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What I most often do is buy online and pickup locally at Advance Auto and if you do that you usually get anywhere from 20% to 60% off the store price by entering coupon and discount codes and you just drive over and pickup the item.
Yes, I use Advance Auto for my local need-it-now items, especially with coupon codes. But their in store stock is limited especially for brakes and rotors. Either Wagner or house brand. With Rock Auto you get 20+ options.
Then of course Walmart gets all my motor oil business
I find that Amazon is best place to get parts for my car. Selection for my cars is pretty decent, price is usually cheaper, and with Prime it ships in 2 days. Customer service is top notch. One time, I thought I ordered wrong brake pads. When I spoke with customer service to return it, the rep just told me to keep it and order another set. It turns out the original set was acutally correct so I ended up with an extra set of free brake pads.
What I most often do is buy online and pickup locally at Advance Auto and if you do that you usually get anywhere from 20% to 60% off the store price by entering coupon and discount codes and you just drive over and pickup the item.
Plus an additional 5-10% rebate from various referral sites. I have about 10 boxes of cotter pins because I needed a discount-able $0.99 item in order to get over the spend threshold to maximize my savings.
I have Prime anyhow for other things, so I don't factor that cost in to purchasing parts. I typically use Rock Auto to look up part numbers, then go to Amazon and search that part number and buy there. Prices have been very comparable between RA and Amazon when doing it that way. Definitely much more convenient and reliable than RA in my experience.
For example, I needed a MOOG tie rod end for my Ram 2500 and RA listed it at $51 plus ground shipping. I bought the same part number from Amazon for $54 with free 2 day shipping.
But it's not FREE 2 day shipping. You pay $99 per year for that "FREE" service. Doesn't matter if you use it for other stuff, you still are paying.
I have used Rock Auto once. Had someone think busting my passenger window was for fun (Nothing stolen, so I suspect random vandalism) the shops here quoted $250+ for the window, had one guy from another forum suggest Rock auto. 4 days and $85 bucks later got the window, That weekend, 3 cups of coffee, disassembly of the side door (And cleaning out the glass) and a bit of fiddling for about 2 hours, got it installed...
Really glad too, those window can shatter in your hands easy if you force them too much.
I don't need the for much else, but like their monthly newsletter...Maybe if I decide to do my rear brakes I'll deal with them...But not now.
I am feeling bad for the hassle you got and that restocking fee is crazy.
I use a mixture of part sources but RockAuto is definitely a go to for me. I have had a couple minor issues which in part my fault but certainly nothing to justify completely retracting my patronage, they have very good pricing and have always been punctual.
I use Advance frequently (if they have the brand of part I want) with their perpetual 30-40% storewide coupons for online order/store pickup, its a good deal... especially since they have a virtual hassle free return policy. I have returned many items to Advance without a single issue.
Ebay is another great source for avoiding return hassles, in my experience. I use Amazon too but find the pricing is usually a bit higher than other sources.
For those talking about Prime pricing, I discovered and did something this year that might be of use to some of you. If you are an alumnus and can get an associated email account with .edu suffix then you are eligible to get Prime free for 6 months and are then locked in at 50% full membership price for as long as you hold that email account. In my situation, that means indefinitely.
Have you saved that $36 over the years by shopping with them versus the auto parts stores?
I don't think that is the point. I would be as pissed as the OP if I were treated this way. Regardless of if he saved $36 or $3600 that is no way to treat a customer.
I have a handfull of older cars I keep on the road myself. Being aware of prices for the typical replacement parts I never shop here unless I get an email about closeout parts for a car you have filled out a profile for in the account area.
Even then it can get very annoying when trying to shop by price to save money and have things come from the same warehouse, etc. I don't find they are cheap or easy to use for everyday shopping.
And if you can time your purchases I have found certain coupons from the big guys to help on larger purchases.
But typically I shop at autohausaz, or if I have more time to plan things out always check ebay for specifics. Many times I have got new old stock brand new parts for a better deal. And it never hurts to ask for a further discount with a best offer button or even buy it now button if its a private seller.
Thanks for the heads up OP, drop shippers are garbage anyway for the reasons others have listed. They just dont have the same control over the item being shipped compared to them actually having a warehouse with the items.
When problems arise, they have to deal with two parties (you and the supplier) so it just compounds the issue.
Better to buy on eBay or Amazon.
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Doesn't matter if you use it for other stuff, you still are paying.
