Best place for auto parts online?

Sufler

Sufler

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Oct 15, 2005
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Any recommendations on a good source for OEM auto parts? I'm thinking the usual suspects... O'Reilly, Advance Auto Parts, and Autozone. But, any input would be appreciated. I need a radiator for an Accord. As a matter of fact, any particular brands to look for? O'Reilly's Murray seems most solid of all the ones I've see, but no reviews.

Thanks!
I asked this on the car-specific forum but got no replies yet. Figured I'd get an answer here a lot quicker.
 
Well, what make/model car? There are often times sites devoted to specific brands and even models.


-Xander
 
Rock Auto has a wide selection of parts. I've ordered from them several times. When it comes to auto parts stores, I've never found one that routinely has the lowest prices. Depending entirely on which part you buy, the prices seem to vary pretty wildly between the different outfits, given the same part number. For example, a damper from NAPA might be much cheaper than the same item from Rock Auto, but the situation is reversed when you look at O2 sensors. I buy the majority of my parts locally (NAPA, O'reilly, Auto Value) since shipping costs can often be a killer. On small, expensive parts (typically emissions-related components) I've had good luck with finding better prices on line, with reasonable shipping costs. Amazon occasionally has what you need, and the shipping is often free or minimal. I always purchase locally when it comes to items that incur a core charge, simply to avoid the hassle of shipping the old unit back. I've always ended up using Koyo when replacing radiators. I wouldn't worry too much about the name on the box, as it's quite unlikely that you'll get any real difference in build quality or performance between OE-spec radiators. I've never encountered a failure due to a QC issue. I hope this helps. Best of luck.
 
I've found that you really need to shop around for auto parts anymore whether buying online or at brick and mortar shops. That said Rock Auto does have really good prices on most parts if shipping doesn't add to much to the final price. I usually check ebay even anymore sometimes you can find decent deals with free shipping.
 
I got VW parts for really cheap from some place in arizona, but a friend tried a similar place for her toyota, and got her credit card stolen. So buyer beware. There should be places to get OEM parts for less than catalog price for anything more than 10 years or so old. The only reason dealership parts stay high priced is they simply never update the lists, since they really have no reason too.
 
For radiators specifically, radiatorbarn.com is a great option.
Everything else, Rockauto.com ususally has the best prices around.
 
+1 on rockauto.

I'm not familiar with Hondas but for both MoPar and BMW (my current rides) there are also online dealers that sell the same parts that you'd get from your local dealership's parts dept. but at a discount.

I recently had to replace the radiator in my old Jeep, and I'm very short of cash these days. Best deal I could find was a "Spectra" brand single row (wide single row, about as wide as the stock two row that was OEM) for less than $100 from NAPA or Pep Boys, I was a little sceptical but needed to get something installed that wasn't pissing coolant on my alternator, I've been pleasantly surprised with it, not only did it fit well but also cools better than stock. (stock Jeep Cherokee 4.0 cooling systems are notoriously marginal...)

I've also got brake parts for stupid cheap from Rock Auto for my old Ford pickup that I no longer have. If you know that you need to do stuff "soon" but not "right now" it's a great resource. Just be careful with shipping - sometimes one of the small parts of your order will come from a far away warehouse with a high shipping charge making it a bad deal.

Believe it or not I also bought brake pads and rotors for my BMW from JC Whitney - yes they are still in business and had competitive pricing on Hawk HPS pads and Centric High Carbon rotors.

For my Jeep I bought Centric Premium rotors and Performance Friction Carbon Metallic rotors off Amazon - their prices were the best for those parts. However I would not recommend those specific pads for that application - not enough bite (again, those brakes are notoriously marginal stock.) Had I to do it over again I would have paid the extra money for EBC Yellowstuff or Black Magic.
 
N8N,

Yeah - I'm looking at the Spectra Premium radiator from Autozone for sub-$100. No reviews on it there, though. O'Reilly's has the Murray "Heat Transfer" line that seem to be pretty solid too. I figured if I looked at true stores but their selection online I'd have a safer bet with warranty. This is the first time I'm looking at/for radiators so I'm surprised they can be had for sub $100. But, I don't want to skimp out on something as important as the heating/cooling system in a vehicle.
 
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