Two sides but...local parts stores are dying for a reason

[pacstud]

I need a power steering pressure sensor. Some decent off brand selections on RA. I don't know that OE motorcraft even exists other than in a yard.

Prices range from $12 to $20, give or take.

So I check local stores, figure I'll pay a little extra to save the 4-5 day wait for shipment. One store has it (Advanced Auto), they call it "Carquest", but it's just the Rostra, which was the cheapest $12 version on RA. Price? $36.

Unless it's an emergency to get my car running, I just can't justify giving them my money. They are still just a giant corporate entity. They stock (often) pretty low end parts. And they triple or quadruple the prices. And it's everything from little parts to big parts. Heck, even fluids, I'm better off ordering or going to Wally World.

Sad, but I really just can't use them for much anymore.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I also try to use the local auto parts place. Recently I priced an HEI module from RA (to use in place of a duraspark module for my pinto). Then phoned around to 5 different parts stores. Found one within 20% of RA. Went in and bought it. For shits and giggles I asked about a duraspark module. They had one! In stock! For C$100.00 which is a decent price I think. I should have asked if they had a distributor at the same time.

 

[ranger man'02]

I need a power steering pressure sensor. Some decent off brand selections on RA. I don't know that OE motorcraft even exists other than in a yard.

Prices range from $12 to $20, give or take.

So I check local stores, figure I'll pay a little extra to save the 4-5 day wait for shipment. One store has it (Advanced Auto), they call it "Carquest", but it's just the Rostra, which was the cheapest $12 version on RA. Price? $36.

Unless it's an emergency to get my car running, I just can't justify giving them my money. They are still just a giant corporate entity. They stock (often) pretty low end parts. And they triple or quadruple the prices. And it's everything from little parts to big parts. Heck, even fluids, I'm better off ordering or going to Wally World.

Sad, but I really just can't use them for much anymore.

i will use rear counter if i want a oem part

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So, I used to shop around. With parts quality generally being crap anymore no matter the brand, I’m not entirely convinced it’s worth the effort anymore. RA burned me three times and I said peace out. Ended up using my business to get a commercial account at a local parts store and that’s what I do anymore. Yeah, maybe I could buy some stuff a little cheaper at RA or elsewhere but the lack of hassle is worth it. I have a problem and I pick up my phone and it gets fixed. Parts get delivered to my door, often same day. I’ve reached the point in my life where that is worth paying a little more sometimes. I don’t have a problem with warranty either with it. Warranty part is required? Pick up the phone and take the part off. Hand it to the delivery driver in exchange for a new one. It’s not for everyone, but it’s worth it for me.

 

[Bill]

So, I used to shop around. With parts quality generally being crap anymore no matter the brand, I’m not entirely convinced it’s worth the effort anymore. RA burned me three times and I said peace out.

I keep seeing "Rockauto sells junk" posts. Rockauto sells parts. They are the same parts wholesale auto parts distributors sell to auto parts stores. It's up to you to decide if you want to order the cheapest line each part manufacturers offers, or if you want to spend a little more for the standard line of parts. Or, when available, the premium line. It's also up to you to decide what brand to choose. You also have the option to order parts from an OEM manufacturer, which will be an equivalent of a Motorcraft-branded product without "Motorcraft" embossed on the part. You can figure this out with some detective work on the internet.

Parts quality is another subject, and the problem isn't limited to car parts, retailer, or brand. Consumers want cheap products and many consumers prefer to buy a new ratchet and socket set for $25 at Walmart every year, because the ratchet and sockets break, rather than spend $60 for a Craftsman set that will likely last for years. If not, you can warranty whatever breaks. This type of consumer behavior is multiplied across every category of products you can think of. People will buy non-stick skillets that are non-stick for three months rather than pay a little more for cast iron skillets that last forever. The parts quality issue is, in a large part, driven by consumers so much that there is little incentive for manufacturers to produce higher-quality products.

 

[bobbywalter]

I keep seeing "Rockauto sells junk" posts. Rockauto sells parts. They are the same parts wholesale auto parts distributors sell to auto parts stores. It's up to you to decide if you want to order the cheapest line each part manufacturers offers, or if you want to spend a little more for the standard line of parts. Or, when available, the premium line. It's also up to you to decide what brand to choose. You also have the option to order parts from an OEM manufacturer, which will be an equivalent of a Motorcraft-branded product without "Motorcraft" embossed on the part. You can figure this out with some detective work on the internet.

