buying parts on the net

[IgotTwo]

Anyone have any comments (good or bad or indifferent)on buying parts off the web?
I HAVE seen many posts referring to buying custom and mod stuff. I'm thinking, even if I had a "fix um up" project and knew what I needed (and planned it well)...... I'm still not sure if its worth going to the web. The prices don't seem to make it worth it. Mod and custom stuff I can see.
I have enough trouble with local places that can't get replacements straight, I don't know if I can expect any better from the web.
Has anyone worked out a good plan or have a good rule of thumb?

 

[Longs]

I've purchased parts from www.wrenchead.com for projects when I knew what I'd need. They have always been the correct parts, so I've never had to go through the aggravation of returning them.

My rule of thumb is to call a few local places to see if they have the parts in stock, and what the price is, before ordering from the web. If the local places have to order the parts, and you may have to drive to the parts store once or twice, having them shipped directly to your house can be a big time saver.

I have also noted that you don't always get a better price on the web. I look for web coupons.

I guess my rule of thumb would be this:
Do I know exactly what I need? If I have to go to the parts store because I forgot to order something, I just wasted my time. Is the price cheaper on the web cheaper, or at least comparable overall, if I'm ordering multiple parts? Consider the total price, including local sales tax versus any shipping or possible taxes charged by the web site.

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by IgotTwo
Anyone have any comments (good or bad or indifferent)on buying parts off the web?
I HAVE seen many posts referring to buying custom and mod stuff. I'm thinking, even if I had a "fix um up" project and knew what I needed (and planned it well)...... I'm still not sure if its worth going to the web. The prices don't seem to make it worth it. Mod and custom stuff I can see.
I have enough trouble with local places that can't get replacements straight, I don't know if I can expect any better from the web.
Has anyone worked out a good plan or have a good rule of thumb?

I am a firm believer in supporting the local businesses.

 

[sideswipe]

I've purchased from JCwhitney, autoacessory.com, ebay, explorer express and a few other places I dont remember right now, and I've never had a problem with the purchase or (if necessary) a return.

 

[Spectre]

I've bought stuff from Explorer Express, Performance Products, and just last week from Off-Road Warehouse and Truckaddons.com. So far, I've been very pleased and have yet to have any problems. Also, the prices and selection have always been far better than my local 4WD shop.

 

[wabbit]

web shopping is my first choice...

I have gotten great deals on web purchases for my Explorer. Although not as prevalent as they used to be, there are still some great $$$'s off coupons to be found.
Carparts.com usually has coupons available. If you find something you want, be sure to click through the link on this website to make your purchase.
Even though online retailers have taken a though ride recently, they are still incentive driven. Establishing a customer base market share is more important than profit margins. Hence, prices are usually cheaper on the web.
An added bonus is it's cool to get something in the mail besides bills...

 

[JDraper]

I buy a lot from Summit Racing http:\\www.summitracing.com and never had a problem. I've had a couple of small problems with JC Whitney, but they always have fixed them.

 

[Tekeman]

Try finding good prices on the web, and then ask your local people to match it. Sometimes everybody wins that way.

 

[jimbo74]

i ordered stuff from www.lightlens.com & www.fordpartsnetwork.com (our sponsor) & ebay and have never had a problem yet.

 

[IgotTwo]

Thanks for the feedback.
I think many of my own thoughts were confirmed. As with everything else "it depends"

The Coupon Thing was interesting.
Maybe we need a special board for "Web Coupons, I have found"

I think that could work .. I'm sure you all have heard the stories where 1 million coupons were issued and 4 million came back. It would be fun to be part of the cause of that.
thanks again

 

[Tekeman]

To illustrate my thread. I'm getting tires for my car and I called a local place for a price he said $109+ tax+ mounting. I said Tire Rack is $86, and if I buy at the Firestone storethey will give a similiar price and free mount. In the end he came back with $88 per Yoko + tax and free installation. He will be putting tires on the car later this week for about $373 rather that his first offer of around $508. grin

 

[IAMCDN]

aldive,

Well said.

I don't know how you can save time by buying on the net? You have to wait longer than if you just drove to the parts store and picked it up.

Other reasons to shop locally:

Refunds are less hassle. If you have trouble with the product down the road, warranty replacement is only minutes away. Can actually see the product before buying it.*****Local store owners/employees live locally, pay local taxes, contribute to local economy, owners/employees have kids that go to school or are friends with my kids, owners/employees patronize my company as well, contribite to local charities, etc.****

If you develop a good relationship with a supplier and he gets to know you as a valued customer(and lets face it, us Explorer owners buy alot of parts), they will not want to lose your business and will likely match any price on a similar item. I have 1 place I go, and they will always beat a price, where ever I got it from.

The only time I would order on the net is if it was a specialty item that was not available locally.

Our cities will be pretty barren and our taxes will get pretty high if all the small/medium businesses went broke.

The net is a great place to do research, and chat with good people like you all, but I still like to interact with actual people when buying something.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[config]

Are original Ford parts any better???

...than the parts you can order from Carparts, or any local parts store? I'm having my fuel pump (I think) replaced and the dealer wanted $296.00 for the fuel pump. I called 2 other dealers and their price was $250.00 but when I checked on Carparts.com, they have one for $160.00. Are these parts as good as the original Ford parts?