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Rockauto just drop ships parts from the mfgr. If you want to use Rock, you need to rejigger your order so it ships from the fewest suppliers. This is the price you pay for getting the lowest price on parts. In many cases they're still cheaper than any auto parts store or even amazon
>This is the price you pay for getting the lowest price on parts. In many cases they're still cheaper than any auto parts store or even amazon
eh. ive done this so many times comparing prices. rock auto is not always cheapest. also if youve got an older car you never know if your gonna get a part made a few years ago or one made 30+ years ago. always fun when ordering a fan belt and getting one that when flexed crackles worse than a bowl of rice krispies with 1980s graphics on the sleeve... or gaskets that are so dry they break trying to lay them flat cuz they curled up. - both times naturally they blamed me. just like the broken in half water pump they sent (cast aluminum - box was pristine yet opened it up and its cracked clean in half....) - somehow my fault and wanted me to pay both return shipping and restocking fee. or parts missing included parts. - again somehow my fault and would have to pay restocking fees..
How did you resolve it? I've never had a problem with Rock Auto, but I really don't enjoy ordering from companies that fight tooth and nail to avoid paying return shipping
There’s a furniture company called Valyou who frauds customers into prepayment with a 3+ month wait time, and then never delivers. They actually prefer going the chargeback route so they can wait out customers who give up trying to get their money back.
Rant over, I can’t believe they’re still in business. Just take a look at their BBB reviews.
Entirely agree that companies pay for BBB and shouldn’t be relied on for honest reviews, but that seemed to be the only avenue that was effective in getting this company to respond. And there are HUNDREDS of complaints [on their site](https://www.bbb.org/us/nv/las-vegas/profile/furniture-designers/valyou-1086-90083680) that show this.
Many times this company would extend delivery times just beyond a standard CC chargeback window, so customers were SOL. And I would hope that CC companies would stop doing business with them, but have you ever seen that in practice? This company has to operate by generating enough orders by people who either can’t do a chargeback (pay via debit card) or give up because it takes so long to sort out.
Luckily they’re still being investigated, but holy shit, how long does it take?
https://www.kitv.com/news/local/oahu-furniture-company-faces-hundreds-of-customer-complaints-over-shipping-issues-delays/article_a83f6c5c-e797-11ec-bcbc-37fb05831081.html
Everything is done online if you receive wrong or damaged parts from rockauto.
They sent me a wrong part one time (one digit off). I filled out their online form, they sent me a shipping label, and as soon as the wrong part was in the return shipping tracking system, the correct part began its shipping process pretty much the same day.
I had options in their system - I could have gotten a full refund on the part, shipping, and tax (like if I didn't have time to wait for the correct part and procured it locally), or I could wait for the correct part to be shipped. I understand mistakes happen, and their remediation process went smoothly.
I don't buy ops complaint, I just got a pair of 4340 axles for my jeep, the bearings they shipped with were not correct, went into order status and requested the difference to get the bearings locally, and rockauto refunded the 92$ for the correct bearings off the order I placed.
And before that I got an alternator that was clearly wrong, I requested a replacement, I shipped back the incorrect alternator, with rockauto paying for the shipping, and they sent a new one as soon as I sent the incorrect one back.
So if op is having this much trouble they are using the return system incorrectly.
This. And their returns are a pita. If I can get the exact brand/part on Amazon I do now. After ordering coil springs for my s10, and they sent me engine mounts for a Honda, it took a week to resolve it after they were adamant I'd ordered the wrong parts and needed to ship them back on my dime. After proving I did order the right part - about 3x, they paid return shipping but wouldn't ship my coils until they processed the return which they got and then told me I'd returned the wrong thing because they got motor mounts back, not coil springs.... It took like 3 weeks. Luckily it was for a project car and it didn't kill me but damn y'all.
Oh yea the refusal to help or send replacement any faster and waiting till they recieve it and take days to inspect it is horrible. Took 2 months to get a useable waterpump.
Fyi summit racing is awesome service. I ordered 4 rims once (steel unpainted) got em quick. Box part numbers were matching and what i ordered. Took one out to check fitment all good. Few days go by i get em all out and the last box had a totally different rim in the box. Called em, they apologized, i sent pics to them showing right boxes and the wrong rim. They 1 day shipped me the correct rim and sent a label to send the wrong one back free of charge. I had no arguing or had to request that type of service they just did it.
Returned 2 power steering racks in a row because the lines were smashed flat. Couldn't figure out how to talk to anyone then ended up just ordering it off Amazon because having to pay return shipping on an unusable part is ridiculous
Yup. I had them ship me 3 front shocks and one rear when I ordered a complete set. Guess who they blamed? Took over a week to get a replacement shipped to me and when they finally did they sent me two new rear shocks. I tried reaching out about the spare but they had closed the ticket and refused my email. Ended throwing away a brand new shock as I couldn’t find anyone else who needed a single rear shock for a 1995 Acura SLX. What a waste from a company that seems determined to nickel and dime their customers.
> rock auto is not always cheapest
This has been my experience. At best they are just a few dollars cheaper than a local auto parts store and on top of that everything I've heard about their company is they make returns as impossible as they can, so for an extra $5 I'll pay the local overnight auto parts store.
