Im having trouble finding simple stuff for my 1991 XLT Club Wagon. First it was the heater hose (F2UZ-18472-AB, I think) Dealer also couldnt help with the dual battery set-up I was curious about. its like they don't know or care about any of the older cars. Where do you guys go for support?

 

Having used NAPA as a prime parts vendor since the 60's there's very little reason to even look elsewhere. I don't shop based upon price alone so maybe that makes me "special" in that regard?

When it comes to some Ford parts its directly to the dealer which oddly enough has pricing these days quite competitive with most everyone else selling parts.

Places like Rockauto etc might seem cheap at first but warranty service or returning incorrect parts carries too high a risk dollar-wise. I know there are scads of people here swearing by RA but weighing the final cost of parts from them shows its not that advantageous.

Amazon is a great parts seller IF you know what you're looking for, either specific parts or brand names. Moog and some Motorcraft parts immediately come to mind.

I still prefer local because its usually same day availability and any issues quickly resolved without waiting for the UPS/FedEx ground guys!

 

I use google first to research. I join all the online "clubs" and use an email address specifically for just them (incase of spammers) and I subscribe to their promotion lists.
Then , depending on the urgency I go from there. All of my local stores are decent so I buy online and pick-up at the store as needed. I'll use delivery for things that are not time sensitive . I have 4 vehicles so I'm not usually in a hurry.

My experiences with non-racing related vendors:

Advance Auto - ok for expendables, good for recycling, decent for parts, loans specialty tools for free

Amazon - gotten GREAT deals, you must know what you are doing though

Auto Zone - ok for expendables , good for parts, loans specialty tools for free

CarQuest - varies from store to store. They are individually owned. YMMV, loans specialty tools for free

Federated Auto Parts - No idea, none are close to me

EBAY - gotten GREAT deals, you must REALLY know what you are doing though

NAPA - varies from store to store. They are individually owned. My local one is WAY more expensive. YMMV

Oreilly's - ok for expendables, so-so for parts, loans specialty tools for free

Pep Boys - ok for expendables , decent for parts, loans specialty tools for free

Rockauto - ok for most thing but great for researching, shipping costs are high, closeout deals are exceptionally cheap.

Walmart- GREAT for expendables if you follow the ads, if they have parts, fuggettaboutit

The key is research if you want the best value.
I rarely use the dealer unless it's the only option or a specific part is hard to locate.
They have few online tools so you must use a phone.
PRICEY !!!!! but typically they have good parts although sometimes they actually are junk.

My .02
YMMV

 

For aftermarket parts I usually go with Summit Racing or Jeg's. Stereo equipment I like to buy from Crutchfield.

For replacement parts I shop around and go were ever the best deal is.

I do a lot of shopping at Rockauto.com but you have to watch their shipping. If you are buying multiple items their "multiple warehouse shipping charges" can get ridiculous. They are the only company I know that pulls that crap. I think it's just a way to scam more money out of you.

I also check Amazon.com, ebay and also buy parts locally from Napa, Carquest and the local Ford dealers.

If there is something that's just not available. I find something either off another vehicle or aftermarket that will work or can be made to work.

 

I have not been happy with aftermarket parts in the past so i started trying to buy genuine Ford parts when ever possible.
I use Fordpartsgiant.com to try to find the part number when needed and then do a google search using the part number..

If all else fails you can try rear counter..
They show one in stock at one seller..
F2UZ-18472-AB | RearCounter.com | 1 found at 1 seller

A ford dealer can also give you information such as if there is a updated part number..

Our member named NumberDummy is great at helping with part numbers and often who has them..

 

I've been using rock auto, advance auto, auto zone for OEM parts and summit racing for my aftermarket parts

 

Rock Auto has been my favorite for a few years. But lately I'm losing interest. The comments above are true. Watch for shipping as they said. Also I don't understand how RockAuto would be advantageous for any heavy part that requires a core return (like calipers or alternator).

I recently searched a window regulator assembly for my wife's Ford Escape. RockAuto had a few for $120, and my friendly Ford dealer had one in stock for List price $80-something. He sold it to me for $67.

I've been disappointed with RockAuto for a few reasons lately: some close out "high end" wiper blades for $1.xx each. I bought six. They are crap. Very old. (They came with a small reminder card of when to change them, and the available options were 2006-2010.
Also I bought some "high performance" headlights and they are crap. Absolute crap. The Bright shines a bit higher, but not one inch farther, than Dim. My helper drives around all day with them on Bright just because he likes to see the dashboard icon. No one flashes us.

 

That is one thing I don't like about them, they (generally speaking) won't group ship items, so you end up spending a lot in shipping costs. Quality can also be an issue, one of the motor mounts that I ordered for the biohazard ended up not fitting and had to be ground down to fir properly, but to be fair the same part number from Auto Zone had the same issue.

