You just don’t get it. Comparing actual parts stores in your area to online sellers is apples and oranges. The local store has common parts in stock. If your mechanic takes your car apart and finds that you don’t just need pads and rotors, you need calipers too, he wants them today so he can get your car back to you and start working on the next one, If you drive all the brick and mortar stores out if business, be prepared to wait in line if you need something fixed behind all the other customers at your mechanics shop waiting for online parts and then waiting some more if another problem crops up during the repair.
You apparently disassemble you vehicle enough to diagnose it, put it back together, shop, and then wait for parts and then disassemble the car to fix it and hope you don’t need any parts you didn’t anticipate and that you were sent the right parts.
Can you even imagine what kind of labor charges you would have if your mechanic had to do that? Or are you simply incapable of seeing more than on point of view?
So I could have bought some cross rails for the roof rack or whatever they are called for $175 plus shipping. They looked like crap, standing 2 inches at least above the existing rails. So I ordered a set from the dealer, $205, black or silver they asked, I chose black, and if I am not happy they will take them back. Doing that business on an online purchase would be a nightmare!
It’s a bit funny that you are so wedded to your point of view here. You make some assumptions, and give me far too much power. Sadly even if it helps Napa and its local franchisee, pricing a part at 200 to 300% more than I can buy it elsewhere with a wee bit of planning on my part, means I do not buy it there and make one less visit to that particular store. These days actually even if the store is only two miles away, having it delivered to my front porch without me moving and standing in line and waiting for the counter guy to get off the phone and finally deal with physical customers-- well there is a certain extra value in it for me that also involves saving my time.
Otherwise, Napa pricing for its top quality parts for the Subaru is within 5-10% of the OE part at the dealer. In that case, I buy the Subaru part at the dealer part counter.
Happy to report I engage in preventative maintenance and replace different parts based on age, rather than waiting for them to fail and needing an emergency repair.
I plan on replacing mine in the next couple of weeks. They are the originals on my 2011 Forester. Two of the bushings have a fair bit of cracking even if they haven’t failed, and the ball joints are 9 years old with a bit over 160,000 miles on them. I plan on keeping the vehicle for another 5 years.
Other than possibly snark what is your point???
Hi Michael:
Buying car parts online is a double edge sword. I do buy some parts online, but we all need the local higher priced NAPA type stores to be there.
If something on your car stops working that causes it to be immobilized, would you park your car and wait several days for an online replacement part to arrive?
Some DYI’ers might be fortunate enough to be able to do that. Not all.
Shops who are in business definitely do not. And their customers would not tolerate such delays in repair times just to save a few dollars on the cost of a part.
That depends on the NAPA store. We have a local chain (Sanel’s) that is now Sanel’s NAPA. They are a franchise NAPA. Their prices didn’t change…They are higher then places like ADAP or Pep-Boys, but still a lot cheaper then the dealer on most repair parts. We use to have a NAPA company store near by…but it closed. Their prices were a lot higher then Sanel’s. Even before they went to NAPA, Sanel always sold quality parts…lot better then half the junk ADAP sells. O’Reilly’s moved in the area a few years ago, but the closest one is in MA. Prefer buying in NH so I don’t have to pay the MA sales tax.
Just wondering how you asses the need to replace a component that still tests good on a basis of age. You did not mention mileage until your reply. I don’t rep;ace things other than maintenance items preemptively. Cars are temporary and you never know when they will leave you. I had a 2004 PT Cruiser Cruiser I planned to keep 10 years. It was totaled by someone talking on a cell phone at 7 1/2 years . In the 7 1/2 years the only thing it needed other than wear items was one front wheel bearing. It even had the original battery. Any money I spent on preemptive replacement would have been wasted. My 2012 Camry is 8 years and 10 months old and the only repair has been a windshield washer pump. NO , I did not shop it online, it was replaced within 2 hours of finding it not working. It cost me $20. Yes, my Camry still has the original battery. Valvoline, where I go for my state inspection , told me 5 years ago it was weak and needed replacement, 2 years ago they told me it had a loose posy and needed replacement. I will be interested to see what they tell me next month when it is due again.
It really depends Joe. My preference is to avoid being immobilized, and I am a pretty good DIYer.
Anyway if it makes you happy I do spend a couple of hundred bucks a year at Napa for the odd tool, minor part, or a specific fluid. They have some good sales for me as a consumer.
In this particular instance I just do not see why their pricing for a specific part KYB 341486 was pretty much tripple the lowest price I was able to find on Amazon, and more than double the pricing I could find even paying for fast shipping at two other online sellers. I will admit I recognized the good deal and jumped on it.
We maintain our cars differently and to a different standard. To each is own.
You got a good Camry what can I say. Assuming you were not hurt you lucked out with getting rid of the PT Cruiser.
By the sounds of things you do not buy many auto parts, nor do you have many repairs done, so I guess that is why their actual pricing does not matter that much to you. Mind you if you get the chance my advice is to keep an eye out for a good battery sale.
Those with the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” motto for automobiles can find a great deal of support for their thinking when they own certain models but more and more the offerings of such models is disappearing. I would guess that mid 60s to late 70s slant 6 Chrysler vehicles and 6 cylinder Fords such as Maverics were the ultimate in “run it 'till it dies then patch it up” vehicles. There seemed to be a distinct change in the automobile industry when they moved into FWDs. While I had a lot of respect for the K-Cars they just couldn’t hold up to the American drivers who wanted to keep a point file handy to get them home.
I probably already said it over the last 500 responses in the last ten years, but do what you want. Buy where you want, no one cares. When a store does not make a profit, it will no longer be there, so I have no problem with someone making a profit. If you think it is too much, great go somewhere else.
As far as on line, you need to be very careful. Sometimes the prices on Amazon are humorous. I think I was looking for fuel stabilizer and it was $1-2 locally, but $12 on Amazon. Yeah beware but do what you want, no one cares. There will be no parts police coming to your door in this great country. Or buy a new car and don’t worry about parts.
Do you really not shop for anything where the price is a consideration? Of course, I am going to buy where I want. People should be aware of their buying options. Some places like to make a profit selling volume, others prefer to wait for the need it today consumer and charge him/her accordingly. You don’t have to sell as many shocks when your profit on one is 10 times that of another seller. To each his business model.
Re Amazon yup some sellers and prices can be ridiculous-- its a marketplace. As per usual buyer beware.
You will be happy to know my KYB struts were made in the USA. They arrived today, one day faster than expected. Very happy with my deal.
Thank you for your business analysis but I’ve been at it for 50 years. Do I care about price? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Like I told my wife, right now my goal is to keep businesses in business, not to save money. I want them to be there next year and I can afford it. I don’t want a world where everything has to be ordered on-line or there is only one large retail store in town. Sorry, there are priorities, and saving $100 on a car part is not a priority.
