relative quality of parts stores?

I dought there is much difference in rotors, but in electrical parts yes.

I've bought a lot of auto parts from a slew of auto parts store over the years and generally, you get what you pay for. NAPA auto parts are as good as any others and better than some. The reason Advance can quote you low prices is because they usually quote the low-end parts so to get quality parts, you've got to pay more, even there. NAPA's top-of-the-line oil and air filters (NAPA Gold) are made by Hastings.

Group: alt.autos.toyota.camry Date: Thu, Mar 23, 2006, 10:59am (EST-3) From: snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com I've heard that Napa Auto Parts has higher quality than some of the more well-known chains, but is this really true? Any experience on your ends? My dad and I are about to replace the front rotors on my '96 camry (it's never had the rotors replaced before). I'm wondering if I was wise to choose the more expensive rotor from Napa Auto, instead of choosing a cheaper one from AutoZone, Pep Boys, Kragen, etc. I paid $44 per rotor from Napa (Made in Canada), I just can't see myself paying $70 per rotor from

(or $114 per rotor from the local Toyota dealer)... the original one lasted 10 years, I'm thinking of keeping the car maybe at least another 5 years. The Napa sales guy said the rotor I got "meets or exceeds OEM standards". True, or hogwash?

That's true in some cases. For instance, you'll get Gates belts from NAPA, which I consider the top of the line. Kragen/Advanced/Checker (all the same company but differnet names in different regions) primarily sell Dayco, which is also decent and used in many Toyotas from the factory. Places like AutoZone you can order the more expensive stuff, but the basic GoodYear (rather than their better GatorBack) is the norm.

But there are cases where it is not so. The Johnson Control battery under the DuraLast and DuraLast-Gold (not "Valuecraft") are excellent products at a very low price according to Consumer Reports and my own experience. Their Gabriel Ultra line of struts use bonded iron pistons instead of Monroe's fiberglass/teflon piston. These would be the better values.

For things like rotors, say Raybestos, and Felpro gaskets are the same in all the stores. So I'll pick the cheapest.

Raymold (by Raybestos) $20 rotors work great and very quiet. But I'll try the Raybestos line rotors $38 at Kragen next time just to see if there is any difference. Raybestos pads

are quiet but dirtier than Akebono ones

Of course there are things you can only get at the dealer, like the thermostat and factory red or pink coolant. Then use discount coupons.

It helps to know what you are getting by talking to others. If not, walking into NAPA is generally a good deal unless you want to lighten your wallet some more at the dealer, like paying more than a Gates belt's price for a Dayco or GoodYear belt with one of those printed on it. Or did you say $114 for a rotor. ha ha ha

Other than OEM, I have found NAPA parts to be superior to AZ and PB. I'm not familiar with Kragen.

Thanks all for the replies.

After taking a look at the brake rotor specs from

I think my rotors don't needreplacing after all. I've got 1.059 in (L) and 1.058 in (R), which isright smack in the middle between Standard (1.102 in) and Minimum(1.024 in). (I hadn't realized the specs for Standard and Minimum wereso close.)

My current rotors should last me at least until my next brake pad change (roughly 2 years).

Guess I'll be returning the new rotors after all.

Yeah. The existing ones should be fine then.

The Canadian rotors you bought may be Bendix or Raybestos PG-Plus Vehicle-Specific Metallurgy. Good stuff.

The Gabriel Ultra struts will last longer than the Monroe, then?

Batteries, I've tended to buy from Wal-Mart...

$114 for a rotor. Yup. I learned my mistake - I will minimize trips to the dealership whenever possible.

Went to Wal-Mart today... I didn't realize they sell Bosch double-tipped platinum spark plugs at Wal-Mart! (I'm running Bosch double-tipped Pt from Pep Boys in my '99 Camry... working great.)

The rotors I bought / returned at Napa are here:

They don't say what brand, or what the warranty is...

Thanks,

Mike

Now that's my personal opinion, becuase there is little data to go on. The Ultra is a new design that received the 2003 Popular Mechanics Editor's Award with its automatic adjusting inertia-sensing valves. Monroes are like the Fram of oil filters, designed to the minimum cost but are around every street corner. So go figure. I wouldn't mind using the Monroe Reflex, rolled out in 1999, like Nissan does in 2000+ Altima and many other cars/trucks..

Wal-Mart batteries are made by Johnson-Control, too. Good value I must say. For me Autozone is closer. Check out Johnson Control's news release about these different brands. Care to guess who also makes Toyota batteries in the US?

I posted some messages earlier about being careful in using the Bosch plugs in Waste Spark Systems like your Camry. The metal transfer from the ground electrode to the center electrode (half the plugs in the system) will cause fouling because of the tiny center platinum electrode.

Bosch plugs are excellent in "normal" ignition systems because they spread the flame flat across the tip towards the grounds on the sides and will reach self cleaning temperature quite fast.

NAPA can fill its stock with different brands at different times. But that looks like a Raybestos PG-Plus VSM rotor number (not the imported, less expensive Raymold I've used without problems). Raybestos, a DANA Corp. company, produces excellent brake components. Their North American produced rotors which I've also used are very well made. But I do like Akebono brake pads better because their ceramic pads are cleaner.