any one having any problems with NAPA products---one guy told me he got an Echlin switch and it was made in China--another got a Thermostat --made in Israel .Im going to be buying front coil springs soon and don't want Chinese junk---anybody have good or bad expierence with their springs,or know who makes them for Napa?
Napa is OK. Tell them that you want USA parts upfront. If they are available, they can get them for you. Good luck!
I always ask for springs made in Korea .Stay away from the Chinese ones.Im just kidding .I didnt know that Napa was selling this crap like Autozone and O'reilly's do...
It has nothing to do with who you buy the parts from. It has to do with how cheap you are. You can go just about anywhere and buy the good stuff,but if you want a deal...guess what,your buying the junk. Everyone sells junk,but everyone usually has the good stuff too.
ive always had better luck with napa than autozone or kragens , but your going to have to search around to find U.S made stuff anywhere you go , good luck
I want to say MOOG suspension parts are still made here but, who knows now a days. NAPA aways seemed to have better quality electrical parts (alts, starters, etc) but, where that stuffs made...again. who knows. Your best bet is to ask for USA made but, I've done that and came home with foreign parts
MG T series guys (who are really kind of "techy" believe it or not) say the NAPA brake light switches are light-duty and don't last very long. They recommend a heavy-duty switch from Ron Francis Wiring. Supposed to last forever.
I can't speak about all NAPA stores, but the one here caters to the local auto repair shops that have to stand behind their work. Because of that, they tend to source their parts with more regard for quality. Yes, some of their parts are made offshore, but they're a much better quality than the offshore crap I've seen at other chain parts stores where the customer is a "walk in" who just wants parts cheap. If I go in a parts store, and there's a revolving rack of those air fresheners that hang on the rear view mirror, I walk out. Bob
Napa parts are very good, there switches, stoplight, headlamp,etc have fallen of in the last few years
Napa is usually priced more than autozone and advanced but a few years ago, friend of mine bought a 95' lumina with a 3.4 dual over head cam. When trying to replace the timing belt autozone and advances mexican made belt wouldnt let the timing markers line up right. The teeth where wider. Took it back, went to napa and fit perfectly.
I bought 4 Moog tie rods a couple years ago, for my daily driver. 3 were labeled made in USA, one made in Mexico. Now one of them is worn out.
guess what? napa sells the same foriegn crap that all the others do. ive worked at auto zone and advanced and shopped at napa for years. their rotors are from honduras and mexico as are most of their chassis parts. ours are from china or canada. not even buying trw or moog will ensure you are buying an american part. ive seen them come from romania poland and the czeck republic. napa also farmed out their alternators and starters to mexico. the days when napa sold superior quality parts are all gone. everybody needs to wake up and smell the coffee. the only thing you are getting from napa is financially raped . they do have the best marketing dept. in the business though. thats what everybody is paying for. at least the other parts stores arent lying to you telling you how weve got the good stuff. the best b.s. maybe
I bought a set of points for my straight 8, cost me about 18.00. lasted about 250 miles. They broke at the pivot point. I had never experienced this before, and have always bought my points from there. Usually, I would blame it on being cheap, but I stated that I wanted the best they could get. Nothing at all against my local NAPA store, I've been coming in there since I was a kid tagging along with my Dad, the same family has run that parts house for many years, however, they were not always franchised by NAPA.
Welcome to N.A.F.T.A. boys. I can't get American brake rotors anymore. The irony is that the foundry where my dad retired from that made them is about 1/4 mile from my shop! Much of the foundry equipment is now in...wait for it...Columbia!
Most all auto part companies buy where its cheapest. NAPA is no exception. I use their starters and alternators and never have had a problem. I use their switches on my LSR bike and sidecar. Both are powered by 500cc singles and 500cc singles do more than vibrate. They shake. Never had a problem with NAPA switches or any of their other products. Their rotors are made in Canada and other countries. Their brake drums are chinese. Some parts are made in America but as we have developed a Harbor Frieght mentality its too expensive to say made in America on the box. NAPA is very good for honoring guarantees. I never had a problem with them.
