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Rock Auto

Baconator

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 1, 2020
Member Number
1740
Messages
314
Whenever I can plan ahead I usually purchase from Rockauto.
I bought a fuel pump for a truck, it came in a box with MOPAR Water pump on it, I un packaged it and it looked like it had been repackaged by someone before.
Anyway I drop it in the tank and find out the fuel sender is on the wrong side of the pump and hits the tank. I mess with it for a few minutes then look up photos of other pumps and turns out that the pump they sent me has some type of manufacturing defect. I go to Vatozone buy one and get it installed without any issues.
I submit a return request to Rockauto, hand write a little note in the box describing the issue and send it back and go on my way.
A few days later they send me an email saying they cant return it because it smells like gas and had been installed. I respond with photos of the pump and the issue I found but never got a response. I send another email a few days later but got an automated email response saying my ticket was closed, and no refund will be issued.
Call their number and it goes no where too.

Im about to turn in a claim with my CC. Fuck rock auto.
 
I've never been a fan. Yeah, they're cheaper, but they also charge out the ass on shipping and are slow as fuck to actually ship. Really don't end up saving that much.
 
Hit or miss on their stuff. I've bought a lot of parts through them and it mostly worked out.
 
Motorcharge said:
I've never been a fan. Yeah, they're cheaper, but they also charge out the ass on shipping and are slow as fuck to actually ship. Really don't end up saving that much.
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They don't actually have a warehouse they ship from they are 100% drop ship. Basically its a program that a parts warehouse can be on. You give RA access to your inventory and they give you a small percentage of the profits. The reason they ship so slowly is because the warehouses properties their own business of RA's business. There's no incentive for them to do things timely.
 
I sent some parts back and aside from paying for the return shipping it was painless. All in all a cheap price for my mistake.

I will say this, the AC compressor I ordered from them that came "pre-filled" with the correct amount of PAG oil was NOT. I had to buy one locally and add the oil myself. That alone ate into my savings from buying from them.
 
I have bought a lot of parts from them over the years.
Shipping is a rip-off but so it is elsewhere.

Buying oil/air filters (Wix, Denso etc.)I typically save a decent amount (shipping and tax included) versus going to my local stealership/OReilly’s/Advance AP.
Because locally it can cost as much as 3x. F that noise.

Recently I did all struts on my wife’s Impreza hatch, after about a month I noticed one of the rears was leaking. Instead of doing the RMA/shipping dance I just bought one locally, now should the other side shit the bed I will get it exchanged (it cost twice what the same item cost on RA).

I have also used Ebay, Discount Body Parts, Amazon and other vendors when they were better deal vs RA.
 
I use Rockauto to look up part numbers of the brands I want that I can't find in brick and mortar stores, or it's insanely expensive from a store. Can usually find name brand parts on Amazon pretty damn cheap by searching the part numbers from rockauto.
 
I will not buy anything from them that I am not willing to throw out. I bought one egr tube for a ford ranger and a few other small parts. Total about $25. They screwed up and sent me a case of egr tubes. Took them a month to issue a return. I would have trashed them but the wife was determined.
 
I have bought four things from them, been happy with all of them, a clutch disc, two 02 sensors for my Jeep, a multi switch for the dodge and just delivered today a drivers side exhaust manifold. I do like the way you can locate part numbers too.
 
I've only had to return something twice.

once, I ordered the wrong parts and sent them back minus shipping monies. my fault, no hassle to return.

the second time I had gotten a valve cover, it was cracked but I didn't see it until after it was installed and leaked.

They sent me another, I returned the damaged, they credited me everything.

I've stopped shopping there as much because I can do better with shorter shipping times on amazon like 90% of the time, and then if I have a problem amazon takes care of it.
 
Half the time I try to place a Rock Auto order, they refuse me due to a Colorado sales tax thing. The other half of the time, no problem. I got tired of the uncertainty, so I go elsewhere.
 
I've tried them twice, once was a brake booster that had a core charge, By the time I figured my return shipping it was a wash. Could have bought one local, had it faster and saved the shipping. basically killing the great rockauto price.

Second was a horn ribbon cable, air bag connections, horn and cruise for a 4runner.
wrong part was shipped. one of the connections would not connect. I sent more than one email, to confirm the right part with the vin# but it was wrong. I fought with them over email that it was their issue and send me return shipping, no dice, if it's wrong it's on you to ship back. I'm still running the part with an airbag light on.

the minimal discount is not worth the delayed shipping and shitty return policy,
if I can find it local it's much less hassle,
 
MuntCuffin said:
I use Rockauto to look up part numbers of the brands I want that I can't find in brick and mortar stores, or it's insanely expensive from a store. Can usually find name brand parts on Amazon pretty damn cheap by searching the part numbers from rockauto.
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this X2. I use them as a measuring stick for how bad the local parts store is putting the screws to me and They are a great source for part numbers to then shop Amazon/ebay for PN's
 
Have ordered a few parts from there.

