Although this is my local Napa, I haven't used them much, since I do most of my errands in Coventry. I was so impressed with my experience there Saturday, however, I will be going here more often.
I needed an air filter for my truck and went to Napa in Coventry, but they did not have the higher-grade filter for my truck. So, I went to the West Warwick Napa, and they had not one, but four choices of filters, including the one I wanted.
The West Warwick Napa is more visually appealing than the Coventry Napa, with a larger area of tools, automotive fluids and other supplies in the front of the store. They had more brands of oil than Coventry. On my visit Saturday, they had the front door open and a large, industrial fan on a stand kept the store cool. Counter people at this store are very friendly and personable.
This Napa is part of Wheelock's auto group, which owns and operates several Napa stores. Parking at this location is somewhat limited, but it hasn't been a problem for me. There is a small lot on Roberts Street, which is a one-way street, or else you can park in front of the store on Main Street.
Later that day, after I had my truck torn apart, I realized I needed a gasket or seal between my throttle body and air cleaner housing, as the old one was a bit torn up from age. I used my wife's car to drive back to West Warwick Napa and brought the old part with me. Joe, the counter person who'd waited on me earlier, couldn't find the gasket on his computer, but he went the extra mile and walked in back to try to find one that matched up. I feel that many counter people at the big auto parts chains (AutoZone, Advance, etc.) would just shrug and say, "Go to the dealer." Joe, however, gave his best effort. He also offered a solution, selling me some silicone gasket maker in a tube, in case I couldn't get the gasket from the dealer.
I called a Chevrolet dealer, and found that the gasket is not sold separately, but is part of an assembly, and that it is a discontinued part anyway (the vehicle is almost 20 years old), so I just applied some of the gasket maker on the old seal, to help it seal better. read more