any difference in part stores?

[simple]

Do you think there's a difference where you buy auto parts? For example: which would you be more likely to buy from: Napa, autozone, checker, etc...

In my opinion autozone usually has the cheapest price, but the product is also cheaply made at times.

 

[Chris142]

Napa and Carquest seem to have the smartest counter clowns.

Pep boys and kragen are 2nd. Vatozone employees seem to be pretty car dumb around here. I won't go there unless it's something I can grab myself. If it's something they gotta look up I won't go there.

 

[kenw]

One corner near me has an AutoZone, O'Rielly's and a NAPA.

The O'Rielly's has great people, fast service and real help. And always a line at the counter.

The AZ seems to have good people but is not as busy. I go there only if O'Rielly's doesn't have it at any of their stores.

The NAPA is always deserted, you have to ask at the counter for just about anything and the counter guys routinely ignore you. I waited 10 minutes for a guy to get off the phone (it was obviously personal call and then when it was over he disappeared into the back room. I don't want to know what he did back there...) Me and 2 other waiting customers walked out together. The store is usually empty.

 

[srivett]

I am not fond of the PartsSource brand so I keep away from the dealers who sell them if I need a major part. For lightbulbs, belts, etc. it doesn't bother me too much where I shop.

Steve

 

[Drew99GT]

I think Autozone sells less quality parts/supplies. I've had great luck with Advance Auto Parts. I like Checker but the one in my neighborhood is staffed by a bunch of Pennzoil bashing, meth-head lookin ********. Pep Boys is so/so.

 

[Bret Chase]

as far as parts quality goes it's in this order (IMHO) A line- Napa/Carquest.. oriented towards the professional. B-Line Advance/CSK.. decent parts, cheaper than napa. Discounter - Autozone/VIP great warranties because their parts suck. personally, I only make it a point to go to napa for electrical items... Autozone shouldn't be allowed to sell the garbage that they do. On average I go to Advance the most, Napa 2nd and Autozone only if I have to ( or to buy PF brake pads)

-Bret

 

[mechtech]

I dread dealing with parts people, of any ilk.
They are never wrong [at your expense and time].
Always do your homework first.

 

[ediamiam]

You gotta remember that professional mechanics do not want to do the same job twice because the part is defective because they bought a cheap item from a cheap source. They pay more for better quality, which costs you. How often do you hear if they supply the part you get a warranty, but if you supply the part because you can get it cheaper, they won't guarantee the part or eat the labor on a redo. They don't want to eat that labor cost. I think its more than just trying to run up the bill.

 

[tom slick]

I agree with Bret C. but I would put AZ above CSK. you'll find the majority of professionals buy from NAPA, Carquest, Big A, and Parts Pro.

 

[motorguy222]

We have Advance,O'Reilly's,NAPA and Carquest.

I usually go to Advance or O'R depending on the cost of the part I need.If the part has a warrenty,the lenght of it may come into play also.

O'R tends to get on my nerves to some degree.You can hardly look around without someone asking you if you need something.Sometimes you just can get in the door without them doing this.

Dont get me wrong,it is good to be able to get help finding something when you need it but they tend to go overboard in my opinion.

I was in there about a year ago,there was a guy looking for a serpantine belt for his Mustang.They didnt have one but told him one would run around $40.

They guy left and so did I.We both ended up at ADV,they had the belt for $20-25 in stock.

NAPA is to high on their parts and I cant say that they are any better than ADV or O'R.

I had a water pump put on a few years ago,it was from NAPA.I dont remeber if it even lasted the warrenty or not and it costed quite a bit.

I went to ADV and got a pump,cheaper,with a year warrenty,it is still on the car and the warrenty expired some time ago.It may go out today but it has done better than the NAPA pump did.

Carquest is just priced to high.It seems that most of their bussiness comes from places that work on cars,CQ delivers the parts to them,that seems to be most of their sales.You dont usually see to many people there.They are just to high.

In my opinion,most people that take their cars to a place that works on them has little knowledge of parts and their prices,this seems to be where CQ cashes in.