I’ve had this happen on a front brake hose - date code showed it at 20+ years (or something like that- I don’t remember). I called to complain and they offered me like 75% refund to keep it
Just ordered 4 tapered wheel bearings. Shipped from 3 different places and still saved 30 bucks from amazon and close to 100 from local parts store. Thats with 30 bucks in shipping.
I ordered 4 rotors with pads from there, shipped from 1 place but it was $100 to $160 cheaper than other online parts sites and also parts stores for the exact same brand. And that includes shipping even compared to sites that offer free shipping. I still don't understand how they can do this for so much cheaper
I can see \[and I'm sure it's difficult to implement\] an ordering system enhancement where if you order 2 lower ball-joints, 2 CV joints, 2 wheel bearing sets, tie-rod ends, etc, and if it's coming out of 3 warehouses, you pick the 'non-negotiable' item set and the UI tries to source rough equivalents (or maybe give you 2 vendor choices w/prices displayed) for everything else in the order *which all come from the same shipping site*. You would see the suggested alternative parts and see the shipping savings displayed against the new pricing and make your decision from that. I hate paying $65 shipping when I suspect a different equivalent parts selection would have had me saving $30 (plus everything would arrive on the same day)
Rock probably already has some insight concerning this phenomenon when they analyze the cart abandonment instances for large orders - you'd think someone somewhere would run the numbers and see they're losing net profitability by if nothing else, not heavily discounting the shipping charges on the larger multi-item orders. But back to the first scenario, it's all about the net yield to the enterprise - it seems daunting considering they have a thousand SKUs and many warehouses, but SAP type software is insanely good at doing that for them if they're willing to make the investment.
They have this, sorta. Once you put a part in your cart it puts a little truck symbol next to all the parts that ship from the same place while you're browsing.
Oh ..interesting! I never noticed that. I just started playing with it, but it's pretty clunky. You have to blindly start adding different items until the \[different\] truck symbols disappear.. that's the clue to the buyer that all the items currently in the cart are going to ship from the same place. .. still, it's much better than nothing. THANK YOU for pointing that out to me.
At the bottom of any open parts group is an icon labeled "choose for me to minimize cost." It pretty by does what you mentioned. It picks the lowest cost item with consideration to shipping cost, travel time, etc. It also let's you select alternatives in case there are certain brands you want to avoid.
https://youtu.be/sYAKxWG5V9k
that’s why they have those little location labels. it is a little extra effort though and sometimes you’re at 3 min for a big order. that said,
1. fridge magnet
My beer fridge has 28 magnets which covers the front, and since that's full, the extra ones are on the side. But i haven't ordered from rock auto in a bit since i get a good discount with my work.
I just received my first order from RockAuto and was so thrilled about the awesome Delorean magnet I got! Didn’t really make up for the fact the box was crushed and my window regulator was very poorly packaged 🫤
If you're not in a hurry as long as you're logged in to your account put what you need in your cart and leave it. Usually the next day advance will email you a 10% off code if you complete your order
> Usually the next day advance will email you a 10% off code
10%? LOL
Once it gets up around 40% then we'll talk. That's where it starts to get reasonable compared to Amazon/RockAuto.
I mean, depends on the part. If I want a part for a customers car with a warranty, in hand, quickly, I pay the local parts store. If I've got time or it's a personal vehicle, then I check rockauto and copy paste the part # into Amazon too. It's pretty 50/50 on which is the better deal once shipping is considered.
Depends on the popularity of the part. The Bosch windshield wipers on my truck squealed from day one and I'm pretty sure they're fake, the ones on my car from the auto store have been quiet and last 3-5 years. But a random sensor that people aren't buying too often like the throttle position sensor on my 1991, I could see buying that from Amazon
I use RockAuto to get part numbers and a tier list of "good, better, best" parts. I always want OEM or OEM equivalent. I add everything to the cart and try to get everything from one warehouse. Then I make the same cart with the same part numbers but on Amazon. If RockAuto isn't cheaper, then I'll go with Amazon, since their returns are way easier.
I hate that OReilleys + AZ often only stock the lowest tier parts that will need to be replaced again soon. RockAuto allows me to select reputable manufacturers instead of the 'MasterSelect' part
Just had to buy an Alternator and went with Rock instead local because they only carry their in house brand.
And ALSO only carry very generic items, if you are lucky, most things have to ship. Or maybe that's just what I get for trying to drive 10 year old cars 🤷♂️
I use rock auto all the time, and it’s even convenient for me in Canada. 3-5 day delivery time usually, and I’m in western Canada. Brokerage and duties prepaid in the shipping cost. It’s very convenient and I get many parts cheaper than local stores or even at discount at the dealer I work at. Returns are a hassle though.
I also recommend Summit Racing, and their customer service is fantastic.
Amazon hasn’t failed me yet either.
CarID screwed me with massive brokerage and duty fees. I bought a $600 suspension kit for my car and my the brokerage and duties was about $260….at delivery. I was absolutely livid.
I agree, and second the CarId troubles. I have an E46 with an less than common set of wheels, CarId were the only place that had them to buy individually at that time so I figured I'd order. It was for a spare the previous owner curbed and cracked so it wasn't a big deal to get done fast, but delivery took over a month and I never got clear shipping details. That said i did get my order whole, and it was exactly what I ordered
Edit: i should also mention bmw offered to order for me, but since it was one of the more uncommon wheels for that model it would be special ordered from Germany and cost me ~$950 for a single wheel before import duties
I don't understand the RockAuto hate that I always see here. I've used them for years without issue, literally hundreds of orders.
