'Super Easy Replacement:' Woman Buys Alternator from O’Reilly. Then the Worker Gets Fired for Helping Her Install It

A former O’Reilly’s employee says his attempt to help a woman install a new alternator in her vehicle resulted in his untimely firing.

TikTok user Matthew (@Mattthemechanic43) is a mechanic and a former O’Reilly’s worker. In a video posted last week, he describes how he purportedly lost his job at the auto parts store.

“Alright, so funny story,” he says from the parking lot of an O’Reilly’s. “Did you guys know that I used to work at this O’Reilly’s here for a little over a year? And in this exact spot right here I got fired.”

Matthew says he was warned against what the company called “moonlighting,” which basically means taking on extra outside work in addition to your job.

“Apparently, I wasn’t supposed to be working on people’s vehicles that went inside to buy parts,” he explains. “Even though I got told not to, a woman went in there and bought an alternator and I was like, ‘Hey, ma’am, I’ll throw that in your car real fast,’ because it’s a super easy replacement.”

Of course, Matthew knew he was taking a risk. “I thought I could get away with it because my manager just left for lunch,” he says. “As soon as I started, he forgot something and boom got fired on the spot.”

He says the customer was upset. “She even actually cried because she thought she was gonna get a great deal.”

In the comments section, viewers overwhelmingly came to Matthew’s defense and expressed pride in how he overcame that hurdle.

“Firing the hardest worker is crazy,” wrote one supporter.

“It happened so you could become a mobile mechanic that is now famous,” said a second.

A third person said they also approached the job this way when they worked in auto parts retail. “Always went above and beyond,” they wrote. “And people started to call and ask for me specifically. I got a lot of tips from people as well. The manager was cool with it; he just said ‘make sure whatever you’re doing isn’t something super difficult before you start it.’”

Was Matthew ‘Moonlighting’ At O’Reilly’s?

In most of the United States, employers don’t need a specific reason to fire workers. The few exceptions apply to discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblowing, and union membership. So the question isn’t whether O’Reilly’s was legally justified in firing Matthew.

But was the firing fair? That’s a different question. Employers sometimes include provisions in employee contracts that prohibit them from engaging in secondary work. This could be to prevent employees from using company property and resources on outside work or collaborating with competitors.

Matthew admitted he was warned that his actions could be labeled as moonlighting by his management team. That would make the firing technically justified. However, it also seems like Matthew was just trying to be a Good Samaritan and not profit off of his labor.

Motor1 contacted Matthew via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also contacted O’Reilly’s via email for comment. We’ll be sure to update this if either responds.