when i go into napa the guy i deal with asks me if i want good quality or the best they offer-better off paying a couple of extra dollars
Bottom line, you get what you pay for. If you have a choice between a $35 one and a $80 one, I would go for the $80 or somewhere in the middle. $35 is going to break too early. I go to rockauto.com for all my parts if I'm not in a hurry. Local if I'm in a hurry. Lots of choices of quality of parts for each one you look at. -Mark
Ok boys and girls, as a NAPA sales rep I may be a little bias, BUT hear me out. First of all thank you guys for the kind words of NAPA, we do try as a company to strive for excelence. Firingorder1: "NAPA is very good for honoring guarantees. I never had a problem with them. " This right here is one of the corner stones of NAPA, Though MOST of or Jobbers "stores" are independantly owned, we have the backing to take care of our customers IF and WHEN a problem occurs. And Yes we do sell off shore items, almost all of our value lines are. SOME of our premiums are not for instance, Echlin parts are still made here in Texas, Our Batteries in the Northwest are made by Johnson Controls in Oregon. Brake drums and rotors with anyone EXCEPT specialties are going to be a crap shoot folks, One day India the next who knows! Our premium Napa chassis is a great line look at the difference is ball joint construction some day! Wix builds Napa filters which is still one of the only manufactures recomended by more O.e. than any other "aftermarket" filter. I'll get off my soap box i'll end with the NAPA jobber that I work for has been in business since 1936 under one family. They have been a NAPA since the begining. unlike big A, 5 star, 4 star, shucks, kragen, now Oreily's, parts plus, us auto force, Pam oil, and all the fly by night warehouses, napa has been around since 1925. We take pride in what we sell and are proud of our reputation that we have built. Get the good stuff is not just the parts, it's the people, the warrenty, the reputation for the best. thanks. <!-- / message -->
Oreilly= Moog,Wix,Bca,National Seal,Federal Mogul,Sealed Power,Precision u joints,Monroe,Borg Warner Ign,Ac Delco,Motorcraft,Delphi,Etc,Etc!! I would never put Oreilly and AutoZone in the same catagory, Napa,CarQuest,Oreilly,Parts Plus,Pronto, all have the better stuff and the cheaper stuff its what the Customer wants. Back to the question, I would Ask fo MOOG for new springs.
Im a service writer here in Michigan and I deal with Napa everyday.They do have a cheap version of almost every part.They have always stood behind there parts and unlike AZ we dont have repeats for faulty parts.
I have noticed the last several years napa has gone downhill.Parts seem to be getting crappier and prices going up.went to get a set of brake pads for wifes van asked for the good ones and they bring up some made in china.they wanted around $60 for them too.I have started going to the dealer for parts.
Napa is getting to be like autozone and oreilly, went to buy some 60 type motor mounts for sbc started at autozone was china went to all the places and napa last , asked the guy if his motor mounts were usa or china. He said i am sure they are usa, ok great i"ll take them, but when he brings them up to the counter he says i"ll be dam, thesr are made in indonesia,no thanks i said , finally bought some from a vendor at a swap meet good ol usa made
They can make good stuff or crap overseas,just like they've always made good stuff and crap right here in the USA. You have to know what you are buying,know who you are buying from and be willing to spend the money it takes to get good quality. And stop fooling yourselves-it has always been about the money.
The automatic trunk release mechanisim in my parents 2003 Chevy Impala has "Made in China" printed right on it. They are the original owners and bought it right off the showroom floor. I shopped around to find a good USA made flexplate for my Ford pickup. I had to pull the motor again after I discovered the ring gear was welded on crooked. I could go on and on about the junk I've gotten in recent years.
No matter what you buy and where you buy it, you should always inspect it for quality first. I try like hell to get parts made here but when i can't get them i ask about the warranty. Sometimes i have to make do with what is available and that sucks but i make sure i'm not just buying a guaranteed piece of shit in a box. NAPA is the place to go for old parts in my little MO town and after that O'reillys or rockauto.com. AutoZone only wants to sell shit you do not need and the little packets of light bulb grease and brake anti-squeak they get free from the manufacturer. Anyway... In a "Global Economy" you just can't help gettin' a little bit of the globe on ya now and then. What if the box said "Made in 'some other foreign country but one that you (for whatever reason) feel better about'"?
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