Parts quality is another subject, and the problem isn't limited to car parts, retailer, or brand. Consumers want cheap products and many consumers prefer to buy a new ratchet and socket set for $25 at Walmart every year, because the ratchet and sockets break, rather than spend $60 for a Craftsman set that will likely last for years. If not, you can warranty whatever breaks. This type of consumer behavior is multiplied across every category of products you can think of. People will buy non-stick skillets that are non-stick for three months rather than pay a little more for cast iron skillets that last forever. The parts quality issue is, in a large part, driven by consumers so much that there is little incentive for manufacturers to produce higher-quality products.

if only.

it were so simple.

well it is simple to the extent....consumer tolerance is demand i agree.

you can buy an absolute junk cast iron skillet. for sure there is no shortage of low quality cast iron skillets out there. and there are absolute marvels of metallurgy out there.


but research alone for automotive parts it not so clear cut..


craftsman is for the most part been junk for 30 years. they have many versions of tools.. the lifetime warranty on the downline ratchets was a constant for me...i was always busting those fawkers. i do/did have 70s and older era tools that were indeed much higher quality.

craftsman is just a brand floating on the well won past performance and like everything is globally sourced....as black and decker started falling apart...so went the world.

moog was a top tier part. globalization got them the same way.

many companies build oem parts. you can buy a genuine ford or gm part....and it might be awesome....or it might be junk.

you wont know until it is in your hand.

 

[bobbywalter]

look at the coyote 5.0.....they ruined that thing. they built the best engine ever....and then improved it to death.

ford hates its customers in the regards of planned obsolescence.

the godzilla and coyote are really good examples.

and the cummins engines. they did the grid heater bullshit....and then when people figured out how to solve that...they ruined the valvetrain.

what cummins did to the valvetrain of the modern platform is criminal. especially for a "million" mile engine. they want those things out of reach for maintenance costs of second hand customers as soon as possible.

consumers need to consume. or the business model evaporates.

my personal vehicles are my 1988 ranger and the bronco 2. sure i lease a new rig to keep my wife in but only because i work all over the country and am not home....if everybody drove their shit into the ground like me there would be no innovation on the exponent we currently enjoy.

i dont know how to balance that. no answer for that.

but know this. the real owners of the world do not want you in control of your life.... i see that now as a real thing. so getting parts on a wider span of fleet life is its own natural cycle....by getting rid of easy parts sourcing and junk yards that span of fleet life shrinks rapidly.

look at how electric cars are handled for repair.

 

[Bill]

if only.

it were so simple.

well it is simple to the extent....consumer tolerance is demand i agree.

you can buy an absolute junk cast iron skillet. for sure there is no shortage of low quality cast iron skillets out there. and there are absolute marvels of metallurgy out there.


but research alone for automotive parts it not so clear cut..


craftsman is for the most part been junk for 30 years. they have many versions of tools.. the lifetime warranty on the downline ratchets was a constant for me...i was always busting those fawkers. i do/did have 70s and older era tools that were indeed much higher quality.

craftsman is just a brand floating on the well won past performance and like everything is globally sourced....as black and decker started falling apart...so went the world.

moog was a top tier part. globalization got them the same way.

many companies build oem parts. you can buy a genuine ford or gm part....and it might be awesome....or it might be junk.

you wont know until it is in your hand.

I wouldn't call Craftsman junk. Their market is home consumers. I wouldn't use them if I ran an auto shop. I have a mix of old and new Craftsman tools. I don't think the sockets from the 70s and 80s are any better or worse than the new ones. The ratchets in the past had a problem with the ratcheting mechanism inside wearing out, but that was an easy repair. I haven't had their current ratchets fail. I don't think I have any Craftsman tools from that period where Eddie Lampert decided to outsource Craftsman production during his proactive effort to destroy Sears. So, I can't comment on the quality from about 2000 until Stanley bought Craftsman, with the exception of a set of pliers I bought before realizing they were made in China. All three of them broke. So, I quit buying any of their stuff made in China.

Yes, you can buy junk cast iron skillets. They are in the sporting goods section at Walmart, made in China. They are cracked right there on the shelf, and that is a result of not allowing the cast too cool slowly. My point was that in many cases you can buy a junk widget for $20 that you know you will have to replace in a year. Or, you can spend $10 more for one that will last decades. The average consumer will opt for paying $20 every year before they spend $30 once for a widget they will not have to replace. In this case, cast iron skillets have a reputation of having lifespans long enough for several generations to inherit them while non-stick skillets have a reputation being non-stick anywhere from 3 months to 3 years, and even the best non-stick cookware fails after they've been overheated once. If you overhead a cast iron skillet you can re-season it and it is as good as new.

