Rockauto parts, Are they what they say they are?

[96Indyram]

Ok searching for all inner and outter tie rods for my 87 4x4 ranger.

AutoZone has duralast
Part numbers are as follows:
Es2215L $19.99
ES2214R $18.99
DS1041 $33.99
DS1042 $22.99 total $95.96

Orilley's
part numbers are the same for Moog
ES2215L $32.99
ES2214R $32.99
DS1041 $67.99
DS1042 $57.99 total $191.96
( also same part numbers for masterpro.)

Rock auto...same part numbers for Moog
ES2215L $8.40
ES2214R $14.40
DS1041 $17.95
DS1042 $15.62 Total $56.37


Now is it odd that every brand has the same part numbers?
Is rock auto selling MOOG parts...or cheaper duralast/masterpro stuff in moog boxes?

I have never delt with rock auto before but the price difference of $135
between rock auto and orilliys is a substantional amount.


I like Moog parts above the others.

 

[vstar650ca]

Ok searching for all inner and outter tie rods for my 87 4x4 ranger.

AutoZone has duralast
Part numbers are as follows:
Es2215L $19.99
ES2214R $18.99
DS1041 $33.99
DS1042 $22.99 total $95.96

Orilley's
part numbers are the same for Moog
ES2215L $32.99
ES2214R $32.99
DS1041 $67.99
DS1042 $57.99 total $191.96
( also same part numbers for masterpro.)

Rock auto...same part numbers for Moog
ES2215L $8.40
ES2214R $14.40
DS1041 $17.95
DS1042 $15.62 Total $56.37


Now is it odd that every brand has the same part numbers?
Is rock auto selling MOOG parts...or cheaper duralast/masterpro stuff in moog boxes?

I have never delt with rock auto before but the price difference of $135
between rock auto and orilliys is a substantional amount.


I like Moog parts above the others.

Deal with them all the time.If you order Moog parts,you get Moog parts.Exceptional company to deal with.They are cheaper because of volume sales.I have bought thousands in parts from them and saved thousands,they also E-mail you discount codes that save you money too.They do sell different grade parts ,but I always buy name brand.

 

[swynx]

I always try and go to the performance parts or buy name brand. Ordered over a grand in parts. Have yet to be dissapointed.

 

[dangerranger83]

Actually, moog doesn't even make their stuff in the US anymore.

A guy ordered moog upper control arms for his tbird off rockauto (another forum I'm apart of) and got an oem one and another that came out of a moog box, but the part didn't have moog stamped on it anywhere.

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[cammeddrz]

I work for a company that manufactures motorcycle parts

automotive parts manufactures do like to use the same part #s so that their parts easily cross-reference in place of other parts in the systems at places like Autozone, o'reily etc. and therefore might make a sale.

also if a customer were to google-search a duralast part #. their parts will pull up organically.

and some, use the same overseas factory to produce the part, the part # actually comes from the manufacturer and they are too lazy to change it

on another note, no Rockauto Is nothing different than any other store. They merely spent the time to advertise during programs such as the late-powerblock, where people who think of themselves as "smart" auto enthusiasts watch. and then tailor their commercials to flatter the consumers who have the arrogant attitude of "I know more than the guys at the auto parts store". but a person who is truly "smarter", already knows the best places to source parts, and some cleverly worded/placed commercial wouldn't change that

their approach is genius really.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I work for a company that manufactures motorcycle parts

automotive parts manufactures do like to use the same part #s so that their parts easily cross-reference in place of other parts in the systems at places like Autozone, o'reily etc. and therefore might make a sale.

also if a customer were to google-search a duralast part #. their parts will pull up organically.

and some, use the same overseas factory to produce the part, the part # actually comes from the manufacturer and they are too lazy to change it

It is a PITA to dig through a series of books or websites looking up everybody's private part number. I have been there done that, it is pointless for everybody around. Some places can't even cross OEM numbers to their part numbers over the phone without looking it up on their end. I don't know how they function...

on another note, no Rockauto Is nothing different than any other store. They merely spent the time to advertise during programs such as the late-powerblock, where people who think of themselves as "smart" auto enthusiasts watch. and then tailor their commercials to flatter the consumers who have the arrogant attitude of "I know more than the guys at the auto parts store". but a person who is truly "smarter", already knows the best places to source parts, and some cleverly worded/placed commercial wouldn't change that

their approach is genius really.

And their prices blow away any local chain that I have access to even with my work discount.

I can usually get name brand from Rockauto for the price of store brand up town. The catch is usually freight or timeline (if I need it now I need it now) If I need a tie rod end for $8.40 but it is $8 to get it here then I may as well go down town and buy one for $15, but if I can put an order together so the savings offsets the freight it is different. That effects every mail order place though.

Some places don't carry much or are in a bad (for me) location. Streetside Auto has free freight over $50, but they don't have near the inventory Rockauto or Summit has so it is harder to build orders without needing to order from someone else. The first couple times I ordered from Streetside it shipped out of Kansas so it was literally next day with free freight. Then next order came from Maine or somewhere way out east and took almost a week to get here.

One thing I don't like about Rockauto (about the only thing really) is they ship from different warehouses and they charge you freight to ship from each one. But they are upfront about it unlike other places I deal with at work that won't tell you what freight is until after you get the part.

I do have the arrogant attitude that I have a better idea of what my Ranger needs more than anybody behind a counter. It is such a convoluted mess of what is what I have to break it down into a string of makes and models if I am working on a big project. The flunkies gotta think I have a huge fleet of junk cars to fix, the managers know what I am up to though. It is simply the only way to get anything for it.

They are what they say they are, they can't sell you a brand x as a Moog. I saved a bunch of money on Timkin stuff when I rebuilt the diffs in my F-150 when I regeared it.

