<p>Does anyone do their own vehicle repair?
We don’t update the computer software ;), but do, do things like change the radiators & while my H ordered from a company in New Jersey that took about a month or two to get here- I was hoping for a little better response time & looking for suggestions.</p>
<p>NAPA has online parts ordering, as well as a fairly large number of retail stores. They are a major chain, particularly in the Northeast.</p>
<p>I do lots of my own car repair and have for many years. For most items I just buy them from Kragen or Autozone. I also sometimes use NAPA. For things like radiators I sometimes get them from local radiator supply/repair places. Surprisingly, Kragen/Autozone still have most of the mechanical parts I need for my old 1966 Mustang and my other vehicles. If they don’t have the item in stock they can usually get it in a day. For the Mustang I also purchase parts from online ‘classic Mustang’ parts suppliers.</p>
<p>Went to a wedding last weekend, and that afternoon I decided I needed a small evening purse, so I announced that I was running to town to get nailpolish and a black clutch. Son didn’t look up from his book as he said “Second light, left side, Western Auto.” Ummmm, not that kind of clutch!</p>
<p>My family owns a car repair, so I’d like to think that I know quite a bit about this stuff. For radiators we use a local company, but NAPA also has some good ones for a good price. We mainly use NAPA and Oreillys and dealerships (of course if the part isn’t available from aftermarket). </p>
<p>We would NEVER buy from Advanced Auto Parts, Auto Zone, or Pep Boys. Those parts are seriously the bottom of the barrell and we refuse to ever use their parts.</p>
<p>I announced that I was running to town to get nailpolish and a black clutch. Son didn’t look up from his book as he said “Second light, left side, Western Auto.” Ummmm, not that kind of clutch!</p>
<p>:D
Did he have any suggestions for the nail polish?</p>
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This isn’t necessarily true. These stores also carry a lot of top name brands of quality parts. You just have to be careful what you buy. When you get the store brand parts you generally don’t know who the manufacturer really is so there could be an issue but if you get a name brand part there it’s the same as getting it anywhere. For example, Raybestos brake parts are the same regardless of where one gets them. Ditto for Bosch, Fram, Goodyear, Dayco, Fel-Pro, Bendix, etc.</p>
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<p>I’m just hoping it wasn’t black like his college girlfriends seemed to favor…</p>
<p>H does all the car repair he can do & he has a garage that will put in parts he provides. He orders original parts as much as possible. Our friend is an auto company exec & he has told us stories about the auto parts industry - not worth taking a chance on inferior parts. He uses parts from junkyards when possible. They are all computerized now, and parts are catalogued for easy access. He also has an independent parts store he trusts - he’s worked with them for more than 20 years, and they will sell him the best part for the best price. </p>
<p>Last week, the passenger window broke & had to be replaced. H found a replacement part for a great price at Murray’s for less than anywhere else. He just gets out the phone book & calls around for quotes.</p>
<p>To add to ucla<em>uscd</em>dad’s post, it is important to use a trusted brand. A spark plug might look just fine … but last only 1/2 the time it should. You can end up paying more in the long run.</p>