Rock Auto

Hi all 

I have never bought from Rock Auto but they seem to making a real mark in the Canadian market.

I am just about to pull the trigger on a rebuild kit for a Vortec  305 fr or my sons work van any one out there have any feed back the prices are so much lower than I can get locally it works out to about half of local pricing any input will be much appreciated.

Thanks

Dan

Me and I'm sure most of us on here use them all the time, I don't have any complaints.

Do it.  I have been buying from them for years.  Shipping to Canada is cheap.  I just got some BMW wipers for $2.34 each plus $9 shipping vs $91 on ebay.

Just be careful to not get items from multiple warehouse as the shipping will really add up.  Try to consolidate warehouses where possible.

My beer fridge is covered in Rock Auto magnets. I have nothing but positive things to say about them. 

I order quite a bit from them but with multiple cars I do save money.

The one thing I do watch is if you place an order with multiple items you check to see from how many warehouses the order will ship from.

Shipping costs are added to each shipment. That can add up after a while. To the point that perhaps buying from a shipper that stocks what you're buying all in one location could be cheaper?

Furious_E said:

My beer fridge is covered in Rock Auto magnets. I have nothing but positive things to say about them. 

So's mine!

Don't forget about 5% off anytime. Just google for a code.

For whole kits I've always gone through Northern because they were local to me and had good prices.  Not sure how they are with shipping to Canada though.

This forum converted me to rock auto a few years ago. I love the place for most things. Be careful with shipping!

You mean GRM Advertiser Rock Auto?  Yeah, we all buy from them.  Watch the multiple warehouse thing.  I think there's a new feature to optimize based on price and warehouse availability.  I put the magnets on the side of my tool box.  Shop beer fridge has plaques from Autocross and Car Show events.

Blaise said:

Don't forget about 5% off anytime. Just google for a code.

No need to google, just check the Shop Talk forum here for the 5% discount code:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/advertiser-playground/rockautocom-discount-code-for-parts-more-expires-march-25-2018/135499/page1/

Occasionally they'll provide a 10% code.

My beer fridge is covered with their magnets too.  One of these days, it would be cool to get one of our cars featured on a magnet there, like a Challenge car, etc.

Just beware of the brand.

Not rockauto's fault, but a lot of their replacement parts are complete E36 M3.  I wish they had a rating system like Amazon sometimes so I could go and warn others about some of the parts I've bought.

I use them all the time and have very little bad to say. I have gotten one incorrect part and one part that was incorrectly boxed (an inferior tie rod end in a Moog box, probably a shady return from a previous customer.) both parts were so cheap that I didn't bother returning them.

Shipping, as mentioned, is their weakest point. I've started comparing their with-shipping prices to Amazon's and have been using Amazon more lately than in the past. Often it goes one of two ways - either the price is the same but I get the part quicker with Prime, or it's a little cheaper on Amazon.

But in the other cases, the parts are a LOT cheaper on RA, and there are a LOT of parts RA can get that you won't easily find anywhere else. I still use them and highly recommend them.

I buy from them when I'm not in a hurry. If i need quicker service I buy from Amazon.

I buy from them all the time.  I was absolutely shocked to see how cheap parts were for the 81 Champ I had.  Ridiculously inexpensive!  I bought stuff just in case I would ever need it---- a $4 head gasket??   Why not?!  

Stefan said:  One of these days, it would be cool to get one of our cars featured on a magnet there, like a Challenge car, etc.

 

I always thought they should have a "Get your car on next months magnet" photo contest thread occasionally on the forums they advertise on.

Been buying from them for years without issue.

I buy there if I can afford the wait. Choose the quality you want. And what others said, just watch shipping from separate warehouses, that can add up. 

They're good for customer service too. I ordered something once that they were out of even though it showed in stock. They called me and let me know right away.

danvan said:

I have never bought from Rock Auto but they seem to making a real mark in the Canadian market.

It wasn't always that way, but they decided they want the business and figured out the shipping. I don't buy a lot from them because I don't do as much work as I once did, but as soon as I get a new vehicle I search things like filters (which are unnecessarily expensive in Canada) and order a case.

Thanks to all 

Will be ordering

As much as I have issues with the quality of some of their parts, I do have to give them major kudos for one thing:

Their website.  Its simple, clean and effective.  Not a bunch of E36 M3ty images, goofy formatting, ads, etc.  I don't have to login to save a vehicle (just bookmark it).  I can drill down to a car in <2 seconds by just typing in the search bar.  Also, technical info on parts can be found, and the repair cost comparison thing is a great tool to share with the community.

Agreed with everything said here already. Especially the shipping from multiple warehouses. That's really the only complaint I have with them. It seems like every time I do a job with "might as wells" every part I need has to come from a different warehouse. For instance when I overhauled my car's AC system, the compressor came from one place, the evap core from another, and the drier from a third.

I really wish they could just put all the part for a certain make of car in the same warehouse to avoid this happening. I would be totally ok with this even if it took longer to ship.

Regarding the 'vs Amazon Prime' thing, i make that decision based on whether i can wait. If i can, i'll buy RockAuto.  As much as i love to order things on Prime, i try to keep in mind that Amazon is to the future of retailing what Wal-Mart was to the past 30 years, which is to say, poison. It's emblematic of the gradual accumulation of power and wealth into fewer and fewer hands that defines underregulated capitalism. Amazon already has scary effects on things you wouldn't expect, and it will get worse. So, if i can wait, RockAuto! LOL

And more props to the website! If i have to have something in-stock locally i buy from Advance Auto and try to coupon+speed perks my way to 40% off. But, their website is a giant pain in the ass EVERY TIME.  RockAuto's site is fantastic! 

The issue with Amazon for car parts can be poor cross-verification of figment, so you have to triple check the part numbers before you order.

Along with what everyone else said, I dig their tv commercials.