Source for non-performance oriented car parts?
 

Mom has a 2013 Buick Verano that needs shocks and struts. Any good sources for them? Any brands in particular to look for or stay away from?

Obviously it’s not a performance car but getting another 80,000 miles out this set with comfort and safety is the important thing.

I've used Rock Auto for years. They offer a range of quality and pricing on most parts, from OEM (or better) all the way down to the cheapest Chinese knock-off garbage. They are honest about it, though, so it's not hard to decide which level of quality and price suits you.

https://www.********.com

Edit - well, that's weird - is "rock auto" (without a space) now considered profanity?

Rock is a competitor Jeff. Can’t type Stodd either.

Rock Auto is good until you need to return something even if It’s their mistake. A real pain in the butt. I stopped using them because of that. Won’t work for Buick but I use FCP for most everything these days.

Rock offered Monroe and Gabriel as a loaded strut, KYB as a strut only.

My thinking is that KYB is a better strut but the added labor for swapping the spring over versus the extra $60 per side for the spring already mounted has me torn.

Not my experience at all. I’ve returned things that were incorrectly labeled on their website, other time they told me to keep it and refunded my money. They cover return shipping. Refund may take a week depending...

And you can never talk with anyone at Rock. Definitely frustrating.

They have a very automated system. I once ordered some filters for both our Honda's from them. I had changed the order once, mid-stream, when I found out that the cabin filters for both were the same part number, but, for one car they were more expensive vs the other car. Hmmmm. Why would that be?
Order came and I got two of one filter and none of the others I'd wanted, which were engine air filters. I got online (I think, don't really remember how I did it) and explained the situation. They said keep all the filters and sent me the correct filters. Didn't have to return any of them.
I use them for consumable stuff like that as they are cheaper than the dealer for the same parts.

I had 1 experience with Rock A. Enough to take a pass.

Bought brakes for one of our Land Rovers and paid for quick shipping. Took about 3 or 4 weeks to get the shipment. I called to ask why and was told that payment for expedited shipping was only for the shipping not for how long it takes to fill the order at the warehouse.

I've used Amazon at times as well as EBay. Its well worth it to shop around

I even found a brake light switch at Auto Z o n e for my kid's 2001 land rover Disco II. It was literally at the local store. Score

The thing I'm finding recently is if you search online for something, Walmart and several other vendors make it appear as if they have what you are looking for initially but when you dive deep into the website you find that they have it for ordering purposes.

I was looking for a coolant line for our Land Rover LR4, 2010. Figured I'd give the dealer a shot. No dice. Guy told me that they don't have parts for "old cars". LR only stopped making the LR4 about 4 years ago

Have a chat with a NAPA counter guy?

Monroe was the OEM strut for the Porsche 993, fyi.

KYB - Kill Your Back.

And I have not had pleasant experiences with Rock. Thankfully, we have Baxter Auto in the PNW. They can get almost anything.

Yep...keep in mind the car, it's owner, her driving style..

I've been pretty happy with Parts G e e k

My experience with Rock was lousy as well. They sent wrong front shocks for a BMW 3 series so I had to return them. I can get what I need local for the non-Porsche cars easy - and return it easily if there are any issues.

I start local for my normal cars like the truck, if they don’t have it I go Rock. For European stuff I have been super happy with FCP. Sad to say that while I shop Pelican I rarely order from them anymore, they are typically more expensive and rarely have items in stock that I need.

Thanks, that was the feedback I was looking for.

Only remaining question I have on Monroe is which strut does Monroe use for their loaded strut. They have a few lines, some are supposedly OEM, others are lesser.

They have another brand name for the loaded strut. Which doesn’t reference their other lines.

Interesting - I honestly had no idea. Must be something new. I seem to remember discussing competitors here in the past, but always in the context of "they suck, why didn't you just start with Pelican?" Or for stuff simply not available here, or whatever. Yeah, some low class types have used this forum to tout the wares of competitors, but we've usually beaten them about the head and shoulders until they realized their mistake.

Fair enough - I've never even tried to return anything. I've always gotten exactly what I ordered, and I've always ordered the best parts they offer.

And, really, are they a competitor to Pelican? Really? I would never even consider them for Porsche parts. I get all of my Toyota and Subaru stuff there, but never Porsche...

Have you ever looked at the banner at the top of every page on this forum?

Porsche/BMW/Mercedes/Audi/Volkswagen/Saab/Volvo/MINI

Pelican carries more auto mfr parts than just Porsche....

Mark, exactly. Certainly can't blame Pelican for the asterisking out competitors.

I've had too many bad experiences with Rock. I like their format a lot where you can see the various part mfg., they did a great job with the web site. The no phone CS and getting wrong stuff and a hassle to send it back... pass. FCP Euro is flawless and even overships and doesn't want it back. Anyone need a set of W124 coil packs?

Never had a bad experience with RA. Always try to cross reference the parts to ensure they are correct for my application.

Having done a return on a batch of many parts, yes it wasn’t the most fun but in the end it all worked out.

Yup, can’t say enough nice things about FCP. Prices are great, they have a nice selection of genuine and OEM German parts, their kits are super convenient, and they ship fast and cheap.

mostly amazon for me. Probably pay a bit more but prime delivery and some reviews for popular parts.

I typed a response that wasn't really kosher considering the forum that Pelican supplies for us. Just suffice it to say that for auto parts, there are some EXTREMELY competitive options that are better than any of the ones mentioned here. Just use the internet to find them.

+1 Due diligence is required to ensure you, the buyer, is not making a mistake.

That said, I use them often and all screw ups (two in many years) have been mine.

Nothing with a core return ever purchased from them. Won't play that game. A few extra dollars at the FLAPS is where that money goes.

Napa f they are local, no problems

Any FLAPS is a possibility.. Napa, Carquest, AutoZone, Advance auto etc. Curious, what does the Buick/GM dealer charge for the parts? Who was the GM OEM producer?

Source for non-performance oriented car parts?
 

I checked NAPA and their prices are a little higher than Rock for the Monroe parts. They also offer their own brand although I’m sure they’re someone else’s rebranded parts.

No idea who the oem supplier is or where to find it. The struts without the springs are available from AC Delco but I’m sure again, those are rebranded.

I was trying to stick with loaded front struts to save on labor.

I've walked into an O'Reilly's and got the manager to match online prices on identical parts. He wanted to compete and would drastically lower his price within the confines of still making something on it. I'm talking brands like Spicer, Moog, etc...

I've done the exact same thing at dealer parts counters, including the small town Ford dealer this summer for parts for my F-250. It's amazing what you can do at a brick and mortar place if you approach them respectfully and just explain that you usually buy stuff online but you'd like to give them the business if they can come close on price. If they can't do it, they'll tell you but at least it won't be an unpleasant conversation, in my experience.