Favorite parts store/source

Favorite parts store/source

  • AutoZone

    Votes: 26 15.6%

  • Checker's/Schuck's/Kragen

    Votes: 1 0.6%

  • Pep Boys

    Votes: 2 1.2%

  • O'Reilly's

    Votes: 15 9.0%

  • NAPA

    Votes: 49 29.3%

  • Advance

    Votes: 18 10.8%

  • FABO/enthusiast's forum classifieds

    Votes: 11 6.6%

  • Internet source (Specify)

    Votes: 22 13.2%

  • Other (Specify)

    Votes: 23 13.8%
  • Total voters
    167
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I always go to Autozone first because the store in Valdosta, GA gave us a loaner battery on a trip to FL ~1991 when we just made it to their parking lot with the ignition missing in our 82 Aries. No charge, he said to just drop it off on the way back. Been loyal ever since. That car had the square-back alternator and the diodes failed like clockwork every 2 years, probably from poor air flow in the transverse engine.

On the flip side, I will never go to a Pep Boys again. Took my 65 Newport to one in Atlanta ~1996 for tires. Had just had it painted. When I returned, the car was sitting funny in the parking lot. It had a long scratch in the new paint. Engine wouldn't run. The service manager claimed they had no tool in their shop that could have scratched my car and knew nothing about why it wouldn't run. I found the carb gasket had blown out. Not their fault, but they wouldn't sell me a new one, saying they had closed the register. Told me to move the car that night or they would have it towed. Also made snide remarks about "old cars". I still remember the manager's name - Steve Bui. Hope they fired the jerk.
 
Honestly it's really going to depend on the crew behind the counter rather than the name on the door. I started working for All Parts Auto (California, San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy area) after being a long time customer because the guys either knew what I was looking for or would work till they found what I needed. The owners where good about hiring people that had a real interest in whatever specialty area they needed filled. American Muscle, 4x4's, Imports, etc. They where also good about figuring out who fit in best with what crew. Then Car Quest came along and bought them out. Within a year about 80% of the guys got sick of CQ's B.S. and left.

Most of the stuff I buy now is online with Summit with the exception of oil from wally world and very seldom do I use Autozone.


Checker, Schucks, Kragen all got bought out by O'Reilly in '09 so only a few stores still exist in namesake only.
 
NAPA know how. Mine still has the old books. And finds any Old parts I need. Gogel's Auto Parts. Northampton Pa.
 
Summit. Buy today, get tomorrow. Local shops don't have what I need and it's sad when I'm the smart one in the parts store.
 
Autozone or Internet...I will admit I usually look-up my parts first on Autozones website and go in with the part numbers, never seem to have much success finding parts on NAPA & Adv. websites. Local AutoZone takes the time to source parts out and call other stores to get the part shipped to them within a day or two, where as the local Advanced Auto & NAPA give me the "'ol deer in the headlights look" when I ask for parts for my '66 Cuda....
 
My vote for "Other"..
My local Ace Auto Parts is a Carquest store. They never failed to find what I needed.
Sure they have computer look up but they still break out the old school books, make phone calls, whatever is req'd.
I dont get sales papers, 5 dollar off offers, etc., from them. Doesn't matter. If the person is willing to spend an hour or more hunting down a 6 dollar part, I'm willing to stop back in around Christmas and buy fluids off the shelf that I didn't really need, just to chat, have a cup of coffee, with fruit cake maybe, and wish Happy Holidays to the same friendly and helpful neighbors who are always there year after year.
I've had some very bad experiences with those other part stores. All I could do was take the 5 bucks I saved and go get myself a happy meal, and vow to never shop there again.
 
Coming from someone who buys parts on a daily basis I have to say I'm loyal to my local Advance.

I've got a good Commercial Parts Pro who goes above and beyond to help my business, even sourcing parts from other stores if she can't get it.
 
Car Quest for me all the other shops dont have a clue as to what you are looking foir.Yes I do work for Car Quest and Ive gone into the other shops and just laugh to myself.I also buy from Mancinis or Summit.
 
Bond auto parts ,a local parts store that I use with my shop everyday because im a mehcanic. I also use it when im at home ,but they only deliver to shops so........
 
My local Autozone is the distribution center for the Cincinnati area and they have ALWAYS had what we've gone there for. From a clutch to a water pump gasket.
 
