I went to the local auto parts store today to get some pretty mainstream stuff. (wiper arms) . The place has floor mats, steering wheel covers, oil and miracles in a can filling their shelves. I ask for the wiper arms. " Nope, not in stock, but I can have them here for ya next Monday." I honestly try to do business locally, but I can order them myself from Amazon or Rock Auto and have them here in two days - for a helluva lot less. Then it dawned on me. I can open up my own auto parts store with only a few automotive doo dads and a computer so that I can order parts from Amazon prime, mark them up 100 percent and tell the buyer "I'll have em for ya on Monday" I can see it now- a big neon sign... "STRANGE DAYS AUTO SUPPLY !" Wish me luck.
I thought that only happened in my Small Town. At least we have a N.A.P.A. here. There story is "for a small shipping fee we can get it for ya" Just add a little extra if you want it in 2 days and don't dare ask for any advice. The Wizzard
The Napa stores and O'1Reilly stores in this area get freight every day from their warehouses so it isn't that bad but another parts house I deal with a lot gets their parts from a local warehouse that supplies them and other parts houses and can have something in 30 minutes if it isn't on the shelf if it is a pretty much standard part. I get a bunch of stuff for my OT cars off Amazon though as the savings usually are high enough to wait two days.
One of my local parts store started a new thing. They will get you anything you want. You name it and they will get it. Need dealer only parts- they get them. Want a 31 headlight bar- they will get it. Want 34 fenders they will get it. Need a 32 frame they will get it. Want a new coyote engine- they get it. Want a 392 hemi crank- they get it. Need custom wheel adapters- they get it. Need some unobtainium- they will get it for you. What ever it is under the sun that you want they will get. They search their sources which include but not only - speedway, SoCal, Amazon and eBay. They mark it up a little and give it to you. It's kinda neat to not hear them say no- they say I will find it for you, I'll call you back with a price and pics if it's a used part. Amazon prime is getting to be more and more of a favorite. Especially since I get fuel percs for gift cards. My honey turned me on to that one, she's awesome.
Went to three local auto parts stores looking for ROUND sealed beam headlights. None of them had any; one said they did't think they could even get them (?). Another E-Bays your friend ending. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
round headlights are at walmart. I usually look on the computer before heading into town to find parts.
Quite often the local parts store that I deal with tells me that they can't find what I need so I find the stuff myself online some where, I write down the part#s , then I go back and give them #s and behold , they get them quickly.
i can't stand o'reillys since their prices are usually 40% higher than rockauto, and fuck Amazon because they charge tax for washington state residents! my local parts house isn't convenient at all since the reply for parts is " we can order it" or "they have it at the warehouse"! both wrong answers for me!
O'Reilly's and two Auto Zones had none, O'Reilly's "thought" they could get them, one of the Auto Zones said "they did't think they could"; now how much is on the counter-help, who knows? They had some "import" and modern day domestic rectangular, and white light bulbs, on racks. NAPA was't open. All in Everett, Wa. And Walmart? I won't go to Walmart; my wife does, not me! I ordered all four for an OT, NON-HAMB (68 Biscayne) car from an E-Bay vendor, and for a pretty good price, with free shipping, and it's a California vendor. Six years ago, we went to get sealed beams for the 51 Chevrolet Business Coupe when we converted it to V-8 and 12 volts; we went to Action Auto Parts, a local small chain, but that auto parts chain was bought/absorbed by Baxter's Auto Parts (out of Oregon), and then they closed down our location a mile away. I'd like to be able to go to a local store to get what I need. But, they've forced me to use E-Bay. Here's something interesting; when Baxter took over Action, the local store had a bunch of "young" guys staffing the store. They'd tell customers to "do a burnout" as they left. The parking lot was looking like a drifting event had been held there with all the donut/burnout marks. I kinda knew then they would't last. The former manager at that Action/Baxter location went across the street to NAPA, and when I went in there, he said, "those guys won't last". Auto parts stores or do-dad stores? You can't make this stuff up. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
It's kinda like Jc Whitney is on the corner and you need to mail order your parts. Get you nowhere do nothing do dads
It's really sad anymore.... There's three parts stores in my town; NAPA, Autozone, and O'Reillys (there was a fourth, but the last owner alienated too many customers and went belly-up). I'd like to buy from NAPA, but they don't stock anything, and neither does Autozone. O'reilly's hits about one out of ten... If you're after anything more than an oil filter and oil, more often than not you'll be SOL unless you have a late-model belly-button car.
I drive 20 miles one way to Strouds Auto Parts on Sylvaina St. In Fort Wort. Tell them are show them what I need are want. They have it are will have in a very short time. Don't have to tell them the make model are the color are if it has white walls and a vinyl top. I don't enter Orilleys are auto zone anymore. Then from Strouds I go downtown and get some homemade tamales! Can't spell the name of the place.
