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Thread: Not cracked up to what I expected (Rockauto)

  1. #1
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
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    Not cracked up to what I expected (Rockauto)

    I see the appeal of RockAuto. I do.

    However, I had an impending feeling of doom when I assembled my first order with them. I thought it was neat to have my running total converted to CDn$. It was pretty easy to find what I wanted and the prices seemed fair even though I think there's some bait and switch going on.

    I put together a $300 order of small things, spark plugs, air filters, oil filters, wiper blades, etc. I figured it would all arrive in one small to medium sized box which would save on shipping.

    So, the shipping options presented to me started @$59 and topped out about $114!!! In each case there were 3 sub shipments to make up the whole thing. Thinking that maybe shipping it cross border was the reason it was so high I rejigged to send the shipment to 247parcel, a receiver/forwarder of small freight in Niagara Falls, NY. It didn't make much difference. It got split into 4 equally priced shipments of about $11 each, $44 total. After I add the $3/box fee from 247parcel, a few bucks in tolls to cross the border and gas/time it actually costs more to ship it to the US address.

    I've retrenched and am rethinking ordering from RA. There must be other distributors out there, in Canada, that have competitive prices without the need to take a currency exchange hit and awfully high shipping charges.

    Any suggestions for other web parts places?


    Last edited by MetroMPG; 05-21-2020 at 05:56 PM. Reason: (added info to title)
    Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
    Zero II, 2014 SE, 5MT, climate She's HOME now!
    Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.

    Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
    We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Yep. Everything you order from Rock Auto is shipped from different locations. Would be nice if they had one giant warehouse, but it isn't so.

    Really sucks when you place one big order for a bunch of parts for a major project, and one part arrives on Tuesday, another on Wednesday, two more on Friday, another on Saturday, and the last three parts don't make it to you until Monday.

    Their prices are great, but logistically it can be a hassle.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
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    I can see doing a major rebuild with a time constraint could be a major headache, shotgun in the mouth type of aggravation. Perhaps if I figure out how to make sure my order has the parts coming from the same warehouse and I get one nominal shipping charge I'll learn to love RA. Time will tell,
    Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
    Zero II, 2014 SE, 5MT, climate She's HOME now!
    Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.

    Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
    We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    That's all good if the parts are correct. I've gotten the wrong parts from them, so be sure to check as soon as you get them as there are limits on returns - another hassle.

    Sometimes mail order ain't no bargain at all.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  5. #5
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wallythacker View Post
    I can see doing a major rebuild with a time constraint could be a major headache, shotgun in the mouth type of aggravation. Perhaps if I figure out how to make sure my order has the parts coming from the same warehouse and I get one nominal shipping charge I'll learn to love RA. Time will tell,
    You can probably order parts for free at your local Carquest store. Shop local that way, and sometimes in-store is a lot less headache. Might be worth the 10% extra or whatever it costs.

    I don't even shop at Amazon, mostly because if you sign up and buy something, they will sign you up for Prime automatically. Screw Cosco too for paying to shop. That's ridiculous and shifty even if you can cancel any time.

    Sounds like the Colombia CD store by mail remember?

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


  6. #6
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dspace9 View Post
    You can probably order parts for free at your local Carquest store. Shop local that way, and sometimes in-store is a lot less headache. Screw Cosco too for paying to shop. That's ridiculous and shifty even if you can cancel any time.

    Sounds like the Colombia CD store by mail remember?
    WTF? Carquest Canada doesn't have a website you can search for products? Are you kidding me? What prehistoric dodos.

    As for Costco, I used to cancel my membership about two weeks before it expired, get a refund, sign up for a new membership a month later. Hey, if they allow it I'm not abusing anything. They could stop that practice in a day if they wanted to. I'm not going to pay to shop anywhere. Especially when said company is getting tax breaks from the municipality meaning I have to pay more taxes to help carry their ass in my community
    Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
    Zero II, 2014 SE, 5MT, climate She's HOME now!
    Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.

    Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
    We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


  7. #7
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wallythacker View Post
    WTF? Carquest Canada doesn't have a website you can search for products? Are you kidding me? What prehistoric dodos.

