PSA: DIY parts search hack

[luvmy40]

I'm sure everyone is aware by now that I work for AutoZone. If not, there is my statement of disclosure.

 

This turned out to be a bit more long winded than I intended. There is a PSA at the end(I promise) if you want to skip ahead a bit

 

I just changed out the factory radio(AM/FM base model) for a cheap, DUAL brand touch screen, bluetooth, AM/FM digital media head unit in my '07 F-150. It was a fairly simple job and I expect anyone with any DIY experience at all would have no problem with the job.

 

I was able to do the job for about $110.00 with my employee discount and I am sure I could have done it a bit cheaper if I had shopped around on Amazon and waited for shipping.

 

Along with the new "stereo", a dash trim kit, wiring harness adapter and an antenna connector adapter was needed. I had two snafu situation that were both entirely my fault.

 

First, when I started to wire up the harness adapter, I discovered that my supply of 1/8" shrink tube was completely depleted. This should have been an indicator that I should take stock of everything before I moved on. I ain't that smart.

 

After a run to AZ to restock my soldering supplies, I got the wire harness adapter put together and moved on to install the dash trim kit and install the new head unit. That's when I discovered the need for the antenna adapter.

 

Here's where the PSA comes in.

 

I called my store to see if we had the adapter in stock and was informed by an associate that it was listed as NYA(Not Yet Available) for my vehicle. I then went to the AZ retail website and ran a parts search for all the stereo install parts for my truck. No antenna adapters were found. I then did a google search for "2007 ford f150 stereo antenna adapter" and found the second search result was a link to AZ's web site. Following the link took me to a product page for an adapter listed for '03-'14 Chryslers but the fitment bar insisted that it fit my vehicle. My store had this part number in stock, so I went to see if it would actually fit. It did. The package stated that it was for '03-'14 Chrysler, GM and Ford.

 

The point is, don't trust the software or the web site at whatever parts store you frequent if they say the part you are looking for is not available. Do some research and find a part number. More often than not, your local parts store can cross reference another source's numbers and you may even find the part on the shelf when the retailer's system indicates they do not have it when using an application search rather than a part number look-up.

Edited January 20, 2019 by luvmy40
fixed typos