ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[R07AG]

I've never heard of anyone getting counterfeit parts from RockAuto, that seems extremely unlikely. I have heard people claim they got counterfeit parts from Amazone and even the dealer.

Rockauto is essentially a drop shipper - they contract with the warehouse companies to supply the parts. Rockauto doesn't actually ship anything, it is the warehouse companies, and they vary in consistency and quality. There are a couple I avoid, but most are decent. You can tell where the parts are coming from by the shipping cost and timing.

In college I worked at a large automotive warehouse that shipped for RockAuto in the e-commerce area. Same parts as what you get in the store.

 

[ntsqd]

I have received what I think was a counterfeit part from RA. It was without a doubt a very sub-standard part. Even the packaging wasn't quite right. I did return it and was sent a replacement part that was a whole lot better. That was coming up on 10 years ago.
So one out of maybe as many as a 100 parts over 10 years.

 

[rd65]

I have used RA quite a bit, only ever had one problem with some brake rotors for the Miata, otherwise has been a good experience. A lot of times if I only need one or two parts, I will look them up on RA and then get that part number from the Amazon. No freight that way. The Napa store in town is pretty much a joke and the OReilly is, well, OReilly.

 

[aka Larry]

I don't order a ton from RA, mostly consumables like filters, but I have ordered a few parts here and there. No problems as of yet.

Regarding the chain stores, O'Reilly's is the best where I live. AutoZone is the worst, with Advance with a close second. Those two are in older run-down locations. NAPA here is more geared toward shops, so rarely go there.

 

[ntsqd]

Since we lost our in-town NAPA the O'Reillys is the next best option. There is a NAPA in the town where I work, and they get almost all of my business. When my hometown was smaller we had 4 good parts stores, only one of which had any sort of national affiliation (Carquest).
My grandfather dealt with his local parts house often enough that he had an account with them. They had no problem with an account not being a business, but then it was Ag or forestry in every direction out of that town, so I'm sure that he wasn't the only non-business account that they had.

 

[Xti04]

I use Advance as its about a mile from the house and I have a great relationship with my store. Good enough that they have even let me take stuff and just have the commercial guy bill it next day if its what I need. He even called this morning to give me first dibs on a line of fluids they were closing out for rebranding. Buying locally with him certainly has its perks, but he cant match everything. Rock auto and parts geek and their return processes and multiple item shipping make it a hassle.

 

[zmotorsports]

I use Advance as its about a mile from the house and I have a great relationship with my store. Good enough that they have even let me take stuff and just have the commercial guy bill it next day if its what I need. He even called this morning to give me first dibs on a line of fluids they were closing out for rebranding. Buying locally with him certainly has its perks, but he cant match everything. Rock auto and parts geek and their return processes and multiple item shipping make it a hassle.

This is how my relationship is with my local NAPA and Max been for decades. It was an independent auto parts store when I moved into the city in 1991 and I started using them exclusively when I built my shop a year or so later and when I opened my speed shop in 1997. Then around 2010 the owner sold out and it turned into NAPA, but about 70% of the counterman stayed. Several have retired and passed but I still deal with 2 people I dealt with from the early 90's, so there is a loyalty factor.

When we moved in 2016 and l built my new shop I still continue to use this particular NAPA, but I've started using the one that is only a couple miles from our new home due to convenience and I mostly because I want to build up a similar rapport for when I retire.

In High School I worked at two different independent auto parts stores, but that's back in a time when they were all independent and big chain auto parts stores weren't a thing yet. We all seemed to pull out of the same warehouses, but all individually owned and ran. I miss those days.

 

[WoodsTruck]

Growing up, we had a local parts house where a retired Ford parts guy ended up working. He new parts numbers better than the books.
It was always pretty cool to call and get "Bummer" on the phone, discuss what you needed, he'd guarantee the part, put it on the account and drop it by the house since he lived on up the road. Hard to get service like that living in the country.

