NAPA vs. Autozone vs. O'Reilly... price and quality? (2023 Update)

Using online catalogues, i've priced out the parts to rebuild the front end on my truck. (In-store pricing might be slightly different) This will mean 2 upper control arm assys, 2 lower ball joints, control arm bushings all around, and inner and outer tie rod ends for both sides.

At NAPA, it's about $450 for parts, at Autozone about $370, and O'Reilly will be just under $300. These are all using store-branded parts, not the generic (in NAPA's case) or Moog brand (in O'Reilly's case). Is there any significant reason for this, or any major quality differences? We're talking about a bunch of machined metal and rubber, not microcontrollers. For all I know they could all be made by the same contractor.

Tempting as it it is, I see entire kits of everything listed above on eBay for under $100. They're generic names, but no more generic sounding to me than the store brands.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Reply to
phaeton
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You might also check Advance auto parts, if there is a store in your area.Or,

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Call their toll free number, ask them to send you a free catalog, pertaining to your interest. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

phaeton wrote in news:5f600c44-5930-41a5-b679- snipped-for-privacy@t20g2000yqe.googlegroups.com:

more than likely the Ebay stuff is chinese crap. the branded stuff may or may not be. that is harder to tell. KB

Reply to
Kevin

What's the price for Moog branded parts? I'd feel more comfortable with those than any "generic" or "store" brand.

yes, these parts are not technically challenging to produce, but if corners were cut and/or inferior materials were used, the consequences of failure (esp. a ball joint or tie rod end) are not pretty.

nate

Reply to
N8N

People often view NAPA first, Autozone second, and Oreilly last in terms of dependability and quality. Whether true or not, this is a common feeling among mechanics and amateurs.

If you buy their cheapest parts, you may get some poor remanufactured parts in some cases, or even Made in China. Not all China stuff is crap, but a lot IS.

I have heard that Advance might be a higher level than Autozone but cant confirm.

You may be able to find some of the online parts stores that can get you high quality parts at good prices.

Reply to
hls

good point, I'd price out name brand stuff from Rock Auto, might be even cheaper. I got a complete brake job for my F-150 for only a couple hundred bucks (calipers, pads, shoes, rotors, seals, hoses, hardware kits, etc - the only things I did not replace were the rear drums and the bearings, because the bearings had just been replaced) by picking up name brand (Raybestos and/or Wagner, usually) stuff on closeout.

nate

Reply to
N8N

First off, until the Congress reverses some the lying labeling legislation they've installed to hoodwink buyers, it's often hard to tell where these parts are made. That's how the sellers want it. Besides that, it doesn't usually matter in terms of quality. I did ball joints and tie rod ends on my Lumina last year and had the O'Reilly parts guy bring them out for me. I went with Moog ends and the O'Reilly brand - ProParts? - ball joints. Might have looked at some TRW parts too. The Moog ends looked better enough to justify maybe an 86 buck premium each, the joints looked the same, and didn't justify the maybe 20 buck each premium. But that's all my own voodoo. It's not like I could take them apart or do Rockwell tests on them. My kid does suspensions all day in a shop that only does suspensions,

99% trucks, from fire trucks and garbage trucks to pick-ups. I just called him to ask what they use. It's either Moog or OEM. And he really doesn't know where either is made. He "thinks" Moog are Made in U.S.A. But he's not sure. And he's not sure that Moog are the best either. Just that's what they use. Maybe they get a volume discount. That eBay stuff just sounds too cheap. Maybe hammered out in some Indian shipwrecker yard. The Indian billionaire that owns the operation could pay off the right Congress critters or regulator to get any junk into the country. I'd go with the cheapest from a distributor than can be easily sued if the parts cause an accident. That's the only fear that keeps them half-way honest. Otherwise there's probably not much difference. Check that they at least have zerk holes tapped in them. As I recall, the O'Reilly non-Moog ends didn't have them.

--Vic

Reply to
Vic Smith

Oops. 8 buck premium.

