where do U buy parts? -online, B&M chains, and why

[columnshift]

Seeking to tap the community knowledge of "where is the best places to buy auto parts/maintenance items"

When do you buy things online, why, and where?

When do you buy things from local brick'n'mortar stores? (Autozone, ORielly's, etc)

When do you resort to the junkyards, including online sources for junkyards? (and where are those online places)


Sometimes i've noticed prices are about the same so B&M convenience wins, other times there are huge price differences (alternators and starters so far that i've gotten anyway) and online saves alot of money. Or there are brands not available locally that I may get online. At other times like when I needed a replacement carburetor I got a great deal online costing 1/8th what a new one would cost with it working fine.

So i'm curious what the rest of you do, if there are "go to" places for certain makes/models, or for certain parts.

 

[larryinnewyork]

I needed a Transmission Pan and bought it on E-Bay from a Junk Yard.
I did not want to buy from local junk yard because of possible RUST.

The E-Bay Seller was in Colorado.
I asked, "is there any rust on it ?" They said, "no".
So I bought it.

I paid $21.00 / Outside of pan was sand-blasted.
What a great buy.

Fluids - Wal-Mart
Belts, Hoses - B&M
Alternator, Starter - Online

No. 1 concern - Quality
No. 2 concern - Price

 

[aquariuscsm]

I always buy OEM from the dealership.

 

[eljefino]

I just got a junkyard starter for $30. car-part.com works great here. There's a shyster who jacks up his prices when you call him in winter though, because of snow. I call him on why his phone price doesn't match car-part.com and he gets all deer-in-headlights.

Advance auto wanted $170 for the same starter, so even with coupons, no deal there. OTOH I mail ordered a trailer hitch through them and they beat everyone else after coupon by a metric mile.

Ebay's good for dopey stuff like ECMs. You can get someone parting their car out, while junkyards think they're sitting on a gold mine.

 

[exranger06]

My first go-to is Napa, since I work there and get a good discount on parts. But sometimes I can get parts even cheaper online, even with my discount. But price isn't everything. I'd rather pay more for a quality part if it means I won't have to replace it in a year. There are some parts I simply won't buy at Napa because of poor quality, even if the price is good. For example: Echlin electrical parts.

So basically it goes: Napa first. If they don't have a good quality part, or they don't have the brand I want, or the price isn't good even with my discount, I go online.

For obsolete parts I can't buy new, I go on Craigslist or eBay, and occasionally a local junkyard.

 

[Quest]

rock auto,
amazon
various online OE discounter

I'd resort to ePrey last (unless obsolete).

Q.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Unless it is an emergency and I need the vehicle NOW, I go to Rockauto. Otherwise it is Advance or Autozone (get discounts at both).

If it is something that I can get by used and it is cheaper - I'll go to the junkyard. In the case of the washer motor pumps for the Cherokee, it is cheaper to get them from Advance auto over the junkyard.

 

[Donald]

RockAuto or Amazon or online dealership (for dealer only parts)

 

[01rangerxl]

I buy parts all over the place. Each situation has different time/price/quality constraints.

I work for a Chevrolet dealer parts department, but ironically I buy a lot of things for our GM delivery trucks through Napa. Pulling a set of GM Original pads off the shelf costs about 3X as much as buying a set of Napa Proformer ceramics. On the other hand, it's at least several dollars cheaper for me to use a GM Original tailgate handle than to buy a Napa Solutions (usually Dorman) one.

I bought a drain plug from our Mazda store for my 2002 Ranger. They had it in stock...my cost was somewhere around $2.

I do use Rockauto.com and Amazon.com, but it's sporadic at most. BUT, Rockauto.com has the distinction of getting me to impulse buy some closeout parts that I don't need.

 

[SHOZ]

I usually get the OEM parts online at Hyundai dealers. Common parts either local, ebay or Amazon.

 

[HangFire]

All of the above. Then I pick the highest quality for the lowest price.

 

[stephen9666]

-Rockauto
-Amazon
-Advance Auto (with discount code)
-Sometimes ebay, but many ebay sellers ship way slower than RA or Amazon
-I also check Napa and O'Reillys when I need something fast. Occasionally, they'll have something cheaper than Advance after a discount code or a better brand than Advance.

