# Where to buy car parts



## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Wondering if there is a go to spot to buy car parts. I wasn't sure if there is a known website that's the best. Any recommendations welcome.

I just had an alternator kick on my 08 F150. Also could use a power steering pump for the same. I'm lucky that I have a backup car that allows me to do some of the work myself so I figure I'd give it a try.

Thanks!


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

I've purchased parts from AutoPartsWarehouse and got good service. I needed new headlight assemblies for a 1999 VW Passat. Not the easiest thing to find, but they had it and it wasn't too expensive.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

For years I used the coupon code TRT30 at Advance Auto Parts. It gave 30% off, that's nothing to sneeze at. Buy it online then pick up in store. The code was around for years and had no minimum spend. Then it changed to only a $50 savings max. Then last year I tried it and it was gone. An employee actually gave me the code.

They still always have great coupon codes to be applied at checkout. There is one currently for 30% and 25%. You just have to search the internet. I have found that AutoZone is not as good in this regard.

Some folks take issue with the quality of their parts but I've never had an issue. I've purchased brake pads, rotors, belts, batteries, ignition switch, and many other parts and have had positive experiences. I do visit Napa occasionally and find their parts to be of good quality as well. I hate paying full price, well, for anything


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

For an alternator, buy it from a local store. The rebuild ones sometimes are bad once installed. It is far easier to exchange locally than a web vendor.

I like O Reilly auto parts.


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## high leverage (Jun 11, 2017)

Keep in mind most Autozone, Oreilly, etc... offer lifetime warranties on some/most of there parts. It sounds good but what I found with these cheap parts is that I was replacing them every few years. While the part is cheap the labor/ time to fix things again and again gets annoying and expensive. So for most major components I replace them with OEM parts. This is the same reason why most reputable repair shops avoid Oreilly, Autozone, Advanced cheap parts. They don't want the liability or possibility of warranty work caused by defective or cheap parts.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I've had pretty good luck sourcing some parts on Amazon.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

I've had good experiences for parts online from RockAuto. For Ford vehicles, they carry many Motorcraft brand parts at lower prices than dealerships sell the same parts. Coupon codes are always available and can be located with a google search.

I'm a big believer in OEM parts - they tend to last longer.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I always go to Autozone for the majority of parts unless they don't have it on hand then I will go to Advance Auto and get it there. I've never had any issues with the parts from either one. We have Oreilly auto parts here too but none by the house so have never really checked them out. If it's a part that one of those two don't carry, I will usually go online and find the best price/deal. I usually use the dealer as the last choice since they like to rake you over the coals for parts most of the time.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Thanks for all of the quick responses everyone!


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Might be a little late to the party, but people have recommended the usual stores. One thing to keep in mind is www.retailmenot.com to get that coupon code for Advance Auto. You can usually get 30% off of parts every day. Just buy it online, and go pick it up at the store.

For used parts, go to www.car-part.com. It's like the Google of junkyards. Great for finding OEM parts when you don't want to pay stealership prices for them. I needed a fog light for one of my older cars, and found one at a local salvage yard for $25. Dealer wanted $115 for the dang thing. Can't beat it.


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

I've found www.rockauto.com to be among the cheapest car part stores if I dont need them ASAP. Everything else, is from O'Reillys a mile away from home.


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## OutdoorEnvy (Sep 27, 2017)

Yeah same as the others here. I like RockAuto if you have time to wait for an item to ship to you. They have been good. I like OReilly's over Autozone but if you need the part quick they are fine and like others said usually they give a warranty. I do usually buy a 100% new part and not one of their re-manufactured ones. Not much more cost and you know it's all new instead of a component or two of it. I have used Amazon to get OEM parts since I'm a GM fan they have had about any ACDelco part I've looked up. Good luck though! I like working on my cars as well so it's cool to see others doing the same!


