Who has the best parts?

[MRogers]

I'm interested in knowing what stores have the best individual parts and have them all listed in one thread for easy reference. For instance, I've heard that AutoZone has awlful alternators and Napa has great ones. I'd like to hear who has the best starters, water pumps, alternators, batteries, and other normal maintenance parts that are better from one store over another and a price range if posible.

Thanks

[ervinj]

if it's not a new part, don't buy from Advance or autozone if there's a NAPA around

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by MRogers

I'm interested in knowing what stores have the best individual parts and have them all listed in one thread for easy reference. For instance, I've heard that AutoZone has awlful alternators and Napa has great ones. I'd like to hear who has the best starters, water pumps, alternators, batteries, and other normal maintenance parts that are better from one store over another and a price range if posible.

Thanks

Asking a little much aren't you.

Don't expect much of a response. You can ask about individual parts, but ever part?

Comon now......

[blazee]

They are way too many parts to give you a price list of all the best parts and were to get them. Here's an overview of the parts stores and a few of my experiences it's up to you to find the parts that suit you and fit your budget.

Rock Auto www.rockauto.com
RockAuto.com is a good place to order parts from. You can get high quality and hard to find parts fairly cheap. They sell some of the top brands including AC Delco and MOOG. The only problem is that it isn't local, so you have to wait to get the part and if something ever happens to it, you can't just make a quick run to town to swap it out.


Advance Auto www.partsamerica.com
Advance Auto is a good place to get steering and suspension parts (Tie rod ends, idler arms, ball joints, etc....) Get the TRW brand they are well made and if you ever have any problems, they have a lifetime warranty. I bought my hub assembly from them, it has about 20,000 miles on it now and no problems yet. I recently bought a water pump from them, it was brand new, not a reman, it appears to be fairly well made.They also seem to have better prices on tools than most other parts stores. You have to watch them though, Advance Auto usually has the least educated employees look at the screen while they are looking up your parts, make sure it is the right vehicle and compare the parts they give you. They have given me the wrong parts many times.

AutoZone www.autozone.com
They carry Fel-Pro gaskets which are the best.
I have the Duralast Gold brake pads and rotors from AutoZone on my Blazer. They have a lifetime warranty, I just put on my second set last week. The first set lasted 6 months/ 25,000 miles. They had great stopping power until I changed them, BUT when they got to about 1/8" of pad left (the time you are suppose to change them) one of the pads came apart. The friction material separated from the backing plate (first time I've ever seen brakes do this) this caused lots of damage to the rotor. When I took the old pads and rotor to AutoZone they promptly gave me a new set of brakes and a brand new rotor. I don't know if this was a freak thing or a sign of poor quality, but I was very happy with them until that point.

NAPA www.napaonline.com
Napa has the best oil filters. (NAPA GOLD) They seem to carry the best parts, but you can expect to pay more. They also have cheaper brand parts, that sometimes cost less then Advance and AutoZone parts. NAPA employees usually have the most knowledge and experience.
I have the most expensive pads and rotors they sell on my Impala SS. ($800 for the set) I am very satisfied with them. I can come to a complete stop from 140mph without warping the rotors and minimal brake fade. I went through brakes every few months before getting these. All others I tried would either turn to mush at speeds greater then 120mph or would immediately warp the rotors.
They are great about honoring warranties, usually there are no questions asked and no receipt needed. I used to have a '63 Willy's Jeep truck, when the starter went out, I called Napa and asked them if they had another one. I called off the part number to the guy and he asked how I got that number. I told him that I read it off an old wore out Napa sticker that was on the starter. The guy told me he had to order the starter, I asked him how much it would cost, and he told me it was free because the old one came from them. I knew the guy that had owned the truck before me for years and I had the truck for a long time before the starter went out, that old starter had to have been at least 7-8 years old and switched hands several times, but they still honored the warranty with no receipt or questions.

http://www.buy-oem-parts.com/ is a good place to get OEM mechanical and collision parts.

http://www.GMpartsdirect.com Is good for buying dealer only parts.

[TonyMazz]

Great Post Blazee....

Thanks

[blazee]

Originally Posted by TonyMazz

Great Post Blazee....

Thanks

Thanks.