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.
Weak
Advance Auto Parts is an auto parts store that offers both online shopping and in-person retail, depending on how you want to grab your supplies. You can get everything from maintenance necessities like car batteries or oil, to more important parts like brake rotors or drums. However, while it offers the service to add your car to make sure your parts searches are accurate to your vehicle, Advance Auto Parts was more difficult than other sites when it came to completing the process. We could not enter our test car (a 2025 Toyota Camry SE), which worked at most of the other auto parts stores in our review. We tried several different options, including different years, different makes, and different models, but Advance Auto Parts "failed to add" the test car every time. So, you may struggle to find the precise parts for your vehicle at this retailer.
More focused on maintenance
Advance Auto Parts is a store that focuses more on maintenance than full vehicle repair. This auto parts store includes items like car batteries, brake pads and shoes, brake rotors and drums, oil change bundles, oil filters, AC compressors, battery chargers, and more. However, large body panels won't be included in the inventory. You can find parts for some major repairs, like transmission connectors, engine control modules, or other hardware. You can also find a range of helpful tools to make sure you can get the job done.
Pricing from $8.99 to $577.99 for parts
For our price comparison at the auto parts stores, we usually put in a test vehicle to standardize our results. However, our normal test car, a 2025 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE with a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine, couldn't be loaded into Advance Auto Parts' site. We had no success with any similar models either. So, the prices at Advance Auto Parts will include all possible vehicles, so keep that in mind as you see a slightly wider price range. To get an idea of different repair and maintenance needs, we looked at a regular maintenance item (motor oil), a maintenance item that requires more work (brake pads), a more complex but common problem (shocks), and a tool set (socket wrench set from 20-40 pcs). Here's what we found at Advance Auto Parts:
Not a particularly friendly return policy
In general, Advance Auto Parts offers free shipping on orders over $35, but all other orders will have shipping costs based on your area. As for returns, you can return an online purchase to an Advance Auto Parts store location within 45 days of your date of purchase. The item must be just "like new" in its original condition and packaging. It must also be unopened. You will need to have an ID in order to get your return. This is a more stringent return policy than many other auto parts stores, and there is a note on the policy that states Advance Auto Parts may limit your returns "for any reason."
Bad shopping experience and bad parts
Advance Auto Parts currently holds an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau; however, it has an exceptionally low score of 1.9 stars out of 5 on third-party review sites. According to recent reviews within the past few weeks, the overwhelming majority of reviews are just 1 star. Customers complain about the difficulty of searching for parts. Even with very specific searches, you get the wrong items (something we ran across during our price comparison as well). Searching for brake pads can get you 500+ pages of results, with over half being bolts or clips rather than the pads you need. Customers also ran into problems making exchanges or returns at Advance Auto Parts. Some customers even had problems with parts being faulty within 2 weeks of installation. Yikes.
Not worth the hassle
If you're looking for an auto parts store that makes it easy to shop, this won't be the one for you. You can't add your car to the search bar to help narrow the field, and the results aren't targeted to your searches either. With issues with faulty parts and refusing customers returns or replacements, Advance Auto Parts doesn't stand out for any aspect of the business. You deserve better service all around.
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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