What has been others experience with NAPA electrical parts.
For me it hasn't been so great. I've replaced three batteries and alternators in the past three years. They seem to last 1.5 years and then bite the dust.
I got a NAPA Legend battery which is suppose to be a good battery. The first one lasted 6 months, the next 1.5 years and the replacement battery now has lower CCA than the original that I purchased and cost more. The alternator goes bad out of sync with the battery.
I got a replacement alternator today, but not from NAPA. I got one from Autozone with the life time warranty. It seems to be of better quality and warranty than the NAPA alternator. Time will tell. I really have never had a bad experience with Autozone parts though.
Ironically my replacement starter from NAPA, 1 year warranty, and the cheapest one has lasted for 60k and has never given me a problem.
NAPA Electrical Parts
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The Johnson Controls produced AZ batteries are FAR superior to the Exide made NAPA ones, in my experience. However, some of the small electrical parts from AZ, such as sensors and switches, aren't as good.
I get starters and alternators rebuilt by a reliable local shop. The quality of their work is much better than something put together in a sweat shop over seas maned by uneducated underpaid labor who only care about how many units per hour they can move through their production line.
I use Echlin ignition parts from Napa. I really like their brass contact distributor caps and rotor buttons, and the Napa Belden Premium plug wires are every bit as good as OEM and better than OEM for a lot less money. Never had any trouble with any of those parts at all. I do not care for the cheapie line ignition parts that you can buy at Advance or Autozone. They might work OK but they do not last nearly as long. However, I do have a Blower Motor Resistor from Advance and a MAP sensor from Autozone on my truck. So far I have had no trouble with those, either. I just installed the Advance blower motor resistor a few weeks ago but my Autozone MAP sensor has been in place for over 3 years now and still works perfectly.
Unless you buy the OEM replacement quality top line parts from Napa or Carquest Blue label parts, most other parts whether they are electrical or not are all the same and usually all come from overseas, Mexico or sometimes Canada. My own opinion with electrical parts is first to check with the dealer and buy OEM if you can afford it, and don't be shy about asking the dealer guys for a discount either. They have a lot of wiggle room and markup to play with.
If you don't buy OEM, then buy based on price at whatever parts store you like, unless you are able to really "get the good stuff" (top-line OEM replacement quality parts) at Napa. Sometimes even at Napa you have to ask for the higher line parts, they won't just offer it to you right off the bat. I guess they do that thinking that a retail cutomer won't pay for the better and/or more expensive parts or maybe they are holding their better stock for their commercial accounts. Some Napa guys treat you like a second-class citizen if you are not a commercial shop customer. Been there, done that myself. The Napa in a town I used to live in was real bad about not wanting to sell to or help a retail customer.
The last Napa alternator I bought was replaced 3 times before I sold the truck. It was a "premium" rebuild with the lifetime warranty. I had only used their alternators prior to that without much hassle. The one in my Jeep has been in there a long time with no problems. The professional mechanic in the family noted that they install all sorts of parts from Napa - except alternators unless requested. Draw your own conclusions.
Of the two Napa batteries I bought, both being Exides from 4 years ago, one was fine when I sold the truck, and the other is chugging along in the Jeep without any issues to report.
Haven't really dealt too much with Napa's electrical stuff, but I can say one thing, I did get a starter for my dads' car (Napa reman) and it started sporadically working after only a few months. We took it back and opened the box on a few they had in stock and some were of better reman quality than the others. I guess the stuff doesn't always come from the same place (reman at least) and therefore it's hit and miss. Thing is, the price was the best. We picked the best looking starter and it's been trouble free since.
I've always had great luck with Napa batteries. I've had at least 3 or 4 of them and I've always gotten at least 6 years out of them.
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
I get starters and alternators rebuilt by a reliable local shop. The quality of their work is much better than something put together in a sweat shop over seas maned by uneducated underpaid labor who only care about how many units per hour they can move through their production line.
how do you tell which is the best electrical part by just looking? I suppose you might have an obvious solder blob, etc. but aren't most parts internal?
I would just pay extra for the dealer part. Even if it was an extra $100 it is worth it over the hassle of having to do the job over again.
While I was changing out my harmonic balancer today I noticed that my Autozone Duralast alternator is actually a Delco Rema alternator made in USA at least that's what is stamped on it and it had AC Delco instruction inside the box when I put it on as I recall. The outside quality, metal fins v. plastic better, seems better than the NAPA alternator. Time will tell though.
Just thought it was something to note since many blast autozone parts, but I've personally never had a baexperiencece with them.
I have no issues with NAPA Echlin electrical parts.
NAPA rebuilt stuff is a different matter. Seems their starters last for a few years and then start to die slow and painful deaths.
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