My hints:
- I'm in the automotive industry, so I buy brands that I'm familiar with, or even OE parts often are cheaper than my account levels with the local dealer. I don't buy cheap off brand parts.
- I try to cart things as long as possible, to order as much at once as possible, so that shipping combines. If not, pay attention to the little trucks. If there are multiple brands I would use, select accordingly
- always use a 5% off coupon
- if you're a business, don't forget to add your tax ID and avoid sales tax
- returns can all be done online, I don't understand the complaints here. It's just as easy as Amazon. If you ordered wrong, they deduct the return shipping from you. If there's an issue with the order, they pay for return shipping. Super easy??
Depends. I need a cv axel for my truck. I called yesterday noon time and it was at the store for pickup at 4pm. Cost was $135 CAD. I buy a lot from rockauto but this part was $110 plus $46 to ship CAD. The part won’t arrive until next Thursday.
Check with your local stores. It also helps keep jobs local.
UPDATE: Picked up the axel from the store. $124 CAD from the same manufacturer.
I've tried getting all of my parts from the same warehouse before. I've noticed that the warehouses shift, depending on how many parts you try to get from one warehouse.
Never understood this.
Part A from warehouse 1. Part B from warehouse 2.
Add a third part, and suddenly Part A and B from warehouse 3 and Part C from warehouse 1.
Why weren't A and B at one warehouse when that was all that was in my cart? It's infuriating.
Rockauto uses my local Auto Plus warehouse to ship out of, it’s about 30 miles away from me. When I order brakes, they almost always come from there. I had to do a wheel bearing also and it went from brakes coming from there to everything from Syracuse, NY.
Well to be fair right now this is the state of auto parts in general. I ran a parts department for a mid size dealership for Toyota. The amount of cross ships and backorders from NAPA, AutoZone, etc. was atrocious. And their in stock store levels were the lowest that I've seen in years. I'm talking they're stocking 1-2 wheel bearings for certain cars max. And cars under 10 years old taking 2-3 days to crossship parts from other warehouses.
Right now I honestly use Amazon because of delivery speed and my specialty supplier for my specific car is in Connecticut and I'm in Pennsylvania so I don't sweat ordering normal parts from them.
Often done well there myself.
A bit of messing needed to get the total cost down including shipping.
But often their prices just can’t be beat, they’re ludicrously low. Amazon/eBay/rockauto are my go-tos, with the usual brick and mortar places if I must have the part right now (but they’re out of the running if they don’t have it on the shelf).
Amazon often wins because it’s well priced and the speed of delivery is generally 1-2 days. Rockauto can be slow unless you want to pay through the nose for shipping, eBay is in-between based on where it’s coming from.
I also buy exotic stuff, that often has to come from Europe and it can take f o r e v e r….. but you’ve got no choice if it has to be hand cast by a semi-retired Italian craftsman!
I spend $200-$500 a month at RA. They aren't always the cheapest overall, but I'd say 90% of time they are. My order this week for two Raybestos brake rotors, two Raybestos brake drums, a Raybestos brake hardware kit and an Walker exhaust gasket, all shipped for $15 and when you subtract the discount code, it was actually $8.50. That was for over 50 pounds of parts in two boxes received in 3 days.
I also needed brake pads, shoes, exhaust pipe and muffler but at Rock it would have either meant ordering a different brand to get it shipped from the same warehouse, or an increase of $30 in shipping from additional warehouses, so I ended up ordering those other parts from Amazon and Ebay. Not as much to save money, as it wasn't a whole lot of savings, but to get the same brand.
Seriously? “You need to rejigger so you’re ordering from the smallest amount of suppliers” should be common sense to anyone who’s done this for more than a year.
And maybe look up how a company operates before you complain about it? Basic logic.
Anyone who doesn’t think there’s a catch to getting the lowest price should think again.
Amazon drop-ships too but still covers shipping costs.
Sorry to hurt your feelings! Crazy that it's 2023 and people still get triggered off someone asking a simple question on the internet 🤣
Amazon has a lot of counterfeits and doesn’t always offer the same warranty periods.
My personal example is that I bought a TYC blower motor from Amazon because price was the same but I could get it quicker from Amazon. TYC’s website and RockAuto shows their blower motors have lifetime warranty. Amazon showed 90 days, but I figured it would still be lifetime based on TYC’s website. 6 months later and the blower motor dies. Amazon won’t let me return it under warranty so I called TYC. TYC said it’s normally a lifetime warranty but they allow some retailers change it to shorter periods (likely meaning TYC agrees to lower the wholesale price to Amazon if they don’t have to warranty anything). So yes, I had to pay for another blower motor.
I’m done with buying parts from Amazon after that.
Honestly, especially ordering a large quantity of parts, it’s the easiest site to navigate. I don’t have to search every single part, just the car one time. I hope they never change their site layout because it’s the best one out there. I’m willing to pay a bit extra for the ease of use. Also biased because I’m supporting a local business since I live where they have HQ.
I agree. It’s like a parts computer at a parts store. It’s quick and easy if you know all the vehicle’s details and what part is found under what category.
I think those that say it’s confusing are those that don’t know the details of their car, or that spark plugs are an ignition part, or tie rods are a steering part, or that a water pump is a cooling system part and not an engine part, etc.