Reply to
Vic Smith

You might also look at,

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Definetly, use parts that have Alemites (some people call them Zerks) on them.You can grease them rugularly with a grease gun. Moog and TRW have been in business for many years.I would go for OEM parts. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

Everything is still made in China, or some other Country. Stay away from the Generic. Bottom line is you get what you pay for.. If you plan on selling the car buy the cheap stuff otherwise stick with the name brands.

Reply to
m6onz5a

In January of this year, I went to a NAPA store.I had already drank a lot of coffee that morning and it was cold weather.As soon as I got to that NAPA store, I needed to use the rest room, it was sort of an emergency.They would not let me use their rest room.There is NO way on Earth I will ever go to any NAPA store ever again! In my opinion, those ''people'' who work at that NAPA store discriminated against ME.If you know what I mean? There are plenty of other auto parts stores around here, I don't need NAPA. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

Some auto parts stores have parts other auto parts stores do not have.I bought a set of RainX windshield wipers at O'Reilly's, they wouldn't on my 1983 Dodge van.O'Reilly's didn't have any other windshield wipers that would fit on my van.I went across the street to the Advance auto parts store.The set of TRICO windshield wipers I bought there fit on my van perfectly. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

NAPA branded parts are usually the second line MOOG or TRW parts, They are considered second line because they are not branded as the TRW or MOOG names. These would be the same as OEM parts they make. They also sell the prime line from the big makers plus "OEM" parts.

Autozone sells three lines of parts. Store branded are generally imports and are made by smaller companies. They may be high quality or they may be crap, depends on which company made it. They are not all made by the same company though. Then next step up are branded parts that are sold in multiple chains but are not the OEM parts. Things like Spectra radiators and Four Seasons A/C compressors. Then you get into the

O'Reilly, Shucks, Murray Discount Auto Parts, Checker, Kragen are all owned by the same outfit. As such there parts are about the same. They are DIY stores and sell three tiers of parts like Autozone does.

The differences are hard to see unless you strip down the parts. The metals are NOT just metals. There are a LOT of different alloys out there. Plus the actual machine work and how much machine work is done. In the case of a DIYer who does his own labor the price may be the only thing they look for. For a shop though having the warranty and faith in the better parts is a good thing.

Personally I HATE having to re-do any repairs. So I tend to buy either prime line or OEM parts. The thing with prime line is that they can be better than the OEM parts EASILY. As an example take a look at the gaskets used on the 4.3 and 5.7 engines. The OEM ones tend to fail due to the plastic cracking because of the method of clamping them in the engine. When this started happening a lot Fel_pro came out with a problem solver gasket. It uses a better substrate to keep them from failing in those spots. GM had to use up a TON of gaskets they already had before they started using a new version.

Reply to
Steve W.

I second Nate - price it out on

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I've bought a bunch of stuff there. They usually have several levels of quality to chose from and most of the time will beat the prices of even the discount auto parts places with better quality parts.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

Nobody else in this thread said it, so I will- Stuff That Can Kill You is not the place to cut corners. If the engine stops running, it is a PITA, but seldom fatal. If the brakes, tires, or major steering/suspension components fail catastrophically, it can easily become a very bad day. If you are keeping a beater or classic running, more power to you, but you have to pick and choose where to save a buck. I'll do without the nice stereo or new fuzzy dice if I have to, but I won't buy anything less than OEM or better for the important stuff. The no-name stuff may be fine, or it may be crap- you never know. And even if it was fine last time, it could be crap this time. The generics and house brands change suppliers all the time.

Reply to
aemeijers

An old saying goes,,, Sometimes it is more important to stop than keep on going.

Don't stint on the Important stuff. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

You especially dont need NAPA if you go with OEM parts, like you recommended in your previous post..

Reply to
hls

Thanks for the suggestion of Rock Auto. I forgot about them, somehow.

Quality is what I wanted, and it turns out they can give me all Moog parts for $340. That sounds like the way to go. Now I just have to wait for warm weather.

Thanks!

-J

Reply to
phaeton

Warm weather officially started Tuesday, at least here. Time to go shopping for a convertible...

nate

Reply to
N8N

I feel your pain. I am trying to be responsible for once, but I am suffering from my wish I had a convertible itch. I haven't had one for over three years and I still miss them. I was thinking I could pick up a Saturn Sky cheap....

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

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