide they can do it themselves. How hard can it be after all? Either way, getting access to the bulb is Step 1. You’re home free after that, but there are a few particulars to pay attention to, which hold true for any headlight-bulb replacement.
Don’t Touch the Bulb
First and foremost: Don’t touch the bulb. Many people ask why. The natural oils on your skin will transfer to the surface of the bulb. As the bulb heats up, it expands. If there’s oil on it, that spot will get much hotter than the rest, expand at a different rate and cause it to crack or shatter.
The best advice is to leave the bulb in its packaging until after you’ve removed the original and are ready to reinstall the new one. Then carefully remove it, holding it by the electrical connector. Compare it to make sure it’s the same, then install it in the housing. If it does get oil on it or you accidentally touch it, you can simply wipe it down with rubbing alcohol and a clean rag.
Inspect the Wiring Connector
When the bulb is disconnected, it’s important to look closely at the wiring connector. It’s very common for them to be melted and burned. This often is the root cause of the headlight light not working as opposed to a bad bulb. It happens because headlight bulbs get very hot, and they go through continuous heat and cooling cycles. This constant expansion and contraction eventually weakens the tension on the electrical terminals, creating high resistance.
With resistance comes additional heat, and some aftermarket bulbs may draw a higher amperage than OE bulbs, compounding the problem. Since this problem is so common, most of the common wiring-harness connectors are readily available as a pigtail (connector with wires installed), and just have to be spliced onto the original harness. Some of them feature design improvements to handle higher heat and a higher current too.
If you’re replacing a sealed-beam headlight, it’s still a good idea to closely inspect the wiring connector. These often look OK, but don’t provide a good connection. They frequently go bad too due to corrosion and age, primarily because they aren’t sealed. These connectors are still available, as well as a pigtail harness.
The adjusters on sealed-beam headlights also break a lot simply due to age, but these are generally available too, so they’re a good upsell, and usually an easy one. Most cars with sealed-beam lights are classics, which people are willing to invest time and money in. With composite lights, this is the perfect time to sell a headlight polishing kit to bring clarity back to old lenses. So, changing headlight bulbs? It’s usually easy, but it can be hard, and there’s always an opportunity to help your customer make the most of the job.
The post
link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view.
link hidden, please login to view -
By Counterman
AutoZone reported net sales of $5.7 billion for its fiscal-2023 fourth quarter, a 6.4% year-over-year increase.
Domestic same-store sales for the fourth quarter, which ended Aug. 26, were up 1.7%.
Operating profit increased 10.8% to $1.2 billion. Net income for the quarter increased 6.8% to $864.8 million, while diluted earnings per share increased 14.7% to $46.46, according to the company.
“While we started this quarter slowly, we saw improvements in the back half of our quarter,” AutoZone CEO Bill Rhodes said in a news release. “Despite lower-than-expected growth in domestic commercial, we believe that the initiatives we have in place and are implementing will drive stronger growth in fiscal 2024. Additionally, we continued to be pleased with our international stores’ performance and we are excited about future growth prospects across both Mexico and Brazil.”
Same-store sales in Mexico and Brazil were up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis.
During the quarter, AutoZone opened 53 new stores and closed one in the United States, and opened 27 new stores in Mexico and 17 in Brazil for a total of 96 net new stores. For the fiscal year, the company opened 197 net new stores.
As of Aug. 26, the company had 6,300 stores in the United States, 740 in Mexico and 100 in Brazil for a total store count of 7,140.
The post
link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view.
link hidden, please login to view 
-
By AutoZone
MEMPHIS, Tenn. , Sept. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE: AZO) today reported net sales of $5.7 billion for its fourth quarter (16 weeks) ended August 26, 2023 , an increase of 6.4% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 (16 weeks). Same store sales, or sales for our domestic and
link hidden, please login to view
-
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.