Where is the best place to buy auto parts? If you're a motorhead like we are, you know the struggle that comes with working on cars. Whether you're a professional mechanic hunting for a new supplier or a weekend enthusiast who prefers turning your own wrenches, buying auto parts isn't cheap. Picking up the parts yourself can definitely help you avoid those painful mechanic markups (we're looking at you, dealership service departments), but tracking down quality components at a fair price is where things get tricky.
Best Option
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Parts Geek is a long-running online auto parts store that offers a massive variety of replacement parts and body panels at (supposedly) discounted prices. It's a great place for major repairs (though you might need to search a local store for your garage basics), and if you want to get any high-caliber repairs done, this will be a great place to shop. Many customers like the inventory options, and Parts Geek had some of the highest shopper ratings in our review. For these reasons, Parts Geek earns the top spot with 5 stars in our review.
Very Good
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Pep Boys is more of a professional repair shop than a standard auto parts store, but it can be helpful if you're not confident in doing the work yourself. However, you can't buy almost any parts directly from Pep Boys and have them shipped to your home. You can only buy tires, and you have to pick them up at a Pep Boys local branch. Other parts will be purchased with the service and installed by a Pep Boys crew. While there are some negative reviews on Trustpilot, these can depend on your local branch, and our local options have an impressive 4.8-star rating average. For these reasons, Pep Boys remains a highly competitive choice if you don't want to do your car repairs yourself.
Good
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Auto Barn is an auto parts store that sells both standard mechanical parts for upgrades and repairs, as well as decorative accessories or interior detailing supplies to keep your car spotless inside and out. While the site is a little trickier to navigate than our top picks, it has a reliable reputation for sending parts that work and are easy to install. For these reasons, it earns an above-average rating in our review.
Average
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Buy Auto Parts is an auto parts store that's based in the US and offers wholesale parts for performance gear and replacements. While it has a helpful 60-day return window and a solid score with the Better Business Bureau, customers complain that recent shipments have frequently included the wrong parts with little to no resolution from the retailer. While it's got mixed reviews overall, we'd like to feel a little more confident about quality and resolution. So, for now, Buy Auto Parts earns a middle-tier rating.
Fair
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Auto Zone is a popular choice that's local for lots of car enthusiasts. It has an easy-to-use website and has a solid inventory of basic maintenance items. However, for parts, it mostly offers aftermarket options rather than OEM, and there are some recurring complaints about customer service and the difficulty of returns at this auto parts store. With these concerns in mind, Auto Zone isn't one of our top picks, coming in below average with our review.
Fair
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Car Parts is an auto parts store that sells everything from basic engine oil to large body panels for major car repairs. While the site helps you search for your specific car, free shipping is only for those who pay for a premium membership. However, some shoppers note this isn't worth it as they still receive wrong items or find that what they need is excluded from the membership shipping pricing. Considering the struggles to get refunds and other frustrations listed in verified reviews, Car Parts doesn't stand out as a site you want to trust with your car.
Subpar
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Autohaus AZ is an auto parts store specifically for European cars, offering all OEM parts at wholesale prices. This is the primary feature that keeps it from being a lower-rated auto parts store when considering the customer complaints and low BBB rating for this retailer. With repeated issues of slow delivery times and poor customer service, Autohaus AZ isn't a fan favorite, but its unique focus and OEM inventory rescue it from earning our absolute lowest rating.
Weak
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Advance Auto Parts is a store that seems to have a lot, but focuses mainly on basic maintenance like batteries and oil. However, the large inventory at this auto parts store makes it almost impossible to find what you need. Filters aren't helpful, and customers spend ages searching through hundreds of listings that don't have anything to do with the initial search. With the specific car selection also seemingly impossible to use, there's no way to ensure you're getting parts for your car without tons of outside research. For these reasons, Advance Auto Parts is one of the least favorite sites in our review for car parts.
Get All Parts is an auto parts store that focuses on aftermarket pieces (notice we didn't say "parts"). Not only is this site hard to navigate, but it has almost no full parts or assemblies to choose from. The inventory is mostly pieces of full parts, making it hard to buy a complete brake assembly or other standard maintenance equipment. With a lack of solid customer support and serious concerns about this auto parts store's reliability, Get All Parts earns one of the lowest scores in our review.
Poor
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NAPA has a large selection of items, but its quality issues keep it from being a competitive choice for an auto parts store. While fast free shipping on orders that cost $49+ is an advantage, the poor reputation and increasingly negative customer reviews show that the parts may be fast to arrive but not particularly reliable once installed. With NAPA's unhelpful customer service added to the mix, it's safer for you and your vehicle to shop for your auto parts elsewhere.
Continued from above...
If you're a motorhead like we are, you know the struggle that comes with working on cars. Whether you're a professional mechanic hunting for a new supplier or a weekend enthusiast who prefers turning your own wrenches, buying auto parts isn't cheap. Picking up the parts yourself can definitely help you avoid those painful mechanic markups (we're looking at you, dealership service departments), but tracking down quality components at a fair price is where things get tricky.
Finding the best deals on parts you can actually trust? That's the real challenge. No one wants spark plugs that fizzle out early or brake pads that wear down faster than expected just because you tried to save a few bucks. And sure, sometimes you just need to grab another 10mm socket (yes, we know-it vanished again). Either way, choosing the right auto parts store makes it easy to get what you need without the headache.
Whether you're doing an engine swap for your next YouTube video or just trying to do a little at-home tune-up, finding the right auto parts for your car and for your project is going to make or break your project. Different makes and models can have completely different needs for the same project. For example, if you've replaced the wheel bearings on a Nissan, a Mitsubishi is so different that it can take hours of extra work (and different specialty tools). But the trade-off is saving over $1,000 in labor costs, so if you can do it with the help of a solid auto parts store, you should.
These days, you don't have to rely on your local auto parts store (sometimes with a pretty limited inventory) to have everything you need. Online shopping has made it faster than ever to search for your make and model and grab parts that are designed specifically for your vehicle. And, you can easily find parts that are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), so you know that a Mercedes part was made by Mercedes for your Mercedes model. Then, there's no confusion about fit, and you can generally count on OEM to be high quality, or at least the same quality as the parts that originally came with your car when you bought it. Plus, for auto parts that are made overseas, shopping online can be the only way to get what you need.
If you're ready to get going on your next car project, but aren't sure which retailer to trust as your top auto parts store, we've done the hard work for you - so hopefully the process of getting your auto parts will be simple. There's enough stress when you're working on cars, and auto parts should be the easy-breezy step. Here are some factors you can consider to make sure you're getting the best auto parts from the best retailer on the market:
So, if you're ready to dive into your next project for maintenance or upgrading your ride, you've got the tools at your disposal (literally): Top Consumer Reviews has researched and ranked the best options for auto parts stores available. Now, you can grab your parts, tools, paint, and more. Whether you're restoring an old Camaro (good luck) or just trying to fix your favorite ride, there's an auto parts store out there to help you get the job done. And try not to lose your 10mm this time!
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