What has happened to NAPA

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Originally Posted by pcoxe
My old NAPA dealer told me John Echlin used to stop at every NAPA store he passed by to get feedback from the owners. He also got a surprise visit from Echlin one day.


Yeah, that is how you make a company great! These days the owner/CEO/corporate types are never seen, only at huge conventions, too busy making charts for "goals", appeasing activist investors, and taking huge bonuses.
 
Plenty of NAPA products are rebadged Dorman, Standard, and other brands too. It is like Sears - Kenmore is mostly Whirlpool but other brands too.
 
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There are a lot more posts on this site (and other car enthusiast sites) with posters asking "did I get ripped off on the price I paid for this part" than there are posters asking "I will pay an extra 20 to 50% if I can get a quality part, where can I go to get that quality part"

The broader consumer market provides the parts at the price/quality mix that the majority will purchase.
 
Must have not shopped in a NAPA the last 10-15 years, been offshore with them just as long or longer.

In my area, the only good thing about NAPA is they stock a lot of the low turn over part numbers other auto parts chains stores do not. So if you need something today, good chance NAPA will have it but you pay the premium for it.
 
Originally Posted by HowAboutThis
OEM is often cheaper and better quality than aftermarket stores, from my experience.


Definitely better quality, but usually more expensive...
 
It depends. They are all owned by different people, my local NAPA is excellent. The guys are knowledgeable, service is top notch, and if you have an issue with a part they take care of it no questions asked. The next closest NAPA leaves a lot to be desired.

As for the parts, like anything else some of it is good, some is cheap garbage. I prefer their brakes and filters over any of the other stores. If the part is more critical I'll usually buy the OEM online anyway. I don't find them to be any more expensive than the other stores, since 5 qts of synthetic oil at my local Autozone is like $60.
 
Our Napa still has the old parts books, for now. Who can say how much longer they will be around. Maybe its because there are a couple older gentleman working there, and have been there for years?

A little while ago, I needed some hydraulic fittings. All the other stores didn't carry them. I tried Napa, and an older gentleman opened up the parts book on the counter and was able to find the correct fitting. We thought he was going to have to order the parts, he went in the back, hunted around, and come back with the right fittings!

I was thankful, and impressed that they actually had them in the back.

It does concern me and is a little disappointing that they used to carry the high quality parts and brands right in the store, and now, they seem to be carrying the cheaper quality items and dropping the higher quality items. For my brother's Civic for example, they used to carry Made in Japan distributor cap and rotor. We replaced his tie rod end and ball joints years ago and Napa had the Made in Japan parts in stock. They were Sankei 555 brand. Napa is still carrying the brand, but, it looks like they rearranged their store brands and the high quality parts are in the Altrom range, which includes the Sankei 555. Well, our local Napa doesn't carry much of the Altrom range, they are stocking the cheaper Echlin range. I'm sure they could probably order the Altrom parts into the store if I went in there and asked. I'm just disappointed they are carrying in stock anymore.

I can understand it though, how many of their customers, when they come into the store and say they need this part, Napa carries a few choices, say Give me the best parts you have. Or how many say Give me the cheapest part you have.
 
Originally Posted by njohnson
Maybe its because there are a couple older gentleman working there, and have been there for years?

A little while ago, I needed some hydraulic fittings. All the other stores didn't carry them. I tried Napa, and an older gentleman opened up the parts book on the counter and was able to find the correct fitting. We thought he was going to have to order the parts, he went in the back, hunted around, and come back with the right fittings!

I was thankful, and impressed that they actually had them in the back.



This is the type of NAPA I have locally. The owner is an older gentleman who still works at the store. He will help you find stuff and greets all of the customers when they come in.
 
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Our Napa still has the old parts books, for now. Who can say how much longer they will be around. Maybe its because there are a couple older gentleman working there, and have been there for years?


Careful, gotta check them parts! Got a older store around here, Advance Auto locally owned, previously was Lincoln Auto Parts-Parts Plus, and the building is a custom job, add on, and apparently the humidity control is not very good, since I get surface rust on Transmission filters that have been sitting on the shelf for years.... not cool.
 
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Almost 20 years ago I worked at a repair shop that was a napa autocare center. I wasn't too crazy with some of thier economy line stuff but I always felt good about using napa gold parts. The parts were always great quality.

That Napa had one of the best auto machine shops in the area. I loved that place.

I have since moved away and the local Napa is ok, but while the owner is there he can be an old curmudgeon and not in a good way. The help is not bad there, but the parts are definitely not what they were back in the day. It's sad but people want cheap, cheap, cheap!

They have basically closed thier machine shop and if you really beg the owner they will machine rotors, but he really would rather sell Chinese rotors to you, and the cheapest of the cheap rotors are usually not much more than the cost of machining. But when a rotor is oem and I spent 75 bucks a piece on them I will pay the machining cost.

Seems we know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

My coworker is this way and I find it amusing how he always goes for the absolute lowest cost, still complains they are getting rich off it, then has to replace whatever it is because it was the cheapest possible junk he could find. That or it doesn't fit right, dont work right ect...
 
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Originally Posted by 007
Used to be when you went to NAPA you might pay extra but got a quality AMERICAN MADE product. Now or should I say in the past few years everything from filters to regular parts, it seems they are all made in the same places off shore as those being sold on the cheap by companies like AUTOZONE, ADVANCED AUTO etc. What is the point of paying extra for the same product?

NO HATERS PLEASE. Just seeing if I am the only one disappointed in what is happening when it comes to buying those PREMIUM products. Where do we go?

There are a lot of premium products made off shore. I am not sure buying American made is guarantee of quality. I would say brand name today is much more important.
 
When I was a kid and my dad was tinkering around with the family car, I remember going to the local parts houses. They had catalogs, stools, NASCAR/NHRA paraphernalia and a mostly blue-collar clientele. I hung out at a place called City Auto Supply when I was toying around on cars before I got my driver's license - this was before San Francisco became a tech hub, around the time of the 1st .com boom. They were a classic local autoparts store with the stools, catalogs, cases of oil nudie mags and posters in the back. The guys eventually bartered a very generous parts discount for helping them keep the parts in the back stocked, shelves stocked with oil and coolant and walking over to the local Arco with their parts.

I preferred those guys to AutoZone and Kragen back when I was doing small stuff to the parent's cars. Now, Amazon and the local parts house as well as the dealer get my parts business. I only go to AutoZone or O'Reilly for fluids. I haven't stepped foot into a Napa, they aren't as plentiful and it seems like AZ rules in the Bay Area. A friend of mine who works in tech bemoaned about the quality of parts from AZ, and he told me I was right about getting things on Amazon.
 
Haven't used NAPA in several year since a store manager told me the reason the starter I got there wouldn't fit my Miata was because the mechanic didn't know what he was doing. Bolt holes were wrong. Stater was in the wrong box, He wouldn't give me a refund, but a call to " his boss" got me the refund.
 
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by HowAboutThis
OEM is often cheaper and better quality than aftermarket stores, from my experience.


Definitely better quality, but usually more expensive...


Definitely depends on the part and what level of quality aftermarket you choose.
 
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