The only category that I’ve found that gets tricky are some electrical parts. Trying to find a throttle-by-wire gas pedal assembly kicked my butt one time because it had an odd official part title and it wasn’t in any of the logical categories.
You see the issue is, if I have 2 packages coming from warehouse A for 9.99, or I can get both parts from a different website with free shipping but a $5 overall markup. I’ll still go with Rockauto every day because I want that damn magnet.
Rock auto has lost a lot of money from me over the years because of this. Just 1 item shipping from a different supplier from the other parts in my car can make the rock auto price higher than all the other places I check when ordering parts.
Here is the video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYAKxWG5V9k&t=94
The idea is that you select a series of equivalent parts and add them to our cart as a single item. For example you want sparkplugs and you are cool with the deluxe or premium versions from several mfgs. You add all the sparkplugs as a singe item and then it will pick the single spark plug from our choices that brings your total to the lowest price in the context of your other items.
Just look on rockauto for the part number then find it on amazon or elsewhere with free shipping.
They sell the same crap as everybody else and the lower prices get offset by shipping
I’ve bought several parts from them that were defective. In one case, I bought a motor mount and it turned out to be a used part. Nobody quality checks their returns nor do they double check the parts on the way out
Parts are pulled from vendor or manufacturer warehouses spread out across the country. Any given order could actually ship from several different warehouses across the country. Line 1 is in stock in Baltimore and line 2 is in stock in Sacramento, but they order it all at once.
Jegs, Summit, Rockauto, Amazon, Ebay, and various specialty sites like LMC Truck and NPD. Sometimes you gotta order from multiple places at once. Just the way it is
I shop it out between rock auto and Amazon for most cars and go to specialty sites for my diesel like ktperformance.net and ficmrepair.com, top of the line synthetics for fluids
You could not select parts from 6 different warehouses also
I get it you can’t avoid it sometimes, but finding parts from the same warehouse saves on shipping. And even if it isn’t from the manufacturer that I prefer, I’ve still never had a problem with any of the parts I get
That's just how shipping works. It works its way down the chain.
Ordered something from a city 3 hours north of me, it had to be shipped to a different city 4 hours south, then to my town.
Summit racing has a surprisingly large stock of factory replacement parts. The best part is that they are usually really good brands but selling cheaper than your typical autozone or oreillys.
I haven't seen anyone mention the "Choose for Me to Minimize Cost" feature that is basically gold for large orders. It'll recalculate your whole cart depending on what you deem "equivalent" and give you the lowest price with shipping included.
https://youtu.be/sYAKxWG5V9k
RockAuto is great for certain things. I've mostly ordered windshield wipers and brakes from them. Both of those things have been much cheaper than other places, but have had to change some items around to try and make sure they ship from 1 location.
I also use the site fcpeuro.com for a lot of parts, but I have a VW, and that site is mainly for euro cars.
I've been a solid Rock Auto customer for 10 years without any problems whatsoever. The only issue I've had is where i ordered parts for a car manufactured in the middle of production year where specific parts like brakes were experiencing changeover to newer prod. model then received parts for the older production model and had to exchange them thus a wait time getting it fixed. Their exchange refund dept. is first class, nothing but praise for this fine company and their prices are 99% of the time cheaper than your brick and mortar store which has very high overhead.
For some of those you can find one of those ever-present coupons/promos for AdvanceAuto or AutoZone and pick it up locally. Their prices usually suck but they almost always have a "% off one item% promo or some discount you can get with a burner email.
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Rockauto just drop ships parts from the mfgr. If you want to use Rock, you need to rejigger your order so it ships from the fewest suppliers. This is the price you pay for getting the lowest price on parts. In many cases they're still cheaper than any auto parts store or even amazon
>This is the price you pay for getting the lowest price on parts. In many cases they're still cheaper than any auto parts store or even amazon eh. ive done this so many times comparing prices. rock auto is not always cheapest. also if youve got an older car you never know if your gonna get a part made a few years ago or one made 30+ years ago. always fun when ordering a fan belt and getting one that when flexed crackles worse than a bowl of rice krispies with 1980s graphics on the sleeve... or gaskets that are so dry they break trying to lay them flat cuz they curled up. - both times naturally they blamed me. just like the broken in half water pump they sent (cast aluminum - box was pristine yet opened it up and its cracked clean in half....) - somehow my fault and wanted me to pay both return shipping and restocking fee. or parts missing included parts. - again somehow my fault and would have to pay restocking fees..
How did you resolve it? I've never had a problem with Rock Auto, but I really don't enjoy ordering from companies that fight tooth and nail to avoid paying return shipping
threatened to do a credit card chargeback and reporting them due to sending me broken/falsely advertised parts.
Companies always start listening a bit more once you throw around the threat of a chargeback.
There’s a furniture company called Valyou who frauds customers into prepayment with a 3+ month wait time, and then never delivers. They actually prefer going the chargeback route so they can wait out customers who give up trying to get their money back. Rant over, I can’t believe they’re still in business. Just take a look at their BBB reviews.