 

[Bret Chase]

I only lumped CSK w/ Advance as they're all part of the same company... there aren't any around here. the local carquests swallowed up all of the Big A's years ago. there is a small local chain (Sanel Auto parts) that I would lump in with Napa/CQ.. they've got great stuff (and a buddy of mine has been behind the counter there for about 25 years)

-Bret

 

[Woody]

Close to me I have a NAPA, Advance, O'Reilly's and Carquest. I shop Advance the most because they tend to have descent quality parts at a descent price. If I’m looking for parts that affect the safety of the passengers in my vehicles, like brakes, I shop NAPA paying more but I think the parts are better quality - and the counter people are more knowledgeable.

 

[doitmyself]

I agree with most of the "ratings" previously given.

A lot also has to do with the individual management and empoyees at each store. Thus, you can have a poor NAPA and a great Autozone (service) in the same town.

I miss the days of indepentent stores with knowledgeable employees to help the shade tree mechanic. Remember when you could go into a Radio Shack and get REAL advice?

One great thing about stores like Auto Zone is their free tool loan program, alternator testing, and OBD II testing, etc..

And, regarding parts quality, most stores offers sveral different price lines.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Yes, Napa and CarQuest tend to have knoldgeable people working their counters. AutoZOne has the produce girl working the counter.

If you have a Toyota about 50% of Napa's electronics parts for Toyota's will say Toyota and Denso right on the part but will be in a Napa box. The kicker is that Napa is a lot cheaper then the Toyota dealership. Each of ther larger Carparts places has their own spec. for a lotof parts. Places like AutoZone,Discount Murrays usualy do not have any minimum psec. for componets and will buy based on price alone from the open parts market vendors. This is usualy most prevalent with electronics parts and eletricalparts. I have found that NAPA and CARQUEST tend to have the most relaible electronics and electricalparts even though their warranty is not as good as AutoZones.

Advanced,Discount and MURRAY's tend to be part vendor bottom feeders and will suck up and sell the cheapest parts they can find.

On a critical application or a preffered customer like Mom and Dad I will go to a jobber store so I can get them to special order the specific name brand part I want for the application!!

 

[frank2009]

I buy most of my parts at a local old fashioned shop. The prices may be higher but the knowledge and service is priceless. Occasionally i buy at NAPA, got to admit their stuff is very good imo.

Autozone-Never for parts but i really like their tool loaner program.

Murrays? O'Reily's what's that? none on long island that i know of.

 

[motorguy222]

I bought brake pads at NAPA years ago.They started crumbling in the caliper shortly after they were put on.They had to be replaced.

I have never bought pads there since.

They costed quite a bit also,they were junk.

As I stated in my above post,I had problems with a NAPA water pump.

More costly doesnt always mean better.

 

[goodoleboy]

Salvage first
If none autozone and then the dealer for those parts you cant find.Im doing a timing belt job on my accord and Im gonna pay the premium for the honda belts becuase they have the timing marks already on the belt.

 

[T-Keith]

I've had bad employees at all brands of stores. I think generally the store and it's employees matter more then the name on the store. NAPA & carquest may have some knowledgable employees, but they just as many know-it-all, full of you-know-what jerks. Same with any store.

I can think of at least one NAPA, checker, autozone, and carquest that I desperately avoid going to because of poor service.

That said I like Checker because of the name brand parts and generally low prices, although they have crept up recently. Autozone seems to be the cheapest, but not neccesarilly the best parts.

-T

 

[Virtuoso]

I buy from O'Rileys whenever possible; after that I put none of the others in any preference. Depends on price/part.

 

[acranox]

I can definitely vote against AutoZone. I stopped going there because it seemed every part I wanted for my Honda, they didn't carry. Last time around I needed calipers and they only sold it bare without any of the hardware, and they told me they couldn't get me the hardware kit. I just walked out.
I've had good luck with Napa. Actually, the best luck I've had was with Lappen's. They are a chain in the Greater Boston area.