Buying Car Parts Off Amazon

[z1ggy]

Need to do a 100k service on my car this fall. Besides my regular oil change I'm doing this weekend, I also need to replace all the spark plugs, all the rotors and all pads. I used to buy all my parts right from Autozone, but lately I've been getting oil, filters and wipers right from Amazon, and haven't had any issues. Prices are the same if not better and you can find all the big OEMs.

However for parts like brakes, I'm a lot more nervous/skeptical to buy from them. I worry about cheap knock-off brands or something and me not knowing any better. For example, this set of rotors and pads is only $150:https://www.amazon.com/Drilled-Slot...--1-0&sr=1-1&ymm=2011:mazda:3&keywords=brakes

I don't see any of the trusty brands like EBC, Hawk, etc on here so I worry I'm getting junk parts. Reviews look ok to mixed, but I do like the price.

There's also this set which is about double the price, but looks exactly the same:
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Stop-E...--1-0&sr=1-2&ymm=2011:mazda:3&keywords=brakes

 

[Yuriman]

RockAuto has name-brand rotors starting at about $10, and pads for about $8 per corner. I generally prefer RockAuto over Amazon for car parts.

I've had $2.50 RockAuto pads on my Honda for the last 40k miles and they've been better than the OEM pads.

 

[z1ggy]

RockAuto has name-brand rotors starting at about $10, and pads for about $8 per corner. I generally prefer RockAuto over Amazon for car parts.

I've had $2.50 RockAuto pads on my Honda for the last 40k miles and they've been better than the OEM pads.

Looks like the Power Stop stuff is also on RockAuto and it's about the same price as Amazon.

 

[96Firebird]

I've been getting my oil at Wal-Mart, they seem to be the cheapest unless I can use a rebate somewhere else.

I've also had good luck with BrakeMotive brakes on eBay. The rotors and pads for these cheap sets probably all come from the same factory...

 

[Torn Mind]

RockAuto has name-brand rotors starting at about $10, and pads for about $8 per corner. I generally prefer RockAuto over Amazon for car parts.

I've had $2.50 RockAuto pads on my Honda for the last 40k miles and they've been better than the OEM pads.

Those cheap pads are likely for a name brand's value line, such as AcDelco Advantage and Raybestos Service Grade, which are a step below their "OEM equal line" and the "special sauce high end line". You must've gotten a sweet Wholesaler closeout, because cheap brakes usually don't last that long.

 

[Torn Mind]

Need to do a 100k service on my car this fall. Besides my regular oil change I'm doing this weekend, I also need to replace all the spark plugs, all the rotors and all pads. I used to buy all my parts right from Autozone, but lately I've been getting oil, filters and wipers right from Amazon, and haven't had any issues. Prices are the same if not better and you can find all the big OEMs.

However for parts like brakes, I'm a lot more nervous/skeptical to buy from them. I worry about cheap knock-off brands or something and me not knowing any better. For example, this set of rotors and pads is only $150:https://www.amazon.com/Drilled-Slotted-Ceramic-2004-2012-Sport/dp/B017S62BPA/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1504185941&vehicle=2011-80-2435-1--18-6-5-9140-2010-1-1-2951--1-0&sr=1-1&ymm=2011:mazda:3&keywords=brakes

I don't see any of the trusty brands like EBC, Hawk, etc on here so I worry I'm getting junk parts. Reviews look ok to mixed, but I do like the price.

There's also this set which is about double the price, but looks exactly the same:
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Stop-Evolution-Drilled-Slotted/dp/B005FKRB70/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1504185941&vehicle=2011-80-2435-1--18-6-5-9140-2010-1-1-2951--1-0&sr=1-2&ymm=2011:mazda:3&keywords=brakes

Hawk and EBC are on Amazon, but not in a complete kit. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=au_pf_...&pf_rd_p=1b2e5794-cd2f-42ff-80dc-b0b8ee57ea61

The first link's item is sold by a third-party seller.

 

[z1ggy]

Thanks for the link. In all honesty I don't really want/need EBC's on this car (2011 Mazda3). I had them for my Genny Coupe b/c I had brembo's and liked to go fast... But now I mostly just drone around on the highway. OEM or right above OEM is fine honestly... I'd rather actually get nicer rotors that have the Zinc anodize on them to prevent rust.

From the two links from my OP, both sets look exactly the same except price. Does anybody know the difference?? One is the "performance grade" and the other is the standard set... but the rotors seem identical.

 

[NutBucket]

Eh, nothing wrong with running Hawk HPS on a normal daily driver. Nice to have good bite when it counts!

 

[slag]

Bought lots of car parts off amazon.com. Powered antenna mast, front sway bar bushings, air filters, CV axle boots, U joints (spider gear assemblies), etc.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yeah, I go to Amazon first too, once I have a part number.

That Power Sport kit is suspiciously inexpensive. You should be able to use Amazon's search and filtering to find some ACDelco or Bosch parts that will fit your car. (They're basically building OEM parts for everybody anyways.)

For better-than-OEM parts, I recently started reading Good Things™ about Akebono brake pads.

 

[NutBucket]

Akebono is what I default to for non-performance pads.

 

[repoman0]

For anybody with a European car reading this thread -- company called fcpeuro has lifetime replacement on all parts, including consumables. You can apparently buy anything once, then for subsequent orders buy it again and ship the old part back after replacing it and get a full refund. Works for wear items too like brakes, motor oil, air filters etc. I'll be buying my next oil change kit from them in a month and trying out the free replacement the following year.

 

[Torn Mind]

AcDelco's Professional line offers a one time lifetime warranty replacement of brakes. Best compromise of quality and price per mile driven.The Advantage line is far less generous, with a 12-month, 12,000mile warranty. But I'd get the Hawks and EBC if wants that extra bit of braking distance even in street applications.

