A couple of years ago I replaced all the ball joints on a car. Purchased the parts at Autozone and Pep Boys. A year later the rubber looked as bad as the parts I replaced.

Today I tried to install new rotors and pads. Got the parts at Pep Boys. The inner pads had a long, narrow clip rivited to them in the wrong place so they wouldn't fit. I have no idea what the clip is for. Luckily the old pads still had 80% life.

It's not worth saving money on parts if the fix goes bad in the middle. So now Pep Boys and Autozone are taboo. I haven't bought parts from Checker for ages, but I believe they have a similar level of quality. I percieve NAPA to be a significant step up in both cost and quality.

Where do you buy your parts and why?

 

they are all the same crap.
I stick with Moog parts where i can find them.
i use rockauto.com only when i know 110% that the part is the exact right one for my vehicles.
i've had good luck at Advanced Auto Parts, but that's the same as Checkers.

 

It's not where you buy them as much as who's label is on the box. House brands can be iffy, some are decent white label parts, others are junk used to out price someone. TRW, Moog, Federal Mogul, and other brand names are a better bet, but there are no absolutes.

I like the less showy stores, we had acouple around here. One I was real friendly with, they would sell me parts without the core charge (I lived 400 yards away), let me use their shop tools, knew them by name. Unfortunately, all I have close now is Napa, it's an old napa that's dirty and expensive, but the owner is a pia that keeps decent parts on hand.

 

I've been buying my parts on line from the sponsers of FTE. I can buy real Ford parts for about the same prices as aftermarket parts & I know they will fit & be up to factory specs. You bought a Ford. Keep it a Ford with genuine Ford parts.

 

I go to a locally owned auto parts store where we get a lot of items for work at. For performance parts and such, a local speed shop. Since I work for a small locally owned shop, I try to do business with other such places.

 

I used to also think NAPA was just an expensive alternative. After comparing multiple parts they are right in line and often cheaper then the other places and in most cases have better quality parts if you buy them, you can still get the cheap crap in many cases if you want though. You can go to napaonline and autozone's site and some others and compare prices for yourself.

For OE parts I like to use RockAuto and for parts for my older rides I'll use LMC or some of the other suppliers, although NAPA carries a lot of stuff for my older vehicles. Just as an aside Napa's are locally owned stores they are just franchised like a Mcdonalds is.

 

i use a local napa part store, best service from a auto part store i have seen in my area.. they can get me any brand i want on most parts so that comes in handy too, they dont sell just the napa parts.

and if they dont have what i need or takes to long to get it i head over to the carquest part store and they usually have it there.

 

I use the site sponsors when time allows shipping. I have friends at a couple of dealerships in town and can get wholesale pricing, so I buy my Ford parts from them. When it comes to smaller knick/knack parts, I try to support the local shop instead of AutoZone or the other bigger names. Usually ther eis no difference in the part - just the place I buy it.

 

Our sponsors have been real good to me. I always save money when I use them for parts. I'll give Rockauto a look when I make my brake parts purchase. I want either Hawk ferro carbon or ebc green pads.

 

I use my local NAPA Store. NAPA has a line the competes with the A.Z. Checkers, & etc. Then they have the upper line more expensive parts. So you can get budget or quality.

 

Most of your "big box" stores-Pep Boys, Autozone carry there own private label parts now. Moog make's the best front end parts. I used them on my old 2002 f-150 and never had a problem. I beat that truck into the ground 10 times over.
Raybestos for brakes!
Just my 2cents.

 

The Duralast (Autozone) brand sway bar end links that I got for my 01 F150 were actually made by Moog.

 

i go to napa because they seem to know what im actually looking for. they dont need to have my cars vin number to know what oil filter goes on it. they can use an actual book to see what the actual manufacturer used for things like front driveshaft ball/spring and u-joint sizes.

if i go to advance auto, i cant even buy a part for a stock car without lying about what its going on. if you say that you just need a fuel filter with 3/8 rubber line they have no idea what to do. if the computer doesn't give them a part number, it must not exist.

 

napa,carquest,advanced,checker,or autozone,whichever is closest to me