 

[Scuderia-F1]

Mark, when I was buying from Rock Auto I also used only name brand parts and in a few cases OEM that were available for the specific vehicle. I still had a use part show up and several incorrect parts. Two of them on my son's Acura RDX alone when we did his timing job. Had to get the parts locally because the car was apart and then got dinged on the shipping because it was outside the 60-day window from when I bought the parts so ended up losing money, plus they would only do an in-house credit, not an actual refund. I thought I was doing a good thing by ordering the parts a little at a time to help my son out and have everything on the shelf beforehand, but it burned me in the end.

Then another issue with a Gates pulley and belt which were packaged incorrectly. Belt had a different number on it than the sleeve/package. Granted, they were good about refunding that one, but I still had the car apart when I found the error and NAPA came to the rescue.

I've just came to the conclusion lately that a few bucks here or there isn't worth my time and frustration when parts are incorrect.

if/when treated like that I immediately take my business elsewhere. Just for the peace of mind, money is secondary in this case.
I hear your story about Rock AIto, from people over here. But most of them continue giving them their business,, yet still keep complaining. I’ve never understood that. I’m like you Mike, I take my business where I’m well taken care of. With that said, I’ve started to see (just like you) a di approach towards warranties. But where I get my overall greatest experience, is where I chose to do my business.

It’s remarkable tho in this day and age, that quality is such a huge problem.

 

[Xti04]

This is how my relationship is with my local NAPA and Max been for decades. It was an independent auto parts store when I moved into the city in 1991 and I started using them exclusively when I built my shop a year or so later and when I opened my speed shop in 1997. Then around 2010 the owner sold out and it turned into NAPA, but about 70% of the counterman stayed. Several have retired and passed but I still deal with 2 people I dealt with from the early 90's, so there is a loyalty factor.

When we moved in 2016 and l built my new shop I still continue to use this particular NAPA, but I've started using the one that is only a couple miles from our new home due to convenience and I mostly because I want to build up a similar rapport for when I retire.

In High School I worked at two different independent auto parts stores, but that's back in a time when they were all independent and big chain auto parts stores weren't a thing yet. We all seemed to pull out of the same warehouses, but all individually owned and ran. I miss those days.

I worked for Advance in my youth as a second job after I got off work from the Audi dealer. 2006 or so. We still had paper catalogs where you could cross reference to or find parts not listed on the computer catalog. Learning how to find parts through paper catalogs especially for older domestic trucks and cars that I had never worked on gave me a lot of insight into how different these vehicles were from the modern German vehicles I was working on. We still had ignition module testers and the like so I also got to learn a lot about what failed and how those components worked in the different ignition systems. It added a lot of insight to my limited knowledge at the time, and I also picked up a good amount of side work installing brakes, starters, alternators and other parts peop bought but were in over their heads trying to install. The kids who work at my local store now take great care of me and I try to assist them as they learn the automotive world. I doubt any of them will ever have a career wrenching, but teaching them how systems work and answering questions for them is a great way to pass on some of the things I learned the hard way.

 

[zmotorsports]

I worked for Advance in my youth as a second job after I got off work from the Audi dealer. 2006 or so. We still had paper catalogs where you could cross reference to or find parts not listed on the computer catalog. Learning how to find parts through paper catalogs especially for older domestic trucks and cars that I had never worked on gave me a lot of insight into how different these vehicles were from the modern German vehicles I was working on. We still had ignition module testers and the like so I also got to learn a lot about what failed and how those components worked in the different ignition systems. It added a lot of insight to my limited knowledge at the time, and I also picked up a good amount of side work installing brakes, starters, alternators and other parts peop bought but were in over their heads trying to install. The kids who work at my local store now take great care of me and I try to assist them as they learn the automotive world. I doubt any of them will ever have a career wrenching, but teaching them how systems work and answering questions for them is a great way to pass on some of the things I learned the hard way.

Very similar experience. I worked in auto parts long before everything was on a computer database so I too was very familiar and knew my what around actual paper catalogs quite well.

The second parts store I worked at they let me arrange the catalog racks to my liking and I had most of the hard parts arranged by brand and then the next rack was performance catalogs. I prided myself on being the guy who could track down the oddball or unique components for customers. So much in fact that meant filled me from one arrow to the next.