[удалено]
Entirely agree that companies pay for BBB and shouldn’t be relied on for honest reviews, but that seemed to be the only avenue that was effective in getting this company to respond. And there are HUNDREDS of complaints [on their site](https://www.bbb.org/us/nv/las-vegas/profile/furniture-designers/valyou-1086-90083680) that show this. Many times this company would extend delivery times just beyond a standard CC chargeback window, so customers were SOL. And I would hope that CC companies would stop doing business with them, but have you ever seen that in practice? This company has to operate by generating enough orders by people who either can’t do a chargeback (pay via debit card) or give up because it takes so long to sort out. Luckily they’re still being investigated, but holy shit, how long does it take? https://www.kitv.com/news/local/oahu-furniture-company-faces-hundreds-of-customer-complaints-over-shipping-issues-delays/article_a83f6c5c-e797-11ec-bcbc-37fb05831081.html
I’ve had a few wrong or broken parts and they are great about returns or refunds, I’ve never had a problem
Everything is done online if you receive wrong or damaged parts from rockauto. They sent me a wrong part one time (one digit off). I filled out their online form, they sent me a shipping label, and as soon as the wrong part was in the return shipping tracking system, the correct part began its shipping process pretty much the same day. I had options in their system - I could have gotten a full refund on the part, shipping, and tax (like if I didn't have time to wait for the correct part and procured it locally), or I could wait for the correct part to be shipped. I understand mistakes happen, and their remediation process went smoothly.
I don't buy ops complaint, I just got a pair of 4340 axles for my jeep, the bearings they shipped with were not correct, went into order status and requested the difference to get the bearings locally, and rockauto refunded the 92$ for the correct bearings off the order I placed. And before that I got an alternator that was clearly wrong, I requested a replacement, I shipped back the incorrect alternator, with rockauto paying for the shipping, and they sent a new one as soon as I sent the incorrect one back. So if op is having this much trouble they are using the return system incorrectly.
This. And their returns are a pita. If I can get the exact brand/part on Amazon I do now. After ordering coil springs for my s10, and they sent me engine mounts for a Honda, it took a week to resolve it after they were adamant I'd ordered the wrong parts and needed to ship them back on my dime. After proving I did order the right part - about 3x, they paid return shipping but wouldn't ship my coils until they processed the return which they got and then told me I'd returned the wrong thing because they got motor mounts back, not coil springs.... It took like 3 weeks. Luckily it was for a project car and it didn't kill me but damn y'all.
Oh yea the refusal to help or send replacement any faster and waiting till they recieve it and take days to inspect it is horrible. Took 2 months to get a useable waterpump. Fyi summit racing is awesome service. I ordered 4 rims once (steel unpainted) got em quick. Box part numbers were matching and what i ordered. Took one out to check fitment all good. Few days go by i get em all out and the last box had a totally different rim in the box. Called em, they apologized, i sent pics to them showing right boxes and the wrong rim. They 1 day shipped me the correct rim and sent a label to send the wrong one back free of charge. I had no arguing or had to request that type of service they just did it.
Returned 2 power steering racks in a row because the lines were smashed flat. Couldn't figure out how to talk to anyone then ended up just ordering it off Amazon because having to pay return shipping on an unusable part is ridiculous
Yup. I had them ship me 3 front shocks and one rear when I ordered a complete set. Guess who they blamed? Took over a week to get a replacement shipped to me and when they finally did they sent me two new rear shocks. I tried reaching out about the spare but they had closed the ticket and refused my email. Ended throwing away a brand new shock as I couldn’t find anyone else who needed a single rear shock for a 1995 Acura SLX. What a waste from a company that seems determined to nickel and dime their customers.
> rock auto is not always cheapest This has been my experience. At best they are just a few dollars cheaper than a local auto parts store and on top of that everything I've heard about their company is they make returns as impossible as they can, so for an extra $5 I'll pay the local overnight auto parts store.
Yup. I needed entirely new rear drum brakes on my truck. Amazon was $4 more for the same brands vs rock auto
I’ve had this happen on a front brake hose - date code showed it at 20+ years (or something like that- I don’t remember). I called to complain and they offered me like 75% refund to keep it
Just ordered 4 tapered wheel bearings. Shipped from 3 different places and still saved 30 bucks from amazon and close to 100 from local parts store. Thats with 30 bucks in shipping.
I ordered 4 rotors with pads from there, shipped from 1 place but it was $100 to $160 cheaper than other online parts sites and also parts stores for the exact same brand. And that includes shipping even compared to sites that offer free shipping. I still don't understand how they can do this for so much cheaper
*any they still can afford to give me a magnet*
No rock auto sells very expensive magnets that just so happens to come with car parts
I can see \[and I'm sure it's difficult to implement\] an ordering system enhancement where if you order 2 lower ball-joints, 2 CV joints, 2 wheel bearing sets, tie-rod ends, etc, and if it's coming out of 3 warehouses, you pick the 'non-negotiable' item set and the UI tries to source rough equivalents (or maybe give you 2 vendor choices w/prices displayed) for everything else in the order *which all come from the same shipping site*. You would see the suggested alternative parts and see the shipping savings displayed against the new pricing and make your decision from that. I hate paying $65 shipping when I suspect a different equivalent parts selection would have had me saving $30 (plus everything would arrive on the same day) Rock probably already has some insight concerning this phenomenon when they analyze the cart abandonment instances for large orders - you'd think someone somewhere would run the numbers and see they're losing net profitability by if nothing else, not heavily discounting the shipping charges on the larger multi-item orders. But back to the first scenario, it's all about the net yield to the enterprise - it seems daunting considering they have a thousand SKUs and many warehouses, but SAP type software is insanely good at doing that for them if they're willing to make the investment.
