Help Daily Driver Break Parts

[jabb]

I have a Mazda 3 daily driver need rear rotors and pads I can go to the local NAPPA and pay
$60 for pads and about $50 per rotor.
On Ebay I can get rotors and pads including shipping for $90 I know most of this is Junk made in China, but How do we know what the NAPA stuff is vs the Ebay
I don't mind paying more for better parts, but do not want to pay the NAPPA price for possibly the same stuff on Ebay. What questions do we ask?. What to look for?

Anyone got any suggestions

[widebody911]

Find a Mazda forum and ask there? No, seriously. That's what I do for my wife's Saabaru

[RANDY P]

best thing is to shop by brand name, but even that's a crapshoot on Ebay. I would also check a major chain like AutoZone and just order the parts delivered- even if they don't have a store there.

[Oh Haha]

Try ********.com

I bought parts for my Protégé from them and was happy.

Mazda parts are generally pretty reasonable compared to other imports.

[Mark Henry]

I bought genuine GM parts for the wifes Torrent...Made in China.

[RANDY P]

you'll be surprised how whored out pricing on basic brake parts are. Oreilly's AutoZone, PepBoys, any of 'em.

Napa is on the high side for a chain.

rjp

[VINMAN]

I only buy Callahan brake parts.

.

[Oh Haha]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

I only buy Callahan brake parts.

.

Tommy Boy!

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Oh Haha

Try ********.com

I bought parts for my Protégé from them and was happy.

Mazda parts are generally pretty reasonable compared to other imports.

I get all my Mazda3 parts from ********.

Great prices, fast shipping.

No issues so far.

[Robert Adams]

I'd start by asking NAPA, Rock Auto, or any other supplier where their parts are made and what distinguishes them from other similar products on the market. I think that is a fair question to ask. For that matter where do the Mazda parts get made and to what standard?
Next I would ask why are "their' parts better than what I can buy on ebay or elsewhere. If they can't give you an answer, maybe that is the answer. If someone supplying such a critical part can't answer those questions I think maybe they should be selling something other than car parts! Pretty much a truth in whatever a business is selling. Biz 101, know your product!
Just my 2cents

[A930Rocket]

Definitely ask. I bought several pairs of rotors for my old truck only to have them warp. Finally went back to Ford only to see they were made in China too.

[wdfifteen]

I don't think it's reasonable to ask a NAPA or other counterman to compare his product with whatever is available on eBay this week. eBay has too much stuff of varying quality for anyone to keep up with it all.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Assume everything is made in China now. Very likely it is, probably under sweatshop / slave labor conditions. That's what people want and that's the cost of getting things cheaply.

That said, do you understand the difference between "OEM", "OE" and "aftermarket"? If you don't, do some research. I believe Wayne D. (Pelican's owner / CEO) posted an excellent summary of this on here a while back - it's probably floating around in the archives somewhere if you'd like to search for it (or maybe someone can link to it...). My not-so-expert summary of his write-up is:

"OEM" - Original Equipment Manufacturer - a parts manufacturer who builds one or more parts used as "original equipment" for a particular vehicle manufacturer. In other words they meet the car manufacturer's spec for one or more parts on that car. Whether or not the particular part you're considering
(brake pads and rotors in this case) is one of those the OEM company actually is producing as "original equipment" for that car (good enough to be called "genuine Porsche parts" and be sold through the automaker's distribution network and packaged in their boxes) is typically an unknown without doing some more investigating (also keep in mind an automaker might use more than one company as "OE" suppliers for particular parts - if you can find this out it'll give you options and choices). Let's say you find an "OEM" brake rotor. Does that mean the rotor meets the car manufacturer's spec for brake rotors as original equipment? Well, maybe. If the "OEM" company really only makes the batteries or door handles as "original equipment" per the car manufacturer's specs and everything else is built to... ? Whatever other spec they feel like using then no. If they happen to be an "OE" supplier of brake rotors and just turn them out em masse all meeting or exceeding the automaker's spec - some ending up in "Mazda" boxes and some ending up in their own boxes then yes - and you can take advantage of that.

In this sense, I find "OEM" to be a potentially easily-misrepresented designation and you should do a little more digging or buy OE only (see below) to avoid getting something unexpected. Remember this: "OEM" does NOT mean a particular part meets the automaker's spec for that particular part!

"OE" - "Original Equipment" - parts that are provided by the car manufacturer built to their specs. These are the expensive ones mentioned above that you get at the dealership that say "Porsche" or "Mercedes" or "Mazda" or whatever on the box. If you buy them online from a non-manufacturer distributor it's possible they're counterfeit or are really aftermarket parts some unscrupulous scheister stuck into an "OE" box so be careful. There are lots of phony parts floating around out there.

"Aftermarket" - parts intended to work on a particular car built by someone, somewhere, to some spec, maybe, on a good day. They might fit, they might not. They might be fabulous and far exceed the car manufacturer's original sljrequirements and they might disintegrate after three miles of use. You just don't know. They also might invalidate your warranty so check first and do your homework. Some aftermarket products are great, some are total junk. Caveat emptor.

Bottom line is if you want a "sure thing", go to the dealer and pay the "rape me" price for OE. If you don't want to do that, do some more homework and see who actually makes THOSE parts as Original Equipment and then try to find an "OEM" version made by that company for that car (should in theory be identical to what's in the box from the dealership just it will say "Bosch" (or whoever) on it instead rather than "Porsche". Or you can opt to go aftermarket and find something that will work for your application with good reviews, testimonials, believable write-ups, with a good warranty by a reasonably reputable company.

So do more homework basically. Or pay big bucks at the dealer. Or expect to get crap. Up to you.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Robert Adams

I'd start by asking NAPA, Rock Auto, or any other supplier where their parts are made and what distinguishes them from other similar products on the market. I think that is a fair question to ask. For that matter where do the Mazda parts get made and to what standard?
Next I would ask why are "their' parts better than what I can buy on ebay or elsewhere. If they can't give you an answer, maybe that is the answer. If someone supplying such a critical part can't answer those questions I think maybe they should be selling something other than car parts! Pretty much a truth in whatever a business is selling. Biz 101, know your product!
Just my 2cents

LOL, you've never been to a chain autoparts store, have you? You're lucky if they hand you the correct part for your car, so much that I look part numbers up online so I can tell the counter person EXACTLY what I need.

I've used brake parts from Oreilly's and Autozone, both worked out just fine. I would not buy no-name stuff from Ebay. It's all made in China, but some is made better than others.

[jabb]

FYI
Just an Update went with Rock Auto ordered my own parts no sales tax and found a 5% discount coupon. Parts arrived well packed and look decent lets see how they hold up.

[aschen]

rock auto is fantastic


ironically Tirerack is a pretty decent place for pads as well

[doug_porsche]

Originally Posted by widebody911

Find a Mazda forum and ask there? No, seriously. That's what I do for my wife's Saabaru

Why do you ask the Mazda forum about your wife's Subaru?

That would be as silly as asking a Porsche forum about a Mazda.

[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

LOL, you've never been to a chain autoparts store, have you? You're lucky if they hand you the correct part for your car, so much that I look part numbers up online so I can tell the counter person EXACTLY what I need.

Now THAT is good advice.

I did rear brakes on a Mazda 3 this summer ( what a coinkidink!) and the parts guy gave me rotors for a 2.5 liter car instead of a 2.3. It was a bit tight getting the calipers back on, but I didn't clue in until I got it all bolted back together and the wheels wouldn't turn. Rotors were about 3/8 to big in circumference. Took them back the next day and he said, "huh! Yeah, wrong ones"