That's kind of one of my pet peeves now when a counterperson goes down the list of questions in the computer knowing several of those questions make absolutely no difference to the part in question, and then look up and just say "sorry, we don't have it". I wanted to make sure the customer didn't leave without either the part in hand or at least on order.

 

[M.Brane]

I never worked parts, but my brother did so I learned about microfiche, and color matching just by hanging around. 20+ years ago when I got my '64 Falcon I went through the NPD catalogue, and cross referenced all the parts to rebuild the leaky PS/front end. I walked in, and handed the kid behind the counter a list of part #s he asks what they are for I said '64 Falcon he says they don't have any Falcon parts. I said you have a whole warehouse full the boxes just say Mustang on them.

 

[SilverJimmy]

Mike, you’ll love this! I got moved to Page, Az 1975 right before I started high school. At the time the power plant was still under construction so there was a lot happening there. In town for automotive parts we had a NAPA, BIG A, Western Auto, a couple independent parts houses, and Checker Auto.
I got a job at Checker Auto when I turned 16 (still have my name tag!) and worked there long enough to know that wasn’t my career path. And Checker Auto wasn’t what it is today, it was a small counter in the very back of the Yellow Front Store. We sold all the cheap stuff, Kraco Stereos, Rev Oil, Thrush mufflers, etc. Very much catered to the DIY crowd.
I did learn a bunch about parts, how to look stuff up, how part numbers worked amongst different manufacturers, knowledge that I still use to this day. The best thing to come from my time there was that I developed a great relationship with the owner of the NAPA store. He gave me free reign of his entire store after he figured out that I could look up my own parts, pull them off the shelf, and get them invoiced properly.
It was fun when he’d hire a new counter guy and I’d walk in and go look for something and all that guy saw was some snot nosed kid going where I shouldn’t be and try to stop me only to have Gene tell him “It’s okay, that’s Sterling”! Very humbling to have been given that much respect and trust at such a young age.

 

[humpty]

We just had this conversation the other day...

How can the teenage kids at the local hardware store be more helpful and capable than many of the grown A** adults at the Autozone, O'Reilly,s, etc.?

 

[rd65]

I'll leave these here for you. Out of a 67 Mustang that was a 390 car originally, had a mess of a 302 in it when I bought it. Shop handed me these when I had the rear end checked out. Ignore the flange nut, it was something that fell down the intake of my 68 Scout w/ a 266.

 

[PhantomEB]

I will use RA when I know the parts store or dealer will have to order the part in, then at least I get a magnet with it?

 

[swsman]

I use Rock Auto primarily for a bulk filter buy (air/oil/cabin), and some other bits in general.

That said I have ordered rotors, brake pads, even a set of struts for an Impreza - no issues.

As of recent I have purchased a steering rack for moms '11 Impala. So far, so good.

My auto shop owner friend has a commercial account with Auto Zone, have gotten stuff there from time to time.

Have bought from a local Ford dealer too for my daily F250.

It boils down to my present need, how quickly I need to be back up and running, labor is mine.

I have worked parts counter in the past, for CarQuest and Auto Zone. Remember books, I did use them while at CarQuest.

Like some others mentioned, I look up/cross reference part numbers before stepping a foot in the store, or when ordering online. Nice to be able to see if item is in stock as well, before heading there.

 

[zmotorsports]

Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

The wife and I took off for a few days and headed to the San Rafael Swell for some off-roading. Unfortunately, the first day it rained and rained which made the trails a muddy and gooey mess.

I racked the Jeep earlier in the week and gave it a once over in preparation for the trip. We opted not to take the coach this trip as the weather was going to be iffy.





I strapped the Roto-pax mount and tanks onto the spare. I really don't like the looks of these things and at the Swell is really the only place we run them. With the Swell area being so remote and far from town combined with how many fallen rocks we've seen in the area and few people we come across, it is not out of the question to get quite a ways down a trail thinking you'll pop out on the pavement only to have a fallen rock or washout and have to turn around. I would rather carry a little extra fuel and not need it than need it and not have it.