 

[2civics]

)Amazon
)Autozone

 

[fdcg27]

It depends and it pays to shop around.
You'll sometimes find the best deal using a discount code online with AZ or AAP.
Rock is always good but shipping can kill you.
Rock does list parts not available from most B&M aftermarket sources.
There are also numerous marque specialists who can supply anything you might need along with helpful advice and their pricing is often good.
There are also dealers who specialize in discount online sales, for those parts you just can't find anywhere else and are reluctant to buy from a yard.
Pick-and-pull yards have the best pricing, but it can be difficult to find what you need and the expedition can be a dirty one, without the convenience of being able to shed your clothes directly into the washer and yourself directly into the shower.
The more potential sources you consider, the less costly and more satisfactory your parts purchase experiences will be.
We live in an age of instant availability of information.
Take advantage of it.

 

[philipp10]

I don't think there is any one place anymore. When I was a kid, I bought from Champion Auto and Big Wheel, 2 chains that are out of business. Thing is, the parts they sold were [censored] sometimes. Then as I got older, I went with NAPA or OEM. Now with the internet, I look at price, quality etc. If I can save enough I will try Ebay and so far have done well with those parts for huge savings. There is no right answer. Fluids is usually Walmart, used to be Fleet Farm.

 

[Merkava_4]

I thought this was gonna be a thread about B&M shifter chains. . .

 

[Pop_Rivit]

It depends.
We're about 20 miles from any sort of auto parts store, and about 40 miles from an auto parts store that stocks anything beyond the most common radiator hoses, fan belts and brake pads. It's easier (and usually faster) to get what I need from Amazon or RockAuto. I usually choose Amazon just because the shipping costs on RockAuto are prohibitive.
When I replaced the rear drum brakes on my pickup I could choose exactly what parts I wanted, exactly what brand I wanted, and exactly what quality I wanted. They arrived on time and were delivered to the door of my shop-no time spent running around finding which auto parts store has them, no gas wasted on my part, and no sales tax.
I recently replaced the shocks on my wife's Durango. I was not limited to the 2 or 3 brands that (hopefully) the auto parts store might have in stock-I had a choice of several brands in a broad price range. Again, they were delivered to my door and there was no sales tax.

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I thought this was gonna be a thread about B&M shifter chains. . .


That'll teach you to think.

 

[Trav]

Always check the dealer first. Honda rear wiper motor, AA $80+core not in stock, same at AZ and NAPA, Rock $92+ core all were Cardone reman.
Dealer in stock item on the shelf, $74 out the door inc tax brand new OE part. Many times the OE is cheaper than all of them and if they don't have it in stock they have it tomorrow AM with no additional shipping charges.

I got a Subaru short block for $900 out the door brand new inc oil pan, pump and water pump, they even delivered it for free. The heads were $400 for the pair no cam or valve train but the seats were ground.
I had this engine in the car brand new for about $1500 and a few hours to swap it.

 

[HangFire]

Dealers can have great pricing... to the trade. For the rest of us, we often get stuck with paying list price.

Still, it's worth checking, and work any angle you got. I bought a used Japanese brand car from a local Chrysler dealer, now he gives me good prices on my Dakota parts. I did not anticipate this, but I'll take any break I can get.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I really like O'Reilly. They finally opened a store here in my town not long ago. They have high prices on some things but it is worth it because the overall experience in the store is so much better than AZ and AAP here. My main problem with AZ and AAP is both stores blast loud music that makes it hard to think, hard to find what I need and hard to talk to the counter people. The local Harbor Freight store does the same thing and it drives me up the wall.

The guys at O'Reilly here have actual car knowledge and the store is quiet and very clean. I like their Microgard oil filters and they usually have a good selection of different brands and quality lines with most of the parts they sell. The local Napa is quiet too, it is run/owned by a family and they are usually helpful even though I am not a shop account. Whether I go to Napa or O'Reilly depends on which one has the part I need, however like exRanger I now avoid Echlin electrical parts. Price is not usually an issue between the two stores, I don't worry about 2 or 3 dollars' difference for the same part.

I have bought some parts from Amazon and Rock but Rock's shipping charges can sometimes negate any price savings. I just ordered from Amazon today both left and right headlights and parking lights assemblies for my truck. My old headlights are beyond repair and one has condensation and rain water in it. Amazon is also very good for electronics and car audio. Our Prime membership paid for itself the first two months we had it. Amazon is great if I have the time to wait for shipping. If I need the part now, Napa and O'Reilly are both about a mile from my house. The Dodge dealer here has outrageous parts prices. I have two great bone yards not too far away, both have really good guys there who are always willing to help make sure I get the right part and their prices are very good too. Both yards have a good selection of Dodge trucks in the yard and don't mind if I take a walk through the yard to see if they have what I need.