Moog still makes good parts. They made the control arms for the Rangers and they still do. It's the same part. However, if you buy the control arm with ball joints you are going to get their lower quality ball joints. That assembly is made for consumers and shops that are looking for a quick parts swap. Swapping the control arms is easier if you have to replace bushings and ball joints. When I replaced mine I bought the Mevotech control arms because their ball joints have grease fittings.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I keep seeing "Rockauto sells junk" posts. Rockauto sells parts. They are the same parts wholesale auto parts distributors sell to auto parts stores. It's up to you to decide if you want to order the cheapest line each part manufacturers offers, or if you want to spend a little more for the standard line of parts. Or, when available, the premium line. It's also up to you to decide what brand to choose. You also have the option to order parts from an OEM manufacturer, which will be an equivalent of a Motorcraft-branded product without "Motorcraft" embossed on the part. You can figure this out with some detective work on the internet.

Parts quality is another subject, and the problem isn't limited to car parts, retailer, or brand. Consumers want cheap products and many consumers prefer to buy a new ratchet and socket set for $25 at Walmart every year, because the ratchet and sockets break, rather than spend $60 for a Craftsman set that will likely last for years. If not, you can warranty whatever breaks. This type of consumer behavior is multiplied across every category of products you can think of. People will buy non-stick skillets that are non-stick for three months rather than pay a little more for cast iron skillets that last forever. The parts quality issue is, in a large part, driven by consumers so much that there is little incentive for manufacturers to produce higher-quality products.

You’re not entirely wrong. But you’re missing where I’m coming from with things. I get occasional junk parts from the local store. I wasn’t trying to say it was solely a RA problem. Also, I never bought anything rated less than DD use on RA and usually aimed for Motorcraft or the highest level part on there. I always buy midrange to top tier on parts from the local store. Parts quality generally sucks these days.

I bought a Carter and a Delphi fuel pump from RA. One was DOA and the other lasted one month. I forget which was which but RA refused to warranty either pump. I also had a problem where I bought rear tie rods for an 02 Explorer. When I bought them, they were the only ones that didn’t say 17” rim or bigger only. I put them on and promptly destroyed two aluminum 16” rims. Went back to RA and they told me to pound sand. They also changed the listing to say 17” rims and bigger only then. That was a $300 burn on parts plus another hundred for replacement rims. I don’t remember what the first problem I had with RA was, might have been the hydraulic clutch system for my F-150 that wouldn’t bleed at all. Might have been something else. I said good riddance to crap customer service.

 

[Shran]

O’Reilly just opened three new stores in the area and Carquest closed. They are all the same though. High prices on everything. Fewer products seem to have lifetime warranties. I am sure it costs a lot to have a physical store- my office is almost $2000/month and it’s not that big. I don’t know how any mom and pop place makes it these days, overhead on everything is just nuts.

 

[bobbywalter]

I wouldn't call Craftsman junk. Their market is home consumers. I wouldn't use them if I ran an auto shop. I have a mix of old and new Craftsman tools. I don't think the sockets from the 70s and 80s are any better or worse than the new ones. The ratchets in the past had a problem with the ratcheting mechanism inside wearing out, but that was an easy repair. I haven't had their current ratchets fail. I don't think I have any Craftsman tools from that period where Eddie Lampert decided to outsource Craftsman production during his proactive effort to destroy Sears. So, I can't comment on the quality from about 2000 until Stanley bought Craftsman, with the exception of a set of pliers I bought before realizing they were made in China. All three of them broke. So, I quit buying any of their stuff made in China.

Yes, you can buy junk cast iron skillets. They are in the sporting goods section at Walmart, made in China. They are cracked right there on the shelf, and that is a result of not allowing the cast too cool slowly. My point was that in many cases you can buy a junk widget for $20 that you know you will have to replace in a year. Or, you can spend $10 more for one that will last decades. The average consumer will opt for paying $20 every year before they spend $30 once for a widget they will not have to replace. In this case, cast iron skillets have a reputation of having lifespans long enough for several generations to inherit them while non-stick skillets have a reputation being non-stick anywhere from 3 months to 3 years, and even the best non-stick cookware fails after they've been overheated once. If you overhead a cast iron skillet you can re-season it and it is as good as new.