 

So close. Thanks for the lead. I called the dealer and the parts was not on the shelf. Ugh.

 

Double check that part number...

Go to:
Auto Parts Interchange | Gates Corporation
Put in the part number and do a interchange search.. If nothing turns up with the AB at the end of the number try A*,, * in place of the last letter.. If that dont work then just use * in place of the last 2 letters.. Once you get a gates part number, see if you can find a pic of the hose.. One of them may match up. some are cut to fit.. Call gates if you need to.. The last time I called gates about a fuel hose, I gave the guy at the computer the part number off of my hose and he couldn't find it in the computer, but told me it would work for ethanol gas,, humm Maybe you will have better luck if you have to call them..

Try here:
1991 Ford E150 Parts - FordPartsGiant.com
Scroll down the list and find your part number to verify it fits..

your part number is interesting because IF I remember correctly when decoding ford part numbers, F the first letter stands for the decade and 2 would stand for the year in that decade.. F= 90s, F2 =92 and your van is a 91.. Maybe it is a updated part number.. If you can find the older part number then you might be able to do a search using the old part number and find the part...

 

I actually like Rock Auto and O'reilly. NAPA would be my third choice. I think probably unique personal experiences shape everyone's preferences though.

Rock Auto usually, not always, but usually is cheapest in my experience for the same brand part you can buy at the brick and mortar stores. Shipping often is similar to what sales tax would be at the brick and mortar in my state. Sometimes heavy items like brake rotors are so much cheaper at RA that even with shipping you come out ahead. HOWEVER, in my operation I can justify purchasing parts before I need them because I know I'll use them. Owner operators / personal operators maybe can't do that and when your brakes are grinding you probably don't want to wait for the slowest shipping options.

The other thing I like about Rock Auto are brands. They do not have a house brand and do not engage in badge engineering. You can sometimes get OEM parts that aren't readily available outside of the Dealer($$$). They are the only source of Timken wheel bearings I have found and they don't charge an arm and a leg for them. That scores big points with me. Wheel bearings are a big deal for what I do and when I was doing mechanical engineering school, Timken must have like sponsored my school or something because they had videos in courses and were recruiting at the school etc. They really do have a top quality product. They put holograms on the boxes to thwart copycats, so it must be great stuff .

I've also purchased large quantities of wiper blades on RA closeouts. I can't say they've been the best wipers I've ever seen, but I've not had problems with them and for $1.75 a blade..... c'mon. I think I know where they might come from though. We acquired a gas & service station as part of our operation recently since we consume so much of both items and I was there turning wrenches when the Napa rep came by. He offered to take our stock of wiper blades that we had for sale in the storefront area and replace them with Napa blades 2 for one. So when they do that, Napa ends up with a whole bunch of non-Napa brand blades to get rid of. These are perfectly good blades that I think Rock Auto might end up with in the end. Purely conjecture.

O'reilly I like because I can get a blower motor from them at 9pm on Saturday night. Plus when I check prices they are usually pretty fair. Then recently at our new service station I have a rep that I call, her name is Kacey and she sounds cute and always matches prices. I almost feel like I could just make up numbers and she'd match them. I don't but there's a case for personal experience.

Napa comes in third because early on I had a bad experience with Napa brand shocks. I also notice that they engage heavily in badge engineering which irritates me. I want to know who to blame when something doesn't work right... or who to worship when it goes like a million miles (ahem... MOOG). If Napa had their way I think every part would be a Napa brand part. Rounding out my experience, the Napa rep has stopped in the new shop a few times and he's neither cute nor particularly competent. Seems to have trouble following through with little supply needs (bulbs/filters/belts/batteries) but loves to pitch big sale items (Buy our new battery tester, it's Great!). So that doesn't win points. But Napa does seem to be the big gorilla in the room so I deal with them.

Anyhow not sure anyone will make it this far, but at least that was a chance for me to think out loud about suppliers. Nice topic.

 

Not beating the NAPA thing too much more but Del's comment about personal experiences shaping ones perceptions couldn't be more accurate.

While my local NAPA store doesn't have the cute attendants and the fact its a company store (not a franchise) seem to have always worked in my favor. Apart from small sundry items available most any auto parts outlets I have nothing but good results with NAPA batteries and new starters & alternators, the latter having lifetime guarantees.

So far I've not needed anything so late on a Saturday although this day--Thanksgiving no less---I'm in semi-dire need of bulk brake line and tube nuts--fat change anyone will be open today even in advance of Black Friday.

This is interesting, seeing how those same places I avoid work great for others. Has to be something to who we deal with at our respective favorite vendors that affects our impressions or satisfaction.

PS Re: Timken & Moog---could NOT agree more with them being top quality in their fields, always have been as long as I can recall, dating back to the late 1950's.