Dealt with it since they would do neither refund the money or satisfy me by getting a good one. we pulled them off the shelf and put them in their vise. I was able to demonstrate the same problem that way, yet they denied it was bad.

 

That's not only very unfortunate Fellro but very, very much unlike any of my local NAPA stores---wondering if it was company owned or an independent franchise?

I recall some years ago I received full credit on a year old Honda reman'd carburetor that began to fail, no questions asked, somewhere near $260. This was through a small town store but still company owned.

A situation like that can completely turn anyone off to an outfit, sometimes impossible to restore that lack of confidence.

 

I had similar issues with alternators from Advance auto. I had a lifetime warranty. The mid to late F-series trucks were well known to eat alternators anyway. They simply don't put out enough juice.

After the fourth return, the manager gave me a whole new wiring harness for the alternator and said if it comes back once more he'll refund my money and void my warranty. I never drove the truck much after that anyway. The alternator really didn't like when you ran the a/c or the blower motor on high with any other accessory.

 

Ya know something we've not mentioned are OEM parts. If its possible to dismiss the generally higher prices and sometimes frequent unhelpful counter people how is the quality and warranty? We tend to agree OEM spark plugs and COP's are better if MotorCraft or Ford OEM but are other commonly replaced parts worth that extra money?

Water pumps, starters, alternators, injectors, O2 sensors----how do those compare?

I'll start by saying comparing the OEM COP's with the Granatelli brand I'll end up swallowing the cost of the aftermarket parts in favor of well used but still working COP's----without hesitation.

Who else has an experience to share about OEM parts?

 

I don't think there is much difference. OReillys is offering more band name parts for the same price or less than AutoZone's brand. NAPA has some good & bad. NAPA is higher priced.

 

OEM and Dealer are not exactly the same thing. Dealer parts usually have an inferior warranty to the OEM part sold by a national chain. Sometimes, however, an exact dealer part # fits better than the more universal replacement parts, even from the same OEM. Of the commonly replaced items you listed, only the water pump is made for a specific engine, the rest are much more generic. There is absolutely no reason to go to the dealer for an O2 sensor for instance. Ive never had a failure with a Bosch replacement part, even if it came from PepBoys.

Not Ford, but I will give you an example to ponder. Toyota puts an exceptionally fine Denso oil filter on new engines at the factory. The problem is that Toyota dealers in the USA cant get the same filter. The one sold here is an ordinary Purolator painted black with a different Denso part number. The Toyota part number is the same. Im sure there are examples of Motorcraft parts sold by dealers that are not the same as the original part.

 

Yes I understand there might be a difference in dealer parts as opposed to OEM or as-delivered from the factory---I should have written that a bit better perhaps.

I'll second the idea parts found on new vehicles are not always available from any authorized brand parts sellers---I cite window glass because I'm in that business. Ford the manufacturer will advise dealerships to contact the OEM supplier of any piece and order it through an agreement they have with said OEM supplier. In the real world most dealers simply sub-contract an outside vendor/installer for these sorts of replacements, often times specifying the OEM brand. The actual glass piece has the proper logo but includes other identifying information to show it is not original to the vehicle.

I believe dealers are also free to stock and sell any brand of part or supply----after all they're just a wholesale/retail outlet, will sell most anything if its profitable. Just because something is sold by a dealer doesn't make it OEM or even factory approved. My point was what generally are the experiences with Ford branded parts, do they seem longer lasting than parts obtained from our described aftermarket sellers?

As far as O2 sensors I've heard here on FTE little good about Bosch because they seem to create issues for the ECM, at least as far as the trucks go, including vans (which I drive.) Oddly enough Bosch is the one brand mentioned often as being most problematic.

 

Many auto parts stores are franchises. In my area one fellow owns multiple stores of different brands, located so they don't compete!

How they treat customers is very much a matter of how management runs the show. They share suppliers.

 

According to my local dealer, if they took a Ram truck in on trade for instance and it needed a repair, the dealer may very well go to Napa or Carquest for the part vs. the Dodge dealer.

Likewise if you bought a used Ford on a GM lot, it may not have 100% factory parts on it. To be honest, I've never used factory parts unless no one carries it. Factory parts are way over priced IMHO. The only after market part that I've had issues with was the alternator on my old '88.

 

Even back when GM and Ford made many of its own parts internally, pricing was not rational, but based on some arcane accounting cost formulas. The same AC spark plugs from the same factory in Flint would be sold to Pepboys at a cheaper price than to the Buick factory almost next door, and of course an even higher price to a Buick dealer also located in Flint.

 

O'reilly on the east coast now? They expanding or bought a regional chain?

We have Advance Auto, Pep Boys, and NAPA here. DC marketing is really weird in select areas.

For consumables like oil, filters, etc, I shop whoever's has the cheapest at that time.

I usually use the local NAPA store for parts (if I'm not buying OEM, which is rare) since the people there know what I'm talking about and is always helpful to me.

Example:

Last month, I needed a 1/2 inch rubber hose to replace the mangled fuel filler vent hose. I went to the nearest place, which was Advance...they came out with a frickin' heather hose and tried to sell me saying both are used for the same things. I walked.

I knew right there I should have gone to NAPA the first time. I went to NAPA, and was out in 5 minutes with a fuel vapor rated hose AND new clamps thrown in.

 

A lot of the reman parts from NAPA are built by A-1 Cardone and I've found them to be as good or better than the originals. If you have the time to wait a couple of days, Rock Autos' primary reman. stuff is also Cardone and often about a third less than NAPA.
My local NAPA (Mt Carroll) is family owned and operated and the service is second to none. Ask for preferred cash customer pricing, saves quite a bit off list.
Advance Auto in Clinton IA has a suprisingly good selection of 60s and 70s vintage parts, the other chains seldom cross ref that far back.
For batteries, lately I just shop Farm and Fleet or Walmart. I buy the ones with the longest free replacement and, on sale, save better than 1/2. The better batteries at walmart are made by johnson controls and, if needed, the exchanges are no questions asked.

 

The part about being made by Johnson is correct, but the "no questions asked" part is no longer true. Any battery brought in for warranty at WM is now put on their computerized charger and the final decision is made by the printout that the thing spits out. This decision can take up to 90 minutes, quite the long time if you are in a hurry.

 

Wish I would have read that last week, just replaced both boom truck batteries with wally worlds finest. Thanks for the heads up.
On the other hand, got em for 90 bucks a piece as opposed to a NAPA price of 213 each. Between our midwest extremes of heat and cold, a 19 year old charging system and about 1500 amps needed to fire up the old 7.3 IDI, they only last about 2-3 years anyway.

 

Autozone batteries are also made by Johnson Controls. Wally World is not as good about their warranty as they once were, they have gotten to be a bit difficult to deal with.