They have this, sorta. Once you put a part in your cart it puts a little truck symbol next to all the parts that ship from the same place while you're browsing.
Oh ..interesting! I never noticed that. I just started playing with it, but it's pretty clunky. You have to blindly start adding different items until the \[different\] truck symbols disappear.. that's the clue to the buyer that all the items currently in the cart are going to ship from the same place. .. still, it's much better than nothing. THANK YOU for pointing that out to me.
At the bottom of any open parts group is an icon labeled "choose for me to minimize cost." It pretty by does what you mentioned. It picks the lowest cost item with consideration to shipping cost, travel time, etc. It also let's you select alternatives in case there are certain brands you want to avoid. https://youtu.be/sYAKxWG5V9k
that’s why they have those little location labels. it is a little extra effort though and sometimes you’re at 3 min for a big order. that said, 1. fridge magnet
OP's getting enough magnets to cover a beer fridge just from this order alone lol
My beer fridge has 28 magnets which covers the front, and since that's full, the extra ones are on the side. But i haven't ordered from rock auto in a bit since i get a good discount with my work.
I just received my first order from RockAuto and was so thrilled about the awesome Delorean magnet I got! Didn’t really make up for the fact the box was crushed and my window regulator was very poorly packaged 🫤
I’d kill for a DeLorean magnet. Damn.
I’m always SO upset when I don’t get a magnet.
It’s even worse when you get a repeat of a magnet you already have.
I usually do parts stores online. Typically have promo codes for money off, and free shipping over like $100
Like o’reilly or Autozone?
Yep. You can also take the parts back to the store to return.
And use ratukan and get 10% back
If you're not in a hurry as long as you're logged in to your account put what you need in your cart and leave it. Usually the next day advance will email you a 10% off code if you complete your order
> Usually the next day advance will email you a 10% off code 10%? LOL Once it gets up around 40% then we'll talk. That's where it starts to get reasonable compared to Amazon/RockAuto.
I mean, depends on the part. If I want a part for a customers car with a warranty, in hand, quickly, I pay the local parts store. If I've got time or it's a personal vehicle, then I check rockauto and copy paste the part # into Amazon too. It's pretty 50/50 on which is the better deal once shipping is considered.
Ppl always say there’s lots of counterfeit parts on Amazon. Have you had that issue?
Depends on the popularity of the part. The Bosch windshield wipers on my truck squealed from day one and I'm pretty sure they're fake, the ones on my car from the auto store have been quiet and last 3-5 years. But a random sensor that people aren't buying too often like the throttle position sensor on my 1991, I could see buying that from Amazon
Makes sense. I didn’t think of it that way. The one thing I like about Amazon is their return policy.
I use RockAuto to get part numbers and a tier list of "good, better, best" parts. I always want OEM or OEM equivalent. I add everything to the cart and try to get everything from one warehouse. Then I make the same cart with the same part numbers but on Amazon. If RockAuto isn't cheaper, then I'll go with Amazon, since their returns are way easier.
Exactly what I do lmao. Take the part numbers and head to amazon. Usually get prime shipping and it’s the same price.
This is the way
Even with the shipping they’re typically cheaper than parts stores for big orders. Otherwise if I need it quick I use O Reilys
I hate that OReilleys + AZ often only stock the lowest tier parts that will need to be replaced again soon. RockAuto allows me to select reputable manufacturers instead of the 'MasterSelect' part
Just had to buy an Alternator and went with Rock instead local because they only carry their in house brand. And ALSO only carry very generic items, if you are lucky, most things have to ship. Or maybe that's just what I get for trying to drive 10 year old cars 🤷♂️
I have a 7 year old and a 22 year old car. Guess which is more reliable.
I have bought from 1A Auto a bunch - check out the app too.
And their videos on YouTube.
i second this
Happy cake day!
I use rock auto all the time, and it’s even convenient for me in Canada. 3-5 day delivery time usually, and I’m in western Canada. Brokerage and duties prepaid in the shipping cost. It’s very convenient and I get many parts cheaper than local stores or even at discount at the dealer I work at. Returns are a hassle though. I also recommend Summit Racing, and their customer service is fantastic. Amazon hasn’t failed me yet either. CarID screwed me with massive brokerage and duty fees. I bought a $600 suspension kit for my car and my the brokerage and duties was about $260….at delivery. I was absolutely livid.
I've also used jeggs theyre great too.
I agree, and second the CarId troubles. I have an E46 with an less than common set of wheels, CarId were the only place that had them to buy individually at that time so I figured I'd order. It was for a spare the previous owner curbed and cracked so it wasn't a big deal to get done fast, but delivery took over a month and I never got clear shipping details. That said i did get my order whole, and it was exactly what I ordered Edit: i should also mention bmw offered to order for me, but since it was one of the more uncommon wheels for that model it would be special ordered from Germany and cost me ~$950 for a single wheel before import duties
i use 1a auto or oreillys
I don't understand the RockAuto hate that I always see here. I've used them for years without issue, literally hundreds of orders. My hints: - I'm in the automotive industry, so I buy brands that I'm familiar with, or even OE parts often are cheaper than my account levels with the local dealer. I don't buy cheap off brand parts. - I try to cart things as long as possible, to order as much at once as possible, so that shipping combines. If not, pay attention to the little trucks. If there are multiple brands I would use, select accordingly - always use a 5% off coupon - if you're a business, don't forget to add your tax ID and avoid sales tax - returns can all be done online, I don't understand the complaints here. It's just as easy as Amazon. If you ordered wrong, they deduct the return shipping from you. If there's an issue with the order, they pay for return shipping. Super easy??