I work at the local Autozone....... We stock a little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothing.... LOL But we will have it for you next .......... Does not impress me, but who am I??????? But we have matchbox cars and chrome windshield wipers ! LOL
Our local parts store had a machine shop in the back. For 40 years, I have known the brothers who owned it and considered them knowledgeable...until the day the parts guy asked me where to get disc brakes for a 1946 Ford. I was so astounded by the question that I stuttered,"Everywhere". I had to think about his question for a minute until I realized they only dealt with OEM parts and replacements. Still, you'd think they had heard of the aftermarket. They didnt want to tell me the name of the customer who wanted the brakes. What, am I going to steal their customer? The funny part is that I ran into the guy right after that. He didnt know about the aftermarket either. Not only that but he claimed that he had rebuilt the engine. It was in the car but without the carburetor or hood and nothing covering the intake.
so, Chaz, do you like the quality of parts from Rock Auto? I'm always leery about places like that, but it seems like that can be the only way to get parts sometimes. Larry
The small town NAPA I delivered for was pretty good. Order by 10a.m, part comes in with the mid-day by 1p.m. same day if in the local warehouse. Anything in the Indy to Altoona district, next morning 8:30 a.m. It's all about who's turning the screws. They kept a helluva stock of hard parts, not much gingerbread.
I only go to parts stores if it's urgent and even then I go in with the part numbers I need in my hand. It's now gotten to the point where my friends ask me to get auto parts (and other stuff) for them online. Maybe I should be a personal shopper and charge a percentage.
I know you asked @Chaz , but I use rock auto constantly. Often the boxes are worn but you can get name brand parts or dorman replacement type stuff. Also, if you're really frugal, you can get parts numbers from rock auto and price compare on amazon and ebay. Even with shipping added in rock auto is often cheaper. Their returns are easy and I have been happy with parts quality.
Yeah, I'm OK with the quality. Pretty much the exact same parts I get somewhere else You have a choice of several manufacturers/rebuilders when you select. The prices are great relative to most. Shipping is quick.
Rockauto seems to be a parts locating service, the parts don't come from rockauto, they come from other places. Some times they are old inventory, so you get NORS parts, old boxes with old new parts in them. Other times you get modern chinese copy parts, like at other places, but at a good discount. Shipping can kill you if you don't pay attention to where the parts come from....it shows on your shopping cart, for example if you get parts that are from 4 different places, each one will have a shipping code letter A, B, C, D showing that it's from a different place. If you're careful you can play around and find the same parts at one or two locations instead of 4, and the shipping cost will go down.
The old reliable family owned & operated NAPA stores have stood the test of time and survived the onslaught of Auto Zones,O'Rileys,Car Quest & Pep Boys. I've seen several of the 7 day a week parts houses come and go in recent years,I still find it extremely gratifying that nine times out of ten I can walk in the same NAPA auto parts store I ventured into for the first time some 50 years ago and still a locally owned business. HRP
Our local NAPA is a family owned business....recently bought by the family that owns all the new car dealerships in town.
Our local OReillys is great, I shop the range of their pricing. For my old daily there were 6 or so levels of brake pads. For shits and giggles the counter guy pulled em all out so we could compare. The $14 ones from India looked like molded charcoal briquets on the backing plate. It took until we got in the high $20 range for the mexico and US ones to show any quality. As far as Rock Auto, I use this same experience when I order. Never had an issue. You can order some pretty obscure stuff from them! I do like to shop local when I can but ran into an issue with an OT toy for our son. For his birthday we were buying one of those electrical circuit "toys" where you can wire 300 different experiments. Carla found one on Amazon for 42.50. So, I went down to the local hobby shop, where I have spent a ton of money in the last 40 years to look for one. Same thing local......just shy of $70! I would have paid an extra $5-10 but not almost $30
I just gave away a set of four 5-3/4 too bad would have sent them to you. I went though 4 fuel pumps last summer (less than 200 miles total). I got a little cheap and decided to bargain hunt and found them for half what they normally cost they all leaked. I found a NOS rebuildable one and paid for a modern rebuild kit. Should have done it in the first place and saved money. To their credit they were super fast on shipping.
I had a good NAPA by work, I'd stop on the way home or call up to make sure they had it. For my OT cars, it was almost always in stock. Then they closed up. The other NAPA I deal with is pretty good, but everything for my Ford is "we can have it here in 2 days". Well, Amazon, Summit and Rock Auto can do that too, no tax and no car ride. Rock Auto had all the brake parts and all the choices for wheel cylinders were the same base part number, no matter if they were Raybestos, Dorman and so on. They had the round halogen headlights for something like $8.50 each. For my Ford, I've bought around 99.5% of my parts online. Auto Zone and Pep Boys are manned by idiots, anything out of the ordinary they can't find it unless you give them an exact make and model and year. We had a chain called Auto Barn and they were fantastic, folded up around 5 years ago. I found a local eBay parts vendor and he said he'd sell direct to me. All I have to do is go over and pick it up instead of him shipping it. I buy quite a bit of parts on eBay.
Chaz - you also need an oil drain pan (one of those round black 5+ qt. ones) for your oil and filter customers to use in your parking lot (maybe two - it can be busy Saturday mornings) and a 55 gal. drum to transfer it into. vic
The Jalopy Journal
