Need to do front end work-- thoughts on RockAuto?
 

I was pricing out parts from RockAuto and I was surprised to see control arms, struts, strut mounts, brakes pads, rotors, sway bar linkage, sway bar bushings, and CV shafts.. the total was $400 before shipping. This has to be too cheap.

Any suggestions from buying from RockAuto? Or is there a better place to get parts?

Rockauto is a good vendor. Some of the prices are jaw droppingly low, especially when they are on clearance.

But yeah, I don't know how you can get all that in for under $ 400

I was targeting Monroe struts, the rest are all DD quality

Welcome to wholesale pricing. It's unbelievable to most, but that's how it works. People are used to getting screwed.

No middle man, to the middleman's - middleman. When I tell people I had my car tinted/auto started for

I sure do like RockAuto and buy the vast majority of parts I need there. But be aware, they offer everything from top-flight OEM to lower grade parts, so be sure in critical applications you get good stuff.

As to schocks, I have had good service from better-quality Monroe units, but in the ES I sure do like the small added expense the KYB Excel/GR-2 give. Price those head-to-head.

TIP: if your strut mounts are not bad, do not replace them w/aftermarket ones. Re-use the stock and avoid a possible headache.

My concern is that it is difficult to discern what is high quality or low quality. The categories they have seem to be helpful, I just cant believe CV joints can be purchased for $40. That is nutty!

^ yup. I bought an axle from them for a whole 60$ shipped. Was a "decent" brand too.

Wow, thats stunning. Today I learned why it's called rockauto, the people running it are obviously crackheads.

RockAuto has reasonable selection and pricing. Just do your research on to what brand name of parts to buy before hand, as the cheapest parts aren't necessarily the ones you want to replace suspension components with.

Rock is hit and miss. I have been dealing with them on and off since having a website was a novelty.


You have to watch out for their shipping charges. As soon as you get into a situation where your stuff is coming from two or more warehouses, you can get a pretty big hit (especially if it's heavy items).


On the plus side they are really good if you get the wrong parts. I had an issue where the parts manufacturer's listing was wrong and a set of rad hoses wouldn't fit. They immediately credited me for the items and a percentage of the shipping charges. A friend had a similar issue with two larger items and had the same treatment.

Rock auto is the best place to get part numbers from. They have a lot of inventory but their shipping prices are outrageous. There is nothing wrong with the quality, they are a legit company, the quality varies by manufacturer. Just watch out for shipping. The shipping warehouses play whack-a-mole with prices and jump around. I honestly think they combine shipping to charge the maximum, not the least because I can have a product shipping from Warehouse A, then add another product that ships from Warehouse A, then add a different one shipping from B, and the first product switches to Warehouse C.

RockAuto has been great for me, also don't forget there's almost always a 5% coupon code floating around.

Amazon has a facility in my state so they charge sales tax now, which on large orders makes a difference. RockAuto fortunately does not. And usually RockAuto is cheaper on larger orders where there is just one shipping charge.

It is amazing how local parts stores have been ripping off retail customers over the years. Their markup is insane. Easily double the price.



For suspension parts, don't go with cheap lines. I wouldn't buy anything with "economy" in the description, and if a brand has 2 different lines, go with the more expensive one. I've had good luck with Moog Problem Solver line and Raybestos Professional

At least in my experience, it's not worth the meager savings and have to do the job twice. I've been there, done that with Chinese parts. I learned my lesson.

All of the above. I use RockAuto for their stellar customer service - the prices and parts are up to you to research.

p.s.: Can't forget the FRIDGE MAGNETS!

Awesome input.

Without creating a new thread, I was curious. A shop said my entire front end (all the stuff above) needed to be replaced. I got a second opinion through a pre-alignment check by running it through their machine and it was only the lower ball joint that needed to be replaced, with struts an eventual target

If I am going to replace the lower ball joint, is there anything else I should replace in the interim?

I usually do ball joints in pairs but that's just me being paranoid. If your tie rod ends and sway bar links and all the bushings look good you should be in business, glad you found an honest shop. Be sure to spread the word about the other shop, I hate people being victimized by unscrupulous mechanics.