Depends. I need a cv axel for my truck. I called yesterday noon time and it was at the store for pickup at 4pm. Cost was $135 CAD. I buy a lot from rockauto but this part was $110 plus $46 to ship CAD. The part won’t arrive until next Thursday. Check with your local stores. It also helps keep jobs local. UPDATE: Picked up the axel from the store. $124 CAD from the same manufacturer.
I've tried getting all of my parts from the same warehouse before. I've noticed that the warehouses shift, depending on how many parts you try to get from one warehouse.
Never understood this. Part A from warehouse 1. Part B from warehouse 2. Add a third part, and suddenly Part A and B from warehouse 3 and Part C from warehouse 1. Why weren't A and B at one warehouse when that was all that was in my cart? It's infuriating.
Rockauto uses my local Auto Plus warehouse to ship out of, it’s about 30 miles away from me. When I order brakes, they almost always come from there. I had to do a wheel bearing also and it went from brakes coming from there to everything from Syracuse, NY.
Yep, especially now that there's more than 3 "warehouses." I hate rockauto. You can get the same questionable chinese parts on ebay for way less.
You realize that rockauto doesn't just sell cheap parts right..?
I ordered some spark plugs from them. Took 6 days from date of order to arrival. The parts traveled 10,832 Km ! I'd say that's VERY good service.
Well to be fair right now this is the state of auto parts in general. I ran a parts department for a mid size dealership for Toyota. The amount of cross ships and backorders from NAPA, AutoZone, etc. was atrocious. And their in stock store levels were the lowest that I've seen in years. I'm talking they're stocking 1-2 wheel bearings for certain cars max. And cars under 10 years old taking 2-3 days to crossship parts from other warehouses. Right now I honestly use Amazon because of delivery speed and my specialty supplier for my specific car is in Connecticut and I'm in Pennsylvania so I don't sweat ordering normal parts from them.
FCP euro eh?
Nope Fierostore.
Often done well there myself. A bit of messing needed to get the total cost down including shipping. But often their prices just can’t be beat, they’re ludicrously low. Amazon/eBay/rockauto are my go-tos, with the usual brick and mortar places if I must have the part right now (but they’re out of the running if they don’t have it on the shelf). Amazon often wins because it’s well priced and the speed of delivery is generally 1-2 days. Rockauto can be slow unless you want to pay through the nose for shipping, eBay is in-between based on where it’s coming from. I also buy exotic stuff, that often has to come from Europe and it can take f o r e v e r….. but you’ve got no choice if it has to be hand cast by a semi-retired Italian craftsman!
If my antifreeze doesn't come from Alaska, does it even freakin' work?
Even with that shipping rates, it’s still cheaper than other stores. Plus you’re getting OEM.
I’ve never felt like I’ve been done wrong by them.
I spend $200-$500 a month at RA. They aren't always the cheapest overall, but I'd say 90% of time they are. My order this week for two Raybestos brake rotors, two Raybestos brake drums, a Raybestos brake hardware kit and an Walker exhaust gasket, all shipped for $15 and when you subtract the discount code, it was actually $8.50. That was for over 50 pounds of parts in two boxes received in 3 days. I also needed brake pads, shoes, exhaust pipe and muffler but at Rock it would have either meant ordering a different brand to get it shipped from the same warehouse, or an increase of $30 in shipping from additional warehouses, so I ended up ordering those other parts from Amazon and Ebay. Not as much to save money, as it wasn't a whole lot of savings, but to get the same brand.
1A auto, but they are about the same as Rock with shipping
I order from rock Auto for all my parts
Confirm part number with rock auto. Find on amazon or locally.
I go for fcpeuro but only because I have a more obscure car and they offer lifetime warranty and quick shipping... That and cool stickers
Rockauto really need a major website overhaul.
Seriously? “You need to rejigger so you’re ordering from the smallest amount of suppliers” should be common sense to anyone who’s done this for more than a year. And maybe look up how a company operates before you complain about it? Basic logic. Anyone who doesn’t think there’s a catch to getting the lowest price should think again.
Amazon drop-ships too but still covers shipping costs. Sorry to hurt your feelings! Crazy that it's 2023 and people still get triggered off someone asking a simple question on the internet 🤣
Amazon has a lot of counterfeits and doesn’t always offer the same warranty periods. My personal example is that I bought a TYC blower motor from Amazon because price was the same but I could get it quicker from Amazon. TYC’s website and RockAuto shows their blower motors have lifetime warranty. Amazon showed 90 days, but I figured it would still be lifetime based on TYC’s website. 6 months later and the blower motor dies. Amazon won’t let me return it under warranty so I called TYC. TYC said it’s normally a lifetime warranty but they allow some retailers change it to shorter periods (likely meaning TYC agrees to lower the wholesale price to Amazon if they don’t have to warranty anything). So yes, I had to pay for another blower motor. I’m done with buying parts from Amazon after that.