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Buy wherever the price/warranty/shipping/lighting suits you. Pay attention to what brand of -part- you are buying as a Dayton belt XYZ1234 is a Dayton belt XYZ1234 no matter where you get it. Now, regarding cheaper "will-fit" parts, this depends on how much aggravation is involved in the replacement. Re-man alternator on a Chevy Pickup? Thank you very much! Water pump for a Honda Civic? OEM Please. I'm hesitant to totally discount aftermarket parts because it's not exactly rare for the aftermarket unit to be of superior quality to OEM. This goes for some of our mowers too.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

rockauto or an online supplier for OEM parts


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Thanks again everyone for the responses.

I decided this morning that I needed this done today so I went with the cheapest(with coupon) out of the locations that are close in proximity. It ended up being AutoZone. People were nice and helpful. They recharged my dead battery for free and I was also able to rent a breaker bar which I didn't have and needed to loosen the tension on the belt. The part ended up being around $200(alternator) and it only took about 45 minutes to get it in. I was quoted over $450 at the auto repair shop. More money for the yard!


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Where do you guys buy tires? Local installer quoted me $1250 after mount and balance then $70 for an alignment.

Tirerack.com has them arriving at my door for $1020. I don't think mount and balance would be over $50 (I was thinking it was $10/tire).


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

J_nick said:


> Where do you guys buy tires? Local installer quoted me $1250 after mount and balance then $70 for an alignment.
> 
> Tirerack.com has them arriving at my door for $1020. I don't think mount and balance would be over $50 (I was thinking it was $10/tire).


I've used discount tire direct (I just used them for my wife's tires and got two prepaid visa cards after buying four tires and using their credit card for the purchase - canceled soon after), TireBuyer.com, Tires-easy.com, and TreadDepot.com.

Tread Depot apparently has suspended their online service for now but it seems as though they plan to resume. They had good service as well as the others listed. Haven't bought tires from an actual store in years. I just take them to my local garage and they put them on for $15 a tire (mount/balance).


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Thanks PS. I've had good luck with Tread Depot in the past and noticed their site was down. That's the second suggestion on TireBuyer.com and it looks like it's ~$50 less than Tire Rack delivered to my door and 2 days quicker shipping. Free shipping to a installer but the closest one they had listed was 50 miles away.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

J_nick said:


> Thanks PS. I've had good luck with Tread Depot in the past and noticed their site was down. That's the second suggestion on TireBuyer.com and it looks like it's ~$50 less than Tire Rack delivered to my door and 2 days quicker shipping. Free shipping to a installer but the closest one they had listed was 50 miles away.


We have a TireBuyer warehouse within an hour of us. So when I ordered tires from there they came the next day! TireRack always has a great selection but seem to be more expensive. I go there for reviews of tires then typically buy elsewhere.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

I ended up going with tire-easy as they were the cheapest. Same price for the tires but I got free 1-2 day shipping :yahoo:


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

J_nick said:


> I ended up going with tire-easy as they were the cheapest. Same price for the tires but I got free 1-2 day shipping :yahoo:


Score!!!


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

I've had good success with the Costco tire experience.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

My only suggestion with buying tires online is to do one of the following:

1 - Order the tires with wheels and have the tires mounted/balanced before shipment. Then you just put the tires (and new wheels) directly on your car in your own garage. Whenever I buy the first set of winter tires for a new vehicle, this is typically what I do (since I need new wheels anyway.) Personally, I'm a tirerack.com customer for this, and have bought about 5 sets of winter tires from them (with wheels) in this way in the last two decades.

2 - Talk to a local installer *before you order online* and get a written quote for what it will cost to have them mount and balance your online-ordered tires. Some online companies (like tirerack.com) have pre-negotiated rates for this from particular local installers.

Personally, I have a local tire installer that is an excellent family-owned business with very good, experienced employees (not just new mechanics at their first job hoping to learn skills to get a better mechanic position), which provides excellent customer service (free tire repairs to tires purchased from them, and free tire rotation/balance as frequently as every 5K). I use them for new tires other than the first set of winter tires/wheels which I buy for a vehicle. (I have been purchasing that first set of winter tires/wheels from tirerack, pre-mounted and balanced, as described above.)


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