(Renaultpartsdirect, which are a main dealer but offer great prices on genuine Renault parts.)
I geeked a spread sheet when doing a major rebuild last year and the green ones were cheapest and largely on ebay and autodoc.
I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but when I'm buying a couple of wishbone for the tinted I generally go to a parts desk like GSF, Europarts, or MPD. They all seem to have 25% off continuously now, but are still 50% more expensive than ebay. How do they survive? Is it like a builders merchants and people like me are the only mugs paying full price, while garages are on a 50% discount?
I seem to be drawn to Autodoc every time I look for tintop parts, even service items for the kit car. I recently bought all round Bilstein brake pads
and discs for the princely sum of £131 delivered.
I like Autodoc because of the range of brands, however as with pretty much all online places their part picker is unpredictable at best. Always check
part numbers with the manufacturer.
I haven't bought car parts from a bricks and mortar place for a good few years, I'd actually say pre-Covid. The main issue I found even back
then is they would rarely have the parts in stock. I think only Halfords had the items in stock, but their stuff is shockingly bad.
Varies, but Autodoc and Ebay are my main, along with a few brand specailst that arent relevant to kits!
(Renaultpartsdirect, which are a main dealer but offer great prices on genuine Renault parts.)
I geeked a spread sheet when doing a major rebuild last year and the green ones were cheapest and largely on ebay and autodoc.
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
I seem to be drawn to Autodoc every time I look for tintop parts, even service items for the kit car. I recently bought all round Bilstein brake pads and discs for the princely sum of £131 delivered.
I like Autodoc because of the range of brands, however as with pretty much all online places their part picker is unpredictable at best. Always check part numbers with the manufacturer.
I haven't bought car parts from a bricks and mortar place for a good few years, I'd actually say pre-Covid. The main issue I found even back then is they would rarely have the parts in stock. I think only Halfords had the items in stock, but their stuff is shockingly bad.
quote:
Originally posted by garyo
I did try Autodoc a couple of years ago and got the sense that it was coming from a warehouse in Romani. Maybe I was unlucky but it explained how good the value was - is it still like that or have they improved the logistics?
quote:
Originally posted by garyo
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
I seem to be drawn to Autodoc every time I look for tintop parts, even service items for the kit car. I recently bought all round Bilstein brake pads and discs for the princely sum of £131 delivered.
I like Autodoc because of the range of brands, however as with pretty much all online places their part picker is unpredictable at best. Always check part numbers with the manufacturer.
I haven't bought car parts from a bricks and mortar place for a good few years, I'd actually say pre-Covid. The main issue I found even back then is they would rarely have the parts in stock. I think only Halfords had the items in stock, but their stuff is shockingly bad.
I did try Autodoc a couple of years ago and got the sense that it was coming from a warehouse in Romani. Maybe I was unlucky but it explained how good the value was - is it still like that or have they improved the logistics?
I do get quite a bit mail order and "Parts In Motion" via ebay seem to have most of the brands at decent prices and often arrive the next
day. However, that said, wherever there are a few different options for the same model/year I still go to my local factor because so far they have
never failed to give me the right option and if there is any doubt, as they are just down the road and most things are in stock, I can take off the
old part and bring it with me to compare. I have had a few issues with the likes of EuroCarParts, Autodoc and other similar sites offering both
options even when you've put the registration in and you can see from the images that the parts are clearly different. If they send the wrong
option they are sniffy about returns as they say it is the buyer's duty to check its the right part even if their picker has suggested it. You
only need to pay the return postage and a handling fee a couple of times to close the gap between the local factor and the online prices. It is also a
real pain when you've got the car in bits to find the part is wrong and you have to wait even 24hrs for the right one.
When I bought my GTM Spyder I wasn't sure what the front calipers were from so took the old pads into the factors and the guy took one look and
without even checking his computer said "they look like MG Maestro - haven't sold any of those for years but I think I have some in
stock" He popped out the back and brought some through and they were a perfect match. I think we'd all miss that kind of service if the
internet caused all the factors to close up so worth paying a few bob extra for the personal touch IMHO.
quote:
Originally posted by Sanzomat
I do get quite a bit mail order and "Parts In Motion" via ebay seem to have most of the brands at decent prices and often arrive the next day. However, that said, wherever there are a few different options for the same model/year I still go to my local factor because so far they have never failed to give me the right option and if there is any doubt, as they are just down the road and most things are in stock, I can take off the old part and bring it with me to compare. I have had a few issues with the likes of EuroCarParts, Autodoc and other similar sites offering both options even when you've put the registration in and you can see from the images that the parts are clearly different. If they send the wrong option they are sniffy about returns as they say it is the buyer's duty to check its the right part even if their picker has suggested it. You only need to pay the return postage and a handling fee a couple of times to close the gap between the local factor and the online prices. It is also a real pain when you've got the car in bits to find the part is wrong and you have to wait even 24hrs for the right one.
When I bought my GTM Spyder I wasn't sure what the front calipers were from so took the old pads into the factors and the guy took one look and without even checking his computer said "they look like MG Maestro - haven't sold any of those for years but I think I have some in stock" He popped out the back and brought some through and they were a perfect match. I think we'd all miss that kind of service if the internet caused all the factors to close up so worth paying a few bob extra for the personal touch IMHO.