 

[Herr Kutz]

I bought Akebono pads at advanced auto parts (in store pick-up) because they almost always have coupons with like 35-40% off.

 

[Yuriman]

Even with cheap pads I can set off the ABS on dry pavement, so I can't imagine more expensive pads helping. Perhaps it's because my car is so light though, and most other vehicles don't have sufficiently large brakes to lock up the wheels?

 

[clok1966]

I used to fix cars off craigslist and resell um (to damn much work, to little profit). I have used cheap and expensive. I can tell you there is a HUGE difference in some parts, and almost none in others. Rotors, this one where you can get ripped off big time. Goto your local parts store and have them bring a cheap one out and a expensive one.. OFTEN ( this had got better in te last few years) the cheap one will be about half the weight (normally not a bad thing) but its because it made of much thinner material, less cooling fins, etc.. THIS IS NOT GOOD, they are crap. Wheel bearings, i have been burned on these many times.. $80 bucks for the store brand, $120 for a name brand, often the cheap ones will "snap" on corners.. poor tolerances, so in the end you pay $160 for two, then the time to put them in (and take them out) and you buy the good ones. Again this is not as bad as it was when china flooded the market with cheap replacement parts, I have had much better luck in the last few years with the cheaper stuff if you pay attention to weight and fit/finish. you got a car with 200,000 and need brakes.. cheap ones are $20 good ones are $30 depending on how long you think the car is going to go.. but $10 bucks.. why not.I try use middle ground. I am not a fan of DURALAST (had the most bad luck with them) but not all bad. I have had great luck with EBAY parts and yes even Amazon.. most parts have a brand and you can read about it, as so many stated. Three are not 100's of places making parts, most NAMEBRAND places will make a part and let Wallmart brand it with there store brand and give them a deal as long as they buy many. But, yes there are crap parts maker too.. The real problem is the rebranding.. Wallmart Ever-start batteries are not even the same throughout Wallmart. They are most likely made by a Name brand company and rebranded with Everstart. but if its store on the West Coast its the Manufacture in that area, on the east coast a completely different manufacturer will make the same looking battery but it will be different process. Same with car parts often.. Autozone had Delco make a bunch of Duralast Alternators for them, but this year Anotehr company bid lower.. so 2 Duralast alternators on the shelf with the same model may not be the same, one was last years manufacture and one is newer stock and this years.

sorry wall of text.. its your car, I spend to get midrange (better) parts on my cars as in the end we are talking $20-100 difference depending on the job, yes, money is money and often the cheaper part is just fine, but why take the chance (especially on safety stuff like brakes, bearings).

 

[Ajay]

I'm not a fan of car parts from Amazon ATM. Picked up rear struts for my Honda Accord and I got two driver side struts. Fortunately the way the are manufactured they can be turned into a passenger side strut. Still, after all that, they are much stiffer than OEM (a little stiffer would have been OK).

 

[Wuzup101]

I've ordered some name brand stuff from Amazon to make my life easier. I ordered an optima red top a while back when my existing battery died.

 

[slugg]

Thanks for the link. In all honesty I don't really want/need EBC's on this car (2011 Mazda3).

EBC Green Stuff pads are just plain amazing for OEM-like pads. They have virtually no dust and blow OEM pads out of the water, all while still being pretty cheap. It's my pad of choice for daily driver cars. I used them on my Mazda 2 and currently use them on my 2014 Mazda 3 hatch.

My Miata uses EBC Yellow Stuff. I used to use Hawk HPS, which is still very good, but the EBC Yellow Stuff is noticeably better and more stable over a wider thermal range. I know this isn't what you're looking for, but I figured I'd mention it for completeness.

 

[bruceb]

For my Pontiac Grand Prix, I use Performance Friction Carbon Metallic Brake Pads. ... But they leave a bit of dust residue. They do last quite a while an perform very well. When my 2016 Cadillac ATS AWD 3.6 (Normally aspirated) needs brakes I may just use what the OE put in there. The car has Brembo on the fronts and the factory brakes work very well.

 

[compcons]

I bought the powerstop kits for my SHO and MKZ from Amazon (shipped and sold by). I highly recommend them. The cross drilled and slotted variety do make a very slight groan on the SHO with no fade or shudder. The car is an absolute whale but they stop on a dime even with some "spirited" stopping. Without going to some huge brake kit, these are what many enthusiast SHO owners are using.

The MKZ stops without a hitch or even a noise but it's a much lighter car and isn't driven like a 425 HP rhino.

The price was similar to Rock auto but came out much cheaper with prime shipping.

 

[Meghan54]

My Miata uses EBC Yellow Stuff. I used to use Hawk HPS, which is still very good, but the EBC Yellow Stuff is noticeably better and more stable over a wider thermal range. I know this isn't what you're looking for, but I figured I'd mention it for completeness.

That's sorta the combo I'm using on my '03 Silverado...EBC Yellow Stuff on the front, Hawk LTS on the rear. Work darned well.

 

[tcG]

RockAuto FTW.

Just bought Centric rotors (cheaper OEM grade replacement) + StopTech Sport pads for my 300ZX from there.

 

[bruceb]

I do agree. Rockauto.com will usually have what you need and the catalog is easy to navigate. Price and delivery are both reasonable and fast.

 

[tcG]

Their whole interface is a lesson in efficiency/design. No ads, no scripts, no fancy graphics. Well organized, efficient text-based menus.

Want to return an item? Type in your order number and print/email a shipping label, the return shipping cost is automatically deducted from your refund. Quick and well organized.