Pete Miller

I recently bought replacement brake parts for the first time. As I live in Phoenix, there are websights and lots of retail stores to buy from. My question is about NAPA. NAPA appears to have knowledgeable counter clerks and lots of inventory but the stores are ghost towns compared to the Checkers and Autozones here. I asked the NAPA clerk about the lack of customers and he said that Checker and Autozone were cheaper, generally, but did not have the same quality of products as NAPA. Can I buy any NAPA part and expect to be getting brand name quality such as Raybestos and Bendix in brakes, or is NAPA just an elaborate ruse able to generate better margins on essentially the same stuff?

JARHEAD

In my OPINION Napa has a higher standard than these bargain parts houses. As an example the NAPA brand oil filters are actually WIX filters, one of the better filters on the market. In general NAPA is more expensive in most parts than the parts houses but they can usually get the harder to get parts when the other guys can't. And you are right, I have always found NAPA counter personnel to be much more knowledgable (at least down here in L.A.)

jon96ctd

from all of the chevy trucks i've owned and constantly wrenched on i've found that napa has better quality rebuilt/reman stuff...(alternators, starters, pwr steering pumps, steering gearboxes) most people aren't willing to pay a little extra money for their parts even if they're better. it's oh so entertaining to stand near the parts counter and hear some of the people trying to tell the clerks what they need...at least half have no idea how or why to do maintenance/repairs on a vehicle.

i've never had a quality problem with napa but i don't know where to start talking about problems i've had with autozone stuff...and i've had to show them how to hook up starters and alternators on their tester, several times. i go to napa as much as possible over the other guys for quality reasons, and we have a business account with them so we get a little discount too.

another reason is that they have a couple racks of cross reference and parts books...and they know how to use them!!! I've tried giving autozone a timken bearing number and they couldn't look it up without make/model/year. they couldn't find my inner axle bearings or outer seals either, just the hub assemblies. i couldn't get it through to the guy that, yes, there is an inner axle bearing on my truck, it was in my hand right in front of him. just fine with napa.

TRCM

also, active duty military get a 15% disc at napa

Hottrodjim

I got so tired of the cheap junk that all the other places were selling that I now only shop at NAPA for the good stuff.

russ300h

Here's my problem(s) with NAPA. I replaced the lift pump a few weeks ago on my '97 12V. Called NAPA for a pump and the price was $261. I ordered it from Piers for $129 and had to wait a week. Later I found out that NAPA lists the '98.5 electric pump in the tank for a '97 and you have to ask for a '96 pump to get the correct one for a '97. The price for that was $176, still higher than Rock Auto or Piers at $129, but a lot more in the ballpark.

Just before that while away, my starter went. This time I went online and did a search for Diesel Dodge starters. NAPA showed a rebuilt for $157, but didn't have one in stock. Advance had one, but it was $217. Advance would match the price if I brought in proof. I printed out the page, brought it down and come to find out the NAPA starter was for a V-8 5.2 or 5.9. Later I DOUBLECHECKED what I had done and that starter comes up when asking for a diesel starter (along with seven others including the correct one). Had I ordered that, I would have waited and had the wrong one(they didn't have the correct one in stock either).

Personally I would (do) buy my diesel parts from the places on the net that know Dodge diesels like Piers, TST or Larry B. Filters from Scheid Diesel or Filter1 and replacement parts like hoses, belts etc. from Rock Auto (if you can wait a few days). The guys at NAPA know more than most in that business, but they still don't know all that much about Dodge Diesels. JMHO

12valve@heart

I used to work part-time at the local NAPA until it closed it's doors. My take is that NAPA parts usually are very good quality but that they can suffer from some of the same problems that other stores deal with. Example - we finally started bench testing every starter and alternator as it came in the door from the delivery truck before it got put on the shelf and then usually tested it again when we sold it. It was shocking the percentage of defective parts that we received. Also, your service will be only as good as the person behind the counter. If all they know is the computer, you'll be out of luck when it comes to year-splits and less common parts. The computer parts look-ups are full of bugs and misinformation. The counter person needs to be knowledgable enough to suspect the problem and recheck in the paper catalog and your best luck will usually be if the courter person is a former mechanic. I've found good counter people at most all brands of auto parts stores and I've had to go behind the counter and show them their job in almost all brands of auto parts stores. I can tell you that I will never walk out of a store with a new/reman starter or alternator without having seen it bench tested and I will never leave/return my core for any type of part until I have the new part installed and tested. Too many cases of parts being misboxed. That said, NAPA is my preferred choice when possible.

Just my .02

sgibson

My mechanic buddies refer to them as "No Auto Parts Availible", I find them comparable to Carquest which is where I buy most of my standard parts(starters,alt,waterpumps, etc) I've found I can sometimes find decent remans @ advanced, but autozone is just for perishibles for my gas jobs, they give lifetime warrenties on thier hard parts as they need to because you'll change them often providing you meet the criteria of the warrenty, no matter how many times I go in there It's always like my first time, Like how many other people drive a 9ft.tall dodge diesel semi into your lot, buy 5 gallons of 40wt. then leave behind a half qt? At the local carquest I was a stranger there but once, the counter people are usually car or truck people and I don't feel like last week I heard them asking me "do I want fries with that".

Mopardan

I buy most of my parts at NAPA, but I've had a charge acc. since I was 16 ( actually on my Dads till I was 18). Never had a problem with them. Small town, good folks. Just got my heater cord last week. Lady said "charge it", I said sure

jon96ctd

yeah autozone gives liftetime warranties and it's been my experience that you change those things out every couple months. the $50 price difference is worth it to me to get whatever it is from NAPA and not have to get stranded somewhere, then have to change it out.
as for the diesel stuff, that's why this site is here, guys know from experience where to get the best fixes. I get things like HUGE battery cable ends, bearings, relays and switches. I would've gotten my starter contacts from there if I hadn't heard of LarryB here.

Ditto on the previous mechanics thing, our napa has a couple older dudes and a few my age that REALLY know their stuff and they all turn wrenches on their own stuff. they know when and how to look in the paper catalogs. the guys at our autozone couldn't tell me where the REAR DIFFERENTIAL is without looking it up in the computer.

ChrisLib

I get 99% of my auto parts needs from NAPA, except for maybe stuff like car wash/wax/air fresheners.