I also use them as a resource for cross referancing, pics of what parts for certain things look like before I hit a JY even if I don't buy anything from them.

 

[cammeddrz]

^^their target consumer right there. and honestly most forum members

i'm not faulting you, or anyone. i'm just commenting that you are exactly their target demographic.

they charge freight, and don't pay rent, utilities, or employees at hundreds (or thousands) of retail locations.

their pricing should be waaaaay better than it is when compared to the chain stores.

I can do the same exact parts looking up on Oreillyauto.com. oreilly has their distribution center located a couple miles away. and I get a commercial discount. even the things people would need to special order and wait days for, I can have same day.

Rockauto is what we in the parts industry call "internet whores" they sell online mostly, keep overhead down. and undercut brick-and-mortar retailers. that employ you, your friends, your family, or your neighbors.

the under-cutting has driven the overall prices of parts, and wages for parts-counter associates so low, that the truly knowledgeable ones seek employment elsewhere (like I did, and now work further up the chain for a parts manufacturer to try supporting a family)

they are what is wrong with the economy.

you guys giving business to the internet whores, is the whole reason the people behind the parts counter suck....not the other way around.

it is only solidified by the fact that you walk in with your own info you looked up. so they don't even need to have a knowledgeable guy behind the counter, because you tell him exactly what you need, he runs your credit card, they pay him very little, and that's all there is to it

it's a snake eating its own tail.

 

[96Indyram]

^^^^ I agree with this. I pay cash 98% of the time at local places.
I have a credit card for emergency's .. and have used it a few times online ordering stuff I coulden't get local.
I try keeping people employed. I always go to a cashier instead of the self-check out line in grocery stores or wallyworld...etc.
I try to buy Cooper tires ( who own and make Mickey Thompson also) because they are made here in the USA. The only tire company that is owned and operated in the USA...all others are owned by investment bankers overseas.

 

[kryptonitecb]

If I'm getting one part I go to the local parts house and get it. As mentioned before the freight for one item isn't worth it. When I'm getting a bunch of stuff at once I use rockauto and save big every time.

The brands they sell are the brands that show up at the door. Anything else would be illegal. Rockauto also makes it easier to get odd parts in that you don't have to explain to the minimum wage kid that you want a "insert brand/year/make/model" part on your make/year/model Ford.

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[cammeddrz]

also, places like rockauto don't actually have multiple warehouses. they drop-ship the parts to you from the manufacturer/distributor. They email the manufacturer/distributor the invoice/shipping label. they then ship it from there to you. thus mis-leading the consumer into thinking the company is bigger than it is, all the while keeping their overhead costs down. the part usually never even touches their hands, yet you pay them, for what? to sit in their basement in their underwear, and send an email? that's how these internet whore companies all started, they then grew to the point that they can pay several people to collect your money, and send an email.

I know this, my company has 2800 dealers....we do it for these internet whores each, and every day.

Rockauto also makes it easier to get odd parts in that you don't have to explain to the minimum wage kid that you want a "insert brand/year/make/model" part on your make/year/model Ford.

I use oreillyauto.com, look up the part and either "order for in-store pickup", or give the "minimum-wage kid" the part # no explaining there

 

[simpler=better]

1988168917575865

5% off code for rockauto, valid until April 6, 2014

 

[cammeddrz]

^^can't complain about that

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I buy a lot of parts local, especially if it's something I might have to warranty out in the future. But I do like buying some things from Rockauto, especially OEM stuff. There have been things that are not really available aftermarket (or I will only use OEM) and the local Ford dealer has either said "not available" or quoted some absurd price. Then I go look on Rockauto and find it OEM and available for a reasonable price. So I'll build an order of misc stuff I'll need at some point that I want from Rockauto and go away happy.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

^^their target consumer right there. and honestly most forum members

i'm not faulting you, or anyone. i'm just commenting that you are exactly their target demographic.

they charge freight, and don't pay rent, utilities, or employees at hundreds (or thousands) of retail locations.

their pricing should be waaaaay better than it is when compared to the chain stores.

I can do the same exact parts looking up on Oreillyauto.com. oreilly has their distribution center located a couple miles away. and I get a commercial discount. even the things people would need to special order and wait days for, I can have same day.

I am an hour away from Carquest and Napa's main distribution centers in Omaha and over 2 hours away from O'Reilly's in Des Moines. If it is in any of those places I can have it first thing the next weekday if I order it by 5:30.

I look up parts for a living so I am fine with doing it for my own stuff too.

Rock Auto's website seems to be more detailed on the pics, like a brake master cylinder for a Explorer, you can see what they look like with different options and important dimensions. The other guys are fond of a generic pics that may not fit any Ford Explorers. I have used them all, RA is the best IMO for referance.

I am on the shop lookup thing at Carquest, the public thing at O'Reilly's is ok I haven't bothered to register for the shop part of it. Napa's was pretty good but they "improved" most of the good parts away. Post V8 swap I don't do much on them anymore. Most of what I do at work you can't look up by vehicle anyway so I usually call the manager number and skip the websites/grunts altogether.

I really haven't gotten too much from RA, like lil_blue says I like to get common stuff like alternators and water pumps locally for warrenty. They run it through the business account and I pay for it so they have record of what I got without worrying about a receipt.

All I can really think of is the differential stuff that I have gotten from RA. I have gotten a bunch of stuff from Summit but the chain stores don't really get very serious about selling performance stuff. Like hundreds of dollars difference (4bbl intake manifold) and you still pay freight kinda not serious.

 

[Hagan]

I work for a company that manufactures motorcycle parts

Out of curiosity what kinds of parts does your comany you work for manufacture?

I need a couple parts for my street bike.