Moog still makes good parts. They made the control arms for the Rangers and they still do. It's the same part. However, if you buy the control arm with ball joints you are going to get their lower quality ball joints. That assembly is made for consumers and shops that are looking for a quick parts swap. Swapping the control arms is easier if you have to replace bushings and ball joints. When I replaced mine I bought the Mevotech control arms because their ball joints have grease fittings.

yes.....moog ..., hell all of them have good stuff. piece for piece.

grease fittings can increase service life...but today dont mean anything if the part is inferior nylon inserts and powdered metal


this is what i mean when i say you dont know until you have it in your hand.

there are specific moog componants...most of my work is with 3/4 ton to 550 trucks..that are just gone.

this is excluding the blatant counterfeit parts.

most of dealerships i deal with use napa pro and moog pro stuff and not just motorcraft or gm++. that blows my mind.

but i have picked up motorcraft track bars from dealers that were in the motorcraft bag...and not as good as the bar i was replacing. how is that a thing....it is a thing though.

that is a level of disappointment i could live without.

 

[pacstud]

I have to admit, individual experiences shape us. I don't even have a true local parts store. I have autozone, oreillys, advanced auto, and napa. Those are anything but local.

I've also been lucky so far on RA. Heck, I put two outer tie rods on the wife's Mazda. One of them did not sound good. I went online and clicked return, part defective... Had a replacement in my hand five days later, no charge for anything. But I understand that getting burnt with customer service can ruin a person. It matters.

I think what I like the most online is that if I'm willing to do the work on research, I can feel somewhat more in control because I have options. I'm learning that the chain stores, heck most of their parts are just marked up and rebranded low-end stuff on RA. If you track the part number, that's the case a LOT.

Now tools...that's a whole nother rabbit hole. My $100 3 ton jack that says "Hyper Tough" on it was made by Torin and is a very nice piece of equipment. So again, if you do your research you can find some steals, and hopefully avoid the not so great situations.

I think we'd all agree that disposable/planned obsolescence consumerism is the ALL GOD of manufacturing.

 

[oldgeek]

Our small town parts store is pretty good. Their prices are a little higher than online, but the convenience is worth it. And they don't charge me for a core since they know I will be bringing the core back. And I get to help a local business. They were supplied by Carquest, but they had to change to Parts City (I think supplied by O'Reilly).

And in considering something involving a core, the shipping cost of the return sometimes makes it worth buying local.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yeah, bad customer service will drive people away, even if it’s only a one-off thing. I’ve talked to people who have had good experiences with RA handling warranty and stuff. I got burned three times at a cost to me of over $500. That was enough to want to take my business elsewhere. I have a good relationship with the store I do business with and when there’s a problem, a phone call solves it and the replacement is in my hand the same day or the next depending on timing and if it’s in stock or has to be brought in.

 

[97RangerXLT]

i hear ya. 2 years ago I needed an idler pully for my 2010 Lucerne. figured to get one at Autozone, Duralast/ Dorman part was $50! For a stamped steel pulley with a pressed in run of the mill 2 dollar (if that) bearing. RA had the same effing part for 9 bucks and could ship it to me for an extra 7.

so now, I generaly just get what I need from RA or Amazon (really gotta do your research before getting parts on Amazon... )

Only had a few issues with RA. one was back in 2012 getting bushings for the rear leaf springs on my Ranger. the front bushings are a tad larger in diameter, RA sent me both the same size as the smaller. not a huge deal, I think I was out 10 bucks. chalked it up to "do better research next time" and threw the extras in the parts bin for possible future use. the second time was I got a Raybestos master cylinder for my Ranger, ordered the part knowing I was going to have to do a huge brake job in the near future. Got divorcved, moved, deferred the brake job for about 8 months and found that the MC was junk out of the box. warranty was for a year, contacted RA and they honored it. I did have to buy another outright and send the defective one in, but once I did that, they refunded me the cost. The return system they had was a bit clunky but worked. that was late 2024.

the only real aggravation I have with RA is their shipping and warehouse locations. for any project that requires more than 4 parts, you are guaranteed to have to use 2 different warehouses and you will get socked 2x on shipping. and watch it if you are deciding to order some discount/ closeout parts. I have had on several occasions had my project parts in two separate locations and when adding the others it jumps to 3 or 4, with many of the previous parts in the cart shifting to another warehouse entirely. I am sure there is an algorithm somewhere that determines shipping point but it is aggravating as hell.

I think the biggest take that I have for parts purchasing is to research really well what you actually need, and get the better quality part even if it means spending a bit more. If that cheap version is really easy to swap out and does not involve safety items, go for it. otherwise get DD or better quality as Lil Blue mentions. As for quality in general, I have seen several good shops that have a youtube channel complain about quality in replacement parts, even OEM. it is mostly junk. especially heater cores and timing sets. bothof those I would not want to be the one stuck with the warranty labor to redo those once the "quality" oem part you put in fails...

AJ