Where do you buy consumable car parts
 

As a general rule I purchase items like air and oil filters locally at FLAPS . Recently I purchased a Volvo XC90 and today I went online to my local parts stores websites to compare prices . I was quite surprised that as an example air filters were in the 35.00 - 40.00 range .

Then I checked websites that were not FLAPS affiliated and air filters were anywhere from 7.00 to 25.00 . Brands like Wix , Beck Arnley and others . Quite a difference in pricing and all the filters claim to meet OEM spec's . So where are you guys buying consumable items ?

I have found that for most consumables, Amazon is a good place to check. Here is the Volvo-branded air filter for an XC90 for $29.22
https://www.amazon.com/GENUINE-VOLVO-ENGINE-FILTER-XC90/dp/B01MV01FQT

This search shows other options starting around $12
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=xc90+air+filter&i=automotive&crid=LGG35LV5NPYT &sprefix=xc90+%2Cautomotive%2C156&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3 _5

I buy all that stuff from a dealer that offers substantial Internet discounts. Most of the stuff you get at your local auto parts store is crap, some of it is so bad I wouldn’t use it on anything.

I am moving more and more towards Amazon. I can fid the "good stuff" oil filters air filters brake fluid and even the Brad Penn on Amazon, delivered to my door for less money. The Brad Penn is about the same price locally, but the wholesaler that has it is 30 miles from my house on the other side of Oklahoma City.

In Paul's examples above is the " Volvo branded " air filter better than the less expensive versions ? If the less expensive versions meet OEM spec's then why pay the extra ? Especially if you are changing on a regular basis .

Unsure of the gustatory value of these 'consumables,' I've never eaten and digested any autoparts.

It depends:

Amazon
Pelican
Rock Auto
Ebay

I'm fussy on aftermarket brands

What specs? Volvo doesn’t publish guidelines for aftermarket parts companies to use in manufacturing competing replacement parts. You have literally no idea how the two products would compare. It’s not something anybody checks, it’s not something you can easily measure for yourself.

Years ago, when I was a Honda dealer, I cut apart serval oil filters to show customers what they were getting when they tried to save $.50 by going to Walmart and buying a Fram, or whatever. The aftermarket filters were constructed quite differently from the Honda filter, none of them were even close to the same quality. A few factors that you have to consider in an oil filter are how many effective square inches of filter material are there, to what micron level does the filter element trap contaminants, what’s the opening pressure for the pressure relief valve, etc. There are other factors but you probably get the idea.

Want to buy an aftermarket rear brake pad? Fine, what’s the friction coefficient of the pad? How does it compare to the old pads? How does the friction coefficient versus temperature curve look, between the two pads? How is that going to change the effective balance of the braking forces on both ends of the car?

I could go on. With parts that you get from a dealer, you know you’re getting the correct part for the car and probably the best quality. With aftermarket parts, it’s a crapshoot. All you can do is usually simply look at the part, to see if any differences are obvious. That doesn’t tell you much.

There are plenty of dealers out there that will sell stuff at 25% off. That’s good enough for me, if I want to pinch pennies, I do it elsewhere.

The game is changing

Java good explanation thank you . I have done some more searches using " OEM Volvo parts " as the search criteria . Quite a few sites come up with very reasonable pricing , I will pick a site and try them . As an example I want to change oil/oil filter , air filter and cabin filter to have a baseline for my new to me used Volvo.

I buy stuff from the parts store that is walking distance from my house, because I like to have a parts store that is walking distance from my house

Amazon for non-Porsches

Pelican for Porsches

I live in the mountains and it is 12 miles to town . So your example doesn't apply to me but I understand your message .

Fred you are in the business so I would like to hear your thoughts . I assume back in the day you purchased from a wholesaler with some kind of jobber pricing . Is that how you buy parts now ? Or has the internet changed all that ?

When I need Porsche parts I check Pelican first . Between the pricing , quick delivery and the forums to me it's a good value . I would like to find a Volvo equivalent . But as others have stated Amazon can get you anything and have it on your doorstep in 1-2 days . Hard to beat that.

there are good aftermarket brands just like their are bad/cheap brands. Amazon and r0ck get most of my business.

^this^

I recently tried to buy engine oil for my Unimog. Seems like a simple mission, right? Well, it turned out that there was some "special" so if you bought the filter, you got the oil at a substantial discount, which for me was going to be a 40% savings. The problem was, didn't have filters for any of my cars except for the M3. Ok, I fine, I'll suck it up and spend $3 on the crappy filter to save $28 on the oil. The filter they gave me was such utter shiite that I literally tossed it in the garbage on the way out the door.

I've found Rock Auto's website to be virtually unusable. It seems to me like it was designed in 1995 as a web interface for a green screen system that I don't know how to use.

Another example of how the FLAPS brick-and-mortar paradigm is dying:

I recently re-did the brakes on one of my buses; all new master cylinder, wheel cylinders, lines, shoes - the works. I decided to switch to Dot 5 brake fluid, so I hit O'Reilly on my way home from work the next day. They had one single solitary bottle of Dot 5 on the shelf. The counter jockey tells me "We can order it and have it here tomorrow" I told him "I can order it on Amazon and have it on my doorstep tomorrow." For S&G, I had him check other stores; all of the other stores in an n-mile radius only had 1 or 2 bottles on-hand as well.

But seriously: you're an auto parts store - this is the kind of stuff you should have in stock. I can understand if you have to order a flux capacitor for a Model-A, but consumables should be an automatic have-it-on-the-shelf.

Furthermore, I don't think B&M retailers understand that if a customer walks out empty-handed, he's probably less likely to come back the next time he needs something; once a customer figures out he can order it online and bypass the smelly tat'd counter-jockey, he'll get everything online and cut you out of the loop completely. The other part that irks me is they don't have a staple like brake fluid, but the store is stocked to the gills with useless kitsch. Home Depot and Lowe's are the same way.

Great post and very true on all accounts. I agree 100%

On any car I care about I shop for the best parts not best price.

On my Tacoma work truck? The oil filters and oil I put quality in.

Brake pads? I purchased the cheapest I could find at Autozone and would have purchased from Amazon if I did not need to put them on that day. I heard a metal grinding sound, looked and saw the pads were gone. I hit the brakes it stops. I am not worried about perfect balance in that pig it handles like a buckboard anyway.

I didn't even turn the rotors, just tossed them on.

Windshield Wipers? I spend big $$ and buy only the PIAA brand silicone wipers. Why? I just replaced a pair I put on my FJ Cruiser, I installed them in 2011 and they just now started to give me problems. That is why.

My Porsche parts purchases are mostly through Pelican. I do buy some items through my local dealer that I know Pelican will have to order.

For the El Camino, my last set of brake pads from Amazon were GM Goodwrench brand pads. $12 whole bucks, and no core to mess with returning. I buy brand name ATE brake fluid (I wish the ATE blue was still available) and I do shop for the better quality stuff.