    As for Costco, I used to cancel my membership about two weeks before it expired, get a refund, sign up for a new membership a month later. Hey, if they allow it I'm not abusing anything. They could stop that practice in a day if they wanted to. I'm not going to pay to shop anywhere. Especially when said company is getting tax breaks from the municipality meaning I have to pay more taxes to help carry their ass in my community
    Old school, but I like the convenience of having someone else find stuff like that for me. I'm not lazy, I just don't want to deal with inventory. I just like customer service. I like being pampered I guess.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


  8. #8
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    I've used rockauto.com for a few things. I must admit that I prefer other vendors that offer free-shipping to your home or even your local store. I find myself using a variety of vendors. I probably use AutoZone a little more than NAPA or O'Reilly's even though all three are nearby. Sometimes, Walmart or Amazon are best for me.

    I did some 30,000 miles service items on my Mirage this afternoon. Sort of getting some things done before the colder weather hits.

    I replaced the engine air filter with a WIX from Rock Auto.
    I replaced the cabin air filter with the cheapest one from Rock Auto.
    I changed my manual transmission fluid. Easy to do!
    -Redline MTL manual transmission oil from Walmart on line.
    -$2.50 flexible, long hosed funnel from AutoZone store. (worked perfectly)
    -$3 - 24mm, 3/8" drive socket from Walmart on line (added to my tool set of stuff now)
    I changed my engine oil.
    -Mobil 1 0W/20 from Walmart store. Still using up a couple jugs I have left from a rebate period.
    -Purolator ONE oil filter from Blaine's Farm & Fleet

    I use rockauto.com for some items. I have bought engine & cabin air filters from them for both my Forester & Mirage. They weren't all shipped together, & I am not stuck on using them in the future.

    I will add this, however. I am extremely happy with my Dash Design seat covers & buying them through rockauto.com was cheaper than factory direct. I only have the front seat set, because I seldom have a rear passenger. My rear seats are folded more than they are up most days .

    Neoprene seat covers & WeatherTech floor covers up front have been a great purchase. I've never splurged on custom products like these before, & I am very happy with them. I would buy them again for a next vehicle.

    I wouldn't buy things like wiper blades on line. $6 ones from Walmart work good for me. Likewise, engine oil on the shelf @ Walmart is hard to beat. I'm there buying dog food or whatever all the time anyways.

  9. #9
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    Shopping RockAuto is interesting. As soon as you put one item in your cart, then other items that you shop will show an indication that they are shipping from the same warehouse. SOMETIMES, you can use this to get all you need from one warehouse... or maybe two.

    You can't just shop all willy-nilly with RockAuto, though. And you do need to watch your brands. They sell good stuff, and they sell absurdly cheap stuff. And sometimes they sell good stuff for absurdly cheap. But, they definitely sell some crappy stuff for cheap.

    Curiously, I've found that you can get a lot of parts through Amazon. I've heard that their make and model fitment system isn't always accurate, so it might be wise to verify your part numbers before going that route.

    RockAuto is great for identifying part numbers... once you know what you need, you can shop around... sometimes find better deals... or better deals after you consider shipping.

    Good luck!
    Simplify and add lightness.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    Shopping RockAuto is interesting. As soon as you put one item in your cart, then other items that you shop will show an indication that they are shipping from the same warehouse. SOMETIMES, you can use this to get all you need from one warehouse... or maybe two.

    You can't just shop all willy-nilly with RockAuto, though. And you do need to watch your brands. They sell good stuff, and they sell absurdly cheap stuff. And sometimes they sell good stuff for absurdly cheap. But, they definitely sell some crappy stuff for cheap.

    Curiously, I've found that you can get a lot of parts through Amazon. I've heard that their make and model fitment system isn't always accurate, so it might be wise to verify your part numbers before going that route.

    RockAuto is great for identifying part numbers... once you know what you need, you can shop around... sometimes find better deals... or better deals after you consider shipping.

    Good luck!
    I sort of do the same. I will use Rock Auto to shop for options and get part numbers. Then I will look for the best deal elsewhere. Sometimes Rock Auto is still the best deal, but most times not.



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