'Go To AutoZone': Arkansas Man Purchases Starter at O'Reilly. He Tries to Return It After It Fails—But a Worker Steps In

"Made it 2 days."

Arkansas man purchases starter

Photo by: AdobeStock

Stacy Fernandez

By: Stacy Fernandez

Nov 27, 2025 at 2:00pm ET

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When a car part fails within 48 hours, most people assume the return will be straightforward.

Despite having the receipt in hand, one Arkansas was refused a return. Commenters are divided, with some suspecting something amiss in the situation and others arguing that the return policy should be honored regardless.

Veteran Says O'Reilly Refused Warranty

In a viral video with more than 268,000 views, Don Raknyup (@donraknyup9), a Ford F-150 driver who says he’s a veteran, stands near an O'Reilly Auto Parts in Arkansas holding his receipt and the starter he recently purchased.

"Consumer beware," he begins.

Raknyup explains that he bought the starter for $206, only to have it fail after two days. He brought it back with the receipt, assuming the store would honor what he assumed was a straightforward warranty claim. But according to him, that's not what happened.

"Purchase a starter, $206. Made it two days. Took it back to him with witnesses, retired veteran, disabled veteran, a disabled correctional officer," he says. "Didn't matter. They didn’t want to hear it. They flat refused to replace this starter."

Raknyup says he's now escalating the situation and plans to contact O'Reilly's corporate office to see if it'll resolve the issue the local store wouldn't.

"We're gonna see if they do the right thing, corporate office,” he adds

O'Reilly Auto Parts Warranty Policies

According to O'Reilly Auto Parts' warranty policy, starters are covered under the company’s limited warranty, which includes defects in materials and workmanship. The company offers a one-year part replacement warranty unless otherwise stated on the receipt, with commercial vehicle warranties lasting 90 days.

You must have the original sales receipt to be eligible for warranty service. The policy explicitly states that if a product is defective and covered by warranty, customers may return it to any O'Reilly store for a replacement, repair, or refund.

But there are exclusions. The warranty doesn't cover parts that fail due to improper installation, abuse, misuse, or neglect. And it doesn't cover labor, towing, or rental car charges.

The company's return policy requires items to be in their original packaging with all original materials for new merchandise returns. However, warranty returns for defective products follow different procedures.

Commenters React

“Why does it matter if your a retired veteran or officer?” a top comment asked.

“Does that look like 2 days old it has that white stuff on it you see after a few years,” a person said.

“Corporate ain't doing nothing. because THATSNOT OUR STARTER,” another wrote.

What do you think?

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Comments

“Something more to the story,” a commenter added.

Motor1 reached out to Don Raknyup for comment via TikTok direct message and sent a comment to O'Reilly Auto Parts via email. We'll update this if either responds.

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