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When the local parts store closed some years back, I switched to ordering the vast majority of parts through Rockauto or Amazon. You can save a good bit at times, occasionally really good deals on older domestically made parts that are on closeout. The shipping game can be a bit fawked, you can mess with different combinations of part mfg, location, and qty. to sometimes save on shipping. I once added a single $0.89 spark plug to the cart, which for some reason dropped the total shipping by $5.00. :laughing:
 
I buy stuff from that is on closeout, like spark plugs, oil filters, brake pads. You can get them insanely cheap and it makes it worth the higher shipping. Got a set of Powerstop ceramic pads for the Ranger for under $40. A set of 8 Bosch iridium spark plugs for a LS for $1.42 each that were $7.50 each at AutoZone.

Their return requests sucks. They deny, then close your claim without giving you the chance for any feedback. I have ended up with items that were better brands than what I purchased, and worse. I ordered a set of Motorcraft engine mounts, and one was obviously reboxed and very poor quality. They refunded that one. I recently got a electric window motor control. Ordered no name brand on closeout for $14, got a Motorcraft motor in a no name brand box. I had requested a refund on a trans filter that was clearly for a different transmission than what I ordered. The gasket didn't match and the filter was not even close to fitting. I was denied a return request because I "installed" the parts. How do you install parts that don't fit?

I once received a entire box of 10 double cardan center ball seals when I ordered one. I asked if they wanted them back, never replied.
 
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I never had to return anything and I bought a shitload from then. The shipping is usually reasonable if you combine parts from same warehouse and it always comed within 3 days.

I do check Amazon first to see if they have the same deal with free shipping.
 
BDK said:
I buy stuff from that is on closeout, like spark plugs, oil filters, brake pads. You can get them insanely cheap and it makes it worth the higher shipping. Got a set of Powerstop ceramic pads for the Ranger for under $40. A set of 8 Bosch iridium spark plugs for a LS for $1.42 each that were $7.50 each at AutoZone.

Their return requests sucks. They deny, then close your claim without giving you the chance for any feedback. I have ended up with items that were better brands than what I purchased, and worse. I ordered a set of Motorcraft engine mounts, and one was obviously reboxed and very poor quality. They refunded that one. I recently got a electric window motor control. Ordered no name brand on closeout for $14, got a Motorcraft motor in a no name brand box. I had requested a refund on a trans filter that was clearly for a different transmission than what I ordered. The gasket didn't match and the filter was not even close to fitting. I was denied a return request because I "installed" the parts. How do you install parts that don't fit?

I once received a entire box of 10 double cardan center ball seals when I ordered one. I asked if they wanted them back, never replied.
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The closeout stuff is awesome. I have a lifetime supply of oil filters for the truck. $1.89 each. :laughing:
 
1A Auto. Look for the Chinese cheap shit, there is usually a USA alternative. If you give a fuck about that kinda shit.
 
I have spent 10's of thousands of dollars on that website over the years. Usually it's decent stuff and the shipping is worth the money as long as you try to get it from as few locations as possible.

The big fawking problem with them is that, when there is an issue, it becomes a two week ordeal to have anything corrected between shipping time and their completely 100% nonexistant customer service department.

It is actually possible to get a human on the phone, but you have to leave a voicemail at the number listed in an obscure corner of their website and wait two days to hear back. My most recent experience this spring with that was receiving a DOA brake caliper with fucked brake line threads but not realizing it after I had already sent the cores back. I would have been stuck paying another core charge by using their automated return feature or going to another vender, there just wasn't a provision to handle that scenario.

Additionally, they can't pack brake rotors to save their life. They usually break the box open and spill out whatever other supporting items were riding inside.
 
I've spent $$$Thousands on their site, never had a return denied, and rarely had an issue. The savings is worth the wait for me, versus spending 3-5x the amount from the local parts houses for some cheap Chinese knockoff part.
 
I've used them a bit. Hit and miss on pricing. Sometimes the cheapest, but shipping often knocks them down the list. Amazon has been beating their pricing more and more lately. Plus free and quicker shipping.
 
Am I the only one think o.p. should have compared his new pump to the old before trying to install it? I ordered some brake pads from Amazon, opened them and realized they looked different. I never tried to install them because they didnt look correct. Checked part numbers against my order and they sent me the wrong stuff. Easy return and exchange.
 
ConwayMuddy said:
Am I the only one think o.p. should have compared his new pump to the old before trying to install it? I ordered some brake pads from Amazon, opened them and realized they looked different. I never tried to install them because they didnt look correct. Checked part numbers against my order and they sent me the wrong stuff. Easy return and exchange.
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Usually I try to install the part realize it's wrong modify it and when it's totally destroyed I bitch complain and buy the right part.
 
I’ve had good luck with RA, if I’m not in hurry they can be a bunch cheaper than local parts stores. I bought a few grand worth of stuff last winter fixing my vette, bonus points because I can pick the manufacturer most of the time.
 
I've generally had good experiences with Rock Auto, except for this past job.

I pulled the filler neck tube from the filler to the tank on my Tahoe. It was pretty rusted, and I figured since I had to cut the last hose before the tank, I'd just get all new. Well, I found it on Rock Auto from Spectre Premium. I know they say item photo may be different, but this was wholly different. The picture showed from the filler to the tank, the whole entire assembly, and all I received was the filler neck itself. It wasn't even the right size to make it work.

Long story short, I ended up just ordering the last hose I cut (closest to the tank) from them, and paid $17 for two day shipping. They just emailed me that I'll be fully refunded for the wrong part.

So, if no one else has it, I'll try Rock Auto for sure.
 
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