This ^
Honestly, especially ordering a large quantity of parts, it’s the easiest site to navigate. I don’t have to search every single part, just the car one time. I hope they never change their site layout because it’s the best one out there. I’m willing to pay a bit extra for the ease of use. Also biased because I’m supporting a local business since I live where they have HQ.
I agree. It’s like a parts computer at a parts store. It’s quick and easy if you know all the vehicle’s details and what part is found under what category. I think those that say it’s confusing are those that don’t know the details of their car, or that spark plugs are an ignition part, or tie rods are a steering part, or that a water pump is a cooling system part and not an engine part, etc. The only category that I’ve found that gets tricky are some electrical parts. Trying to find a throttle-by-wire gas pedal assembly kicked my butt one time because it had an odd official part title and it wasn’t in any of the logical categories.
You see the issue is, if I have 2 packages coming from warehouse A for 9.99, or I can get both parts from a different website with free shipping but a $5 overall markup. I’ll still go with Rockauto every day because I want that damn magnet.
Rock auto has lost a lot of money from me over the years because of this. Just 1 item shipping from a different supplier from the other parts in my car can make the rock auto price higher than all the other places I check when ordering parts.
Are you using choose for me to minimize cost tool? That can help keep shipments to a minimum.
Negative, didn't know they had that option. How do I find that option anyways?
It's on the top right if I remember right. I usually add one part and then when parts will ship from the same warehouse there will be truck icon.
Here is the video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYAKxWG5V9k&t=94 The idea is that you select a series of equivalent parts and add them to our cart as a single item. For example you want sparkplugs and you are cool with the deluxe or premium versions from several mfgs. You add all the sparkplugs as a singe item and then it will pick the single spark plug from our choices that brings your total to the lowest price in the context of your other items.
Rock auto is great for getting part numbers. That's about it. Once you have the part numbers it's easier to shop elsewhere.
Find part number. Type it in on Amazon. ??? Profit.
Amazon can’t ship certain items to California and seeing as I live in San Diego, that poses a problem for me
Dam I thought Amazon shipped literally everywhere
Just look on rockauto for the part number then find it on amazon or elsewhere with free shipping. They sell the same crap as everybody else and the lower prices get offset by shipping
Lots of parts come out of Amazon. You can buy ***anything*** at Amazon. Free shipping if you buy a candy bar with it.
I’ve bought several parts from them that were defective. In one case, I bought a motor mount and it turned out to be a used part. Nobody quality checks their returns nor do they double check the parts on the way out
Ill never order from rock auto shipping is so expensive
srsly. people look at me blankly when i explain this reason for not using rockauto. start at shopping.google.com next time.
Parts are pulled from vendor or manufacturer warehouses spread out across the country. Any given order could actually ship from several different warehouses across the country. Line 1 is in stock in Baltimore and line 2 is in stock in Sacramento, but they order it all at once.
Jegs, Summit, Rockauto, Amazon, Ebay, and various specialty sites like LMC Truck and NPD. Sometimes you gotta order from multiple places at once. Just the way it is
I order from the usual parts houses through the shop. I don’t pay retail and I don’t pay shipping.
I shop it out between rock auto and Amazon for most cars and go to specialty sites for my diesel like ktperformance.net and ficmrepair.com, top of the line synthetics for fluids
Carid is my go to
Used the Rock one time and had a good experience. Usually use Summit.
You could not select parts from 6 different warehouses also I get it you can’t avoid it sometimes, but finding parts from the same warehouse saves on shipping. And even if it isn’t from the manufacturer that I prefer, I’ve still never had a problem with any of the parts I get
I swear they’ve gotten worse about this in the last 5-10 years.
I always use Rock Auto. I just choose parts that come from the same warehouse. 95% of the time you can get everything from just one warehouse
That's just how shipping works. It works its way down the chain. Ordered something from a city 3 hours north of me, it had to be shipped to a different city 4 hours south, then to my town.
Parts Geek has been pretty good for what I've needed.
Summit racing has a surprisingly large stock of factory replacement parts. The best part is that they are usually really good brands but selling cheaper than your typical autozone or oreillys.
I haven't seen anyone mention the "Choose for Me to Minimize Cost" feature that is basically gold for large orders. It'll recalculate your whole cart depending on what you deem "equivalent" and give you the lowest price with shipping included. https://youtu.be/sYAKxWG5V9k
I've had good success getting parts from carid.com
RockAuto is great for certain things. I've mostly ordered windshield wipers and brakes from them. Both of those things have been much cheaper than other places, but have had to change some items around to try and make sure they ship from 1 location. I also use the site fcpeuro.com for a lot of parts, but I have a VW, and that site is mainly for euro cars.
I've been a solid Rock Auto customer for 10 years without any problems whatsoever. The only issue I've had is where i ordered parts for a car manufactured in the middle of production year where specific parts like brakes were experiencing changeover to newer prod. model then received parts for the older production model and had to exchange them thus a wait time getting it fixed. Their exchange refund dept. is first class, nothing but praise for this fine company and their prices are 99% of the time cheaper than your brick and mortar store which has very high overhead.
Where shouldn't be as much of a concern as compared to what brand. Do your homework.
For some of those you can find one of those ever-present coupons/promos for AdvanceAuto or AutoZone and pick it up locally. Their prices usually suck but they almost always have a "% off one item% promo or some discount you can get with a burner email.