Purchasing Parts On Amazon? - Topic

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Jan 14 2019 06:51am

TL:DR at the bottom

I have a 2004 toyota corolla with ~175k miles on it. It still runs perfectly but some things have begun to wear out.
The next item I need to replace are the strut assemblies and sway bar links.

I've purchased a lot of cosmetic items for it to keep up on the exterior, along with some basic parts
( exterior panels, color-match paint, the occasional jug of oil/filters , etc. ) ,
and purchased them all on Amazon or Ebay because the prices for panels are astronomical if you buy them anywhere else.

For regular parts I always go to the store and have an employee look them up, explain the options , etc
Mainly because I'm not a mechanic, and have no actual training.
My mechanic will be replacing the parts, he's an older guy and always says to go to the store in the past - and I have.

How does quality of working parts from Amazon or Ebay (non-cosmetic) compare to purchasing in the store?
Do all auto parts come from the same distributors? Is it the same part as what I would receive at an Auto zone or Advance?
Do they sell OEM parts on Amazon? Is there anywhere that is normally cheaper than AutoZone/Advance and sells OEM?
Help me out if you know more than I do !

Code

Cost difference;

Autozone)
Struts: $119 * 2 = ~$260 after tax
Sway Links = $17 - $45

Amazon)
Struts: $160 for both front struts
Sway Links : $20

It's not a huge difference, but $100 is enough that I would order them online if the quality was equal.
And saving around 30%-40% also makes me question the quality of the Amazon parts...
I mean, it's not a big enough difference that I want to sacrifice quality.

TL:DR

2004 corolla, 175k miles, needs both front strut replacements, needs sway bar links.
Are the struts/sway bar links found on Amazon / Ebay good quality? Should I just go to Autozone instead?

jimmyhoud

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Jan 14 2019 07:20am

Honestly you can find the same parts from the same manufactures on amazon 9 times out of 10. I think you'll find that Amazon is generally not the cheapest option out there.

rockauto.com is a pretty good site to cross reference when shopping online.

KoJ

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Jan 14 2019 09:05am

for generic general mechanics replacement parts, you cant beat rock auto. like 95% of the time.

i have bought stuff on amazon before, mostly because i have prime shipping, but like said before, they arnt typically the cheapest

Ice98

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Jan 22 2019 01:21am

When i'm buying on amazon its usually for convenience (2 day shipping, same day shipping, etc), or because its open box...you can get a killer deal on a lot of parts open box, worst I have had open box was some struts that had scuffing from shitty boxes....brand new rotors, pads, etc "Open box"

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