not Porsche related-where do you buy auto parts ?

rfuerst911sc · 06-07-2014, 03:26 AM

Porsche parts I buy from Pelican that's a done deal

But where do you generally buy car parts for other cars in your fleet ? Do you have a specific FLAP you go to ? Any particular reason you go to that FLAP ? Do you shop strictly on price ? Just curious as I'm getting ready to do an oil/filter and air filter change on my wifes Toyota and have to purchase the parts. In the past I have not been loyal to any particular chain or store. Within about a 2-3 mile drive I have NAPA, Auto Zone, O'Reilly's, PepBoys so I can go to any of them. I generally purchase my synthetic oil at Walmart due to pricing but I stay away from Fram products for filters. For whatever reason I like Purolator or NAPA filters.

cabmandone · cabmandone's Garage

I have bought a few things for my truck and other vehicles on rock auto. Their prices are good and shipping is fast. For my filters I go with Carquest (Wix) or Napa which is also Wix. For my 15/40 diesel oil I go to Rural King and get Warren Oil. For my Suby, I get whatever is cheap since it's going to leak it out. My Suby has Porsche blood I think.

Oh Haha · 06-07-2014, 04:51 AM

I have an Autozone within walking distance of my house so I typically go there. Their rewards program has saved me money a few times. The staff is helpful when I need it and leave me the he&& alone when I don't.

Arizona_928 · 06-07-2014, 04:59 AM

I like rock auto for the sheer amount of parts and different manufactures, but lately once you factor in shipping napa has been the cheapest for me. I have also been known to use parts geek as well. (free shipping).

rfuerst911sc · 06-07-2014, 05:15 AM

This morning I went on all the local FLAP's websites and did some comparing. To be honest not too much difference between them. However NAPA has a online discount of 10 % if you reserve online and pick up in the store. Not sure if this is a new thing or not but it appears to expire in a few days. So I did the reserve and saved $4.25 and will pick up later today. Anyone using NAPA's in house Eneos synthetic oil ? I'm going to give it a try.

rwest · rwest's Garage

I use NAPA, mainly because the shop at work uses them and I can get parts dropped off when they make regular deliveries.

1990C4S · 06-07-2014, 05:31 AM

O'Reillys if I have to go to a store.

idparts and autopartsway online.

VINMAN · 06-07-2014, 05:37 AM

I try to use my local small parts guys when I can, but most of them have closed shop. As for the big chain stores, I usually go to Advance Auto over Pep's or auto zone. Advance carries better top brand parts, such as Moog, Wagner, etc..

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Pelican first, auto haus AZ if pelican doesn't have it (Mercedes stuff). Then eBay or dealership.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

I prefer autozone over oreillys and as luck would have it they are building a new autozone within walking distance if our house!

Back in OK the oreillys royally sucked, but we still used them because the local guys never stocked anything. Never understood it, they could have run oreillys out of town if they had tried.

fanaudical · fanaudical's Garage

It depends on what I need. My other cars are all Audi's, and so I shop here at Pelican, Discount Import Parts (local great shop with German stuff), NAPA, and O'Reilly.

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

Depends on the part.

Just ordered a little short arm Torx T-30 from Sears, to remove what I believe is the only star drive fastener on the car, as near as I can tell. The intake manifold prevents you from using a regular wrench to remove the retaining bracket for the PCV valve, a maintenance item. I ordered the PCV and the grommet that seals it to the valve cover from the stealership. They also used the same PCV on the turbo cars that they did on the NA cars. They had enough sense to use a different one on the RX7 and 323 turbo cars, so that is what I got. I got the transmission fluid from the Ford dealership, produced for them by Fuchs.

When I needed a new gas cap and headlight relay for the 914, I went to Bugformance, right up the street, sorry Wayne.

Like I say, it depends

Bugsinrugs · 06-07-2014, 08:13 AM

I sometimes order from Parts Geek but after shipping charges they are more than the local Napa store. Also, if the part is wrong it is much easier to return than having to repackage and mail.

RANDY P · RANDY P's Garage

O'Reillys or Summit Racing for old GM stuff. Napa or Dealer for anything semi-serious. I am scared to death of Ebay for OEM parts.

rjp

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Pelican first, auto haus AZ if pelican doesn't have it (Mercedes stuff). Then eBay or dealership.

Auto Haus chaps my ass. They don't allow in-person pickup, so I have to pay for shipping and sales tax. Pelican it is! And I buy more for Mrs. Lee's BMW than for my 993, as the 993 never needs anything. I usually go to Beemer Boneyard for bike parts and Wal-Mart or O'Reilly's for misc. oil and filters for the Hyundai.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

NAPA. The guys behind the counter know what they're doing and will spend the time to get you what you need. They called the Walker factory to get the right muffler for my Tundra. I can get parts for my '47 Dodge overnight if they aren't in stock.

asphaltgambler · 10:45 AM

Autozone for most consumables because combined price and convenience (location) to me, but you do have to know the market for the products you're purchasing. Example: oil, lubricants and filters may be very competitive but cleaners, paints and hardware not so much. I recently bought a gallon of Simple Green liquid concentrate cleaner for $18. Later that week saw the same product at Lowe's for $12!

As mentioned above they do have have a "frequent flyer" program for repeat business and used to be that equaled @$10.00 credit for every $100.00 spent. They recently downgraded that this past winter. Still there but not as generous.

I buy so much different stuff for so many different vehicles that there is no 1 place be it brick-mortar or Interweb. Quality always comes first, then best pricing, then ship time. Amazon or Ebay are first go to's

RANDY P · RANDY P's Garage

Oh, and CarQuest rocks too. In the SW that's what I use.

WHen I was in WA I lived a few miles from the NAPA Dist. Center....That rocked.

speeder · speeder's Garage

Not to be a smart-ass but I buy parts from wherever the best place to buy them is. This varies constantly depending on the part needed, what's available, price/quality, how quickly I need it, etc., etc....

I buy a lot of parts. The bummer is that the general quality of replacement auto parts has taken a huge dump in recent years. Parts for domestic vehicles are unbelievably bad, (with rare exceptions), and names like Febi, Bosch and Lemforter that used to denote quality are now made in China or somewhere worse. It's a huge challenge to find good hard parts for my older Mercedes cars. "OEM manufacturer" means nothing when the company has been sold and the parts are no longer made in Germany.

Sorry for the side track but it's a topic that I spend a lot of time and $$ on. Carry on...

Scott Douglas · Scott Douglas's Garage

Hate to say this but I can't really remember the last time I bought a part for a car, other than oil filters which I buy six at a time on-line since that is as cheap or cheaper than the local Honda dealer. I try to support all the stores in the local area and will price shop 'em just to give 'em a chance. I too buy oil at wally world just for price. I think the last thing I bought from a parts store was a battery when a neighbors car battery died. I got it at NAPA as they had the best deal going at the time.