I use various stores for various stuff: O'Reilly's: Car washing supplies; oil/filter; batteries; rattle can primer; glues and sealers (i.e. JB weld, Gasket maker, etc.). Rockauto/Amazon: Replacement parts for my daily drivers (i.e. spark plugs, coil packs, alternators, fuel pumps, water pumps, etc.). Summit Racing: Performance parts for my 65. Specialty shops: This is for my Cobra's (i.e. fuel pumps, pulleys, inter coolers, brakes, etc.). The specialty shops I use are places such as Metco Motorsports, Lightning Force Performance, Lethal Performance, American Muscle, Stage 3 Motorsports, etc.
O'Reilly's and Advanced for in-person. Amazon for whatever. The folks at my local NAPA shops always seem grumpy to me so I don't support them where I live.
I will typically make sure that whatever it is I'm buying is sold only by Amazon.com LLC. I've heard of counterfeits being sold on Amazon. Buying on Amazon from Amazon LLC protects you. If you have any issue, they have a darn near bulletproof return policy Now, that does mean that sometimes, they dont have what I need for parts. But typically if I'm looking for new they have it and my ass is covered. I've heard Rock Auto have counterfeit issues sometimes too. I've tried to return stuff to them too, legit issues either with fitment or it arrived broken. Kind of a pain in the ass compared to Amazon.
For stuff I need quickly usually Autozone or O'Reillys. I prefer O'Reillys because they have a discount for active duty and veterans. If I'm not in a hurry I shop around. I can usually find what I need on Amazon or Summit. While Rock Auto and Tousely can be cheaper, they tend to make up for it in shipping costs in my experience.
Online. I used to go to shop at Checker but the prices went through the roof when Orielly's took over. Napa's hours are garbage so I don't even consider them.
For parts and tools, Amazon prime most of the time. Fluids etc...any place that takes my oil back. Parts in a pinch..any store that is helpful, not slow and doesn't give me a hard time. -Stuart
AutoZone, Advanced Auto and O'Reilly's are all a stones throw away from each other but O'Reilly's is on the wrong side of a major intersection from me so I rarely go there.
There's most of them in town here, but here's my take on the local ones- Napa- best quality and availability for parts, best for hard to find classic stuff, best knowledge base. Autozone- best selection and price of general purpose parts, clips, fittings, misc... Best rental tool availability Advance- similar to AZ but less selection, and brain dead teenagers behind the counter O'reilly- similar selection to the others but inexplicably higher prices. They do actually have equipment to turn rotors, and a backup if AZ is out of rental tools. Summit is the place to go for performance and fabrication parts. Their website is unmatched. Jegs isn't too bad. For general shop supplies and fluids Rural King is tough to beat.
Advance Auto Parts hand down. Order online, use 25% off discount code and go pick up in store. Signed up for Speedperks, and they send me $5-20 off coupons for use on anything. IMO they have the best web store for ordering stuff and checking if the part you need is actually in stock at yours or nearby stores.
I have to use all of the stores on a daily basis so for me it is Oreillys, Factory Motor Parts,, Autozone, Napa, Wordpac, and a supplier called Seattle Automotive. For me it is who stocks the quality parts which to me is usually the OEM manufacturers like Motorcraft, ACDelco, Denso, Mopar, NGK, Aisin, the list goes on etc. -Oreillys usually tops everyone as far as what they carry and how much of it they carry, and they have great warranty coverage so I use them the most. What you see on the supplier's website is not indicative of what is actually on their store shelves, but Oreillys still usually has what you are looking for, and is more readily available. -Worldpac is the best, especially if you are looking for European parts. Wordpac carries the obscure stuff but also has the usual stuff at a great price and they are fast and predictable with deliveries, and can get parts delivered very fast, but they don't have good basic warranty coverage. -Factory Motor Parts (FMP) is a new up and comer and is trying to go up against Oreillys and all of them. Really great company in my experience and they carry a lot of OEM parts but you are severely limited once you venture into looking for any import vehicle parts. You can usually only get the basic parts for those brands, but anything domestic is typically carried at really great pricing. -Seattle Automotive is like a smaller version of FMP. Carry pretty much the same type of stock but some parts can end up being way cheaper there which is because they don't do warranty labor claims like FMP does. -Napa/Autozone are my last options usually. Used to buy from Napa a lot but they have us hooked up with an Independent store that charges astronomical prices and they won't get me switched over so I don't buy from them much. As far as Autozone goes, they don't have any options usually outside of their Duralast line which are often the same parts that Oreillys carries under the MasterPro name which are terrible parts so I don't like using Autozone Duralast or Oreilly's MasterPro lines.
For most parts I use rock auto unless I need it quickly. When I do need the parts now I go with whoever has it in stock but I am starting to lean away from Napa. Napa has been raising their prices lately and are no longer competitive as a result. They are somehow behind on parts availability on my truck. Summit used to be a great source for a wide range of brake parts for all my cars but they seem to be reducing their selection lately but can be great for certain upgrades.
I love shopping at Pepboys for supplies O’Reillys when Pepboys is not around or in the ghetto. Just because it has more of a mom and pop shop/non corporate feel.
IMO if you want the best quality part and you're within banker's hours, NAPA hands down. After that, it doesn't matter much.