Locally I use the Autozoo in Valdese, I go there so much they know what year all my cars are, what engine, transmission blazee blah.... They know what they're doing and they know what they're talking about. They've helped me diagnose alot of issues just by telling them the sypmtoms (like when I called them on the side of I-40 after my brother inlaws Neon quit, they told me the water pump went, took out the timing belt and bent the valves, sure enough they were right! But unfortunately they were right lol!). Frank retired but I liked him alot cause him and his friend were the terror of Valdese in the 70's with two big block B-bodies, one was a special order Hemi Satellite if I recall correctly. He knew what I was doing, why I was ordering parts for mopars I didn't have and knew which parts on mopars I didn't have that I could use even if I didn't! And I hate to say it, but the cheap chinese crap they sell me, does me VERY well and has held up to my families endurance-test-style-vehicular usage (my sister had put 30K hard miles a year on her van till the piston cracked) and exceeds our mileage and time standards on durability, I've never been dissatisfied with anything they sold me.

If I can't find what I need there, or it's a performance part it's summit racing (SS Leaf Springs, Electronic ignition wiring harness, front end rebuild kit blazee blah again).

If I can't get it there, it's either here or slantsix.org (FABO:Rear end, front hubs, two barrel intake, SS.org: Carter two barrel).

All my filters are O'Reilly's, the people that work that store around here are idiots but I can't get WIX anywhere else.

Lastly there was a purchase from RockAuto, an in tank sending unit. Be careful with RockAuto because some of the companies they get there stuff from is not quality. DON'T EVER get there sending unit from Spectre. As soone as the warranty went up a year later, it started acting stupid, pulled the thing out and tested it, the potentiometer wasn't even close to working right. :banghead:

EDIT: all my fluids, and batteries comes from Wal-Mart, they have what I use and i don't see the point in paying $5 more for the same bottle of oil at the parts stores, though I hate supporting Wal-Mart.
 
theothergarth said:
Locally: Carquest, they usually have the parts and the knowledge to find them if they are not "standard" to my specific car. If I have no other choice I will go to Autozone but it's rare to find anyone there that knows more than how to fill a gas tank or check a battery. For on-line, I usually use Summit and occasionally Jegs.
Click to expand...

I detest our Autozone and only go there as a last resort even though it is the closest. Our Oreilly's is great, has knowledgable counter people and the paper catalogs. Advance and their discounts is good too but their parts knowledge is lacking. They couldn't even get the correct rotor for a 2005 Malibu Classic until I had them look up a 2003. I don't but any house brands for the most part.

I do eBay alot because there is still a lot of NORS and NOS American made parts floating around at decent prices.
 
o'reily's and a friend owns his own but the name of kings and he has two mopars him self
 
I do not need NAPA know how or want to pay for there overpriced fancy boxed parts. I like Rock Auto a few weeks ago on a wholesaler closeout I picked up 2 rear drums for my 89 Dakota $58 dollars shipped, and these were old USA made Bendix in boxes from the late 90s. Lot of that stuff from NAPA is the same stuff you get at other stores but you pay for the shiny NAPA box and for Micheal Waltrip know how commercials.
 
I try to look my parts up online before I go to the parts store. No real counter men or woman anymore.
I lean towards NAPA, I worked for them 18 years & know their system well.
Although, NAPA isn't what it used to be.
O'reillys next on the list.
AutoZone third.
Advance auto parts if all I'm needing is car cleaning things. LOL
Last Sunday, I went to all the above, except NAPA, not one in my town.
I needed a valvecover set for my small block Mopar, no one stocked them in any grade.
I have just started to use RockAuto. Not a bad place to get parts, if you don't mind waiting.
 
NAPA is the last one here with "Parts People" after the Carquest moved. NAPA still carries quality tools and parts but you are going to pay through the nose for the good stuff.
 
Voted for NAPA #1, but I don't buy my oil there. Pep Boys is my oil source and maybe hoses/paint/spark plugs, like that. Mostly because it's 2 minutes from my house. My second place for a REAL parts store is O' Reilly's.

NAPA is #1 in my book because their counter people aren't a bunch of 7-11 transplants who ask "440?.....is that a 4, 6 or 8 cylinder, sir?" Another amazing thing was that they actually had a cannister oil filter IN STOCK for my '67 Triumph TR4a! I had hearts in my eyes after that!......
 
here's how i do my car parts shopping lol

a good 50% of my stuff comes from summit racing, another 30% or so is from Rock Auto, i occasionally buy parts from you fine guys here which is nice for that hard to find stuff or I work at a smaller parts chain store (auto value) and that's where i get stuff that i need ASAP, no waiting, I almost always get my fluids from advanced auto as the auto value store doesn't carry Castrol...
 
I do like napa,pepboys, and rock auto . But for high performance parts summit is definetly my favorite. Since im in the S.F. bay area and they're in Sparks Nevada. I only pay for ground shipping but almost always get My shipment the next day. Never had a problem either. For mopar specific parts I like Mancini racing.
 
I'm not really an O'Rielly fan, but I do use them quite a bit. My buddy works in tech support, (you know, when the guy at the parts counter can't figure it out, he's the one they call). I usually call him,and have him set it up, so all I have to do, is pick it up. For go fast part, I've had good luck with Summit.
 
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