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Where is the best place to shop for OEM auto parts?

post #1 of 6
7/7/09 at 5:39pm
Thread Starter 
Specifically, I need some new brake pads and shocks (or struts I don't know the difference but the car is squeaking and riding very bouncy) for my Toyota. I've got all the bit auto part stores: Pep Boys, AutoZone, Discount Auto Parts, and several Walmarts. The problem is that they all have their own brands and I don't know one from the other. Any suggestions?
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post #2 of 6
7/7/09 at 6:00pm
For brake pads and shocks/struts for a daily driver, probably almost anything you can find will be okay, so just find a good price. Those of us who think we need performance stuff will know the brands we're looking for and such but for a regular car there won't be much difference, and if your shocks are shot anything new will be a major improvement. If you ever need to buy serious replacement parts though, the best thing is to make friends or use connections at an independent shop where they can put your parts on the order for their distributor, because the prices they get are waaaay cheaper than any shop or store/dealer will give you. I find a case of good beer and some big steaks brought by on a Friday goes a long way toward saving money on auto parts
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post #3 of 6
7/7/09 at 6:16pm
I like O'Reilly or Advance Auto Parts for most service parts, Pep Boys is fine as well.

I tried one on-line store (autopartswarehouse) and found that they sucked very very badly and swore never again.
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post #4 of 6
7/7/09 at 7:08pm
These guys are good: http://www.all-foreign.com. They carry OEM, but most often have better aftermarket parts--for better prices. Very fair prices, and super quick shipping. My family and I have been using them for years.
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post #5 of 6
7/8/09 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rambo View Post
Specifically, I need some new brake pads and shocks (or struts I don't know the difference but the car is squeaking and riding very bouncy) for my Toyota. I've got all the bit auto part stores: Pep Boys, AutoZone, Discount Auto Parts, and several Walmarts. The problem is that they all have their own brands and I don't know one from the other. Any suggestions?
A strut is basically a shock which has a built in spring perch. Most Japanese front wheel drive cars are going to have struts in the front and struts or shocks in the back. Struts tend to be more expensive than shocks and also more difficult to install, requiring the use of spring compressor to remove the spring first. All of the aftermarket brands will technically fit but there are bound to be differences in ride quality, handling, price and warranty coverage. On some cars aftermarket brake pads are more likely to squeak than OEM parts. If you haven't yet, I would get OEM parts quotes from a couple of Toyota dealers. If the OEM parts are only marginally more expensive than stuff from the auto parts stores they would be my top choice. I would also check out a car forum like Toytotanation.com to see which aftermarket suspension and brake parts the people who have your year/model car had the best luck with.
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post #6 of 6
7/9/09 at 11:18am
You may be able to find them for sale on a car forum specific to your make/model. Lots of folks swap out the OEM parts for aftermarket for performance and have the old ones just sitting around.
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