The drive down Thursday afternoon was very wet the entire drive and we even hit snow going over Soldier's Summit.


We had to hit Ray's Tavern for dinner once we arrived. Their food never disappoints and I think we are beginning to be considered "regulars" as the owners have recognized us the last couple of trips.


Friday we headed north thinking we would stick to a more heavily traveled road with as much moisture as the area had received, but we drove about a quarter mile down the trail and I said "nope, we're not doing this today". It was a muddy and gooey mess and covered the Jeep's undercarriage and body in that short distance. So we went back to the pavement and decided to drive down towards Moab and drive through Arches National Park as it is has been about 5 years since we have been through the park.









There weren't many people, which was very nice, but the weather really wasn't conducive to doing much hiking around, so it was a drive-through day.


Stay tuned for more pictures.

 

[zmotorsports]

Saturday was a completely different story however and the sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky.


What a difference only 24-hours can make in the desert. Friday was a muddy mess and Saturday was dry and in some areas even dusty. Here we're airing down for the day.


The reef area of the San Rafael Swell has some spectacular rock formations.


We decided to run Black Dragon Wash at the beginning of the day. We were worried it might be muddy, but we only saw a couple of puddles of standing water and they were up near the exit of the canyon where the water was in the depressions in the rock. Anywhere with dirt or sand was completely dry, but the freshly washed rock canyon walls sure provided us some amazing colors.


After coming out of the wash and past Jackass benches and Rattlesnake flats, we headed south under I-70 and headed towards Red's Canyon for the remainder of the day.





Looking towards Red's Canyon from McKay Flats. We got skunked this trip and didn't see the herd of wild horses. I think this is only the second trip to the Swell where we didn't see the horses.


Dropping down into Red's Canyon.


As we were climbing back up out of the canyon and heading back towards I-70 we were just talking about this being the area where the rocks had fallen a few years ago and we had to climb over and around a few large rock that had fallen, when we came around a bend and saw this monster which had just fallen within the past 24-hours.


That came down a long ways and if you look closely at the divot in the dirt, you can see it had to have fallen after the prior days storm because the dirt isn't washed away from the base of the rock.






Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

Another funny story. I think I've shared a few different times when we've been out and about on vacation somewhere when we've been stopped due to either our coach or Jeep being recognized. We stopped in the big metropolis of Wellington, UT to stretch out legs and use the restroom and as we were walking out of the convenience store and heading to our Jeep I heard someone yell my name across the parking lot. There were a couple of Jeeps fueling up at the pumps and a guy was walking towards me asking if my name is Mike? I replied and he turned to his buddy and wife and said "see, I told ya". He had recognized our Jeep when they pulled in, so we chatted for a few minutes as they were heading towards Moab to run a few trails and we were heading home from the Swell.

 

[LXCam]

Saturday was a completely different story however and the sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky.


What a difference only 24-hours can make in the desert. Friday was a muddy mess and Saturday was dry and in some areas even dusty. Here we're airing down for the day.


The reef area of the San Rafael Swell has some spectacular rock formations.


We decided to run Black Dragon Wash at the beginning of the day. We were worried it might be muddy, but we only saw a couple of puddles of standing water and they were up near the exit of the canyon where the water was in the depressions in the rock. Anywhere with dirt or sand was completely dry, but the freshly washed rock canyon walls sure provided us some amazing colors.


After coming out of the wash and past Jackass benches and Rattlesnake flats, we headed south under I-70 and headed towards Red's Canyon for the remainder of the day.





Looking towards Red's Canyon from McKay Flats. We got skunked this trip and didn't see the herd of wild horses. I think this is only the second trip to the Swell where we didn't see the horses.


Dropping down into Red's Canyon.


As we were climbing back up out of the canyon and heading back towards I-70 we were just talking about this being the area where the rocks had fallen a few years ago and we had to climb over and around a few large rock that had fallen, when we came around a bend and saw this monster which had just fallen within the past 24-hours.


That came down a long ways and if you look closely at the divot in the dirt, you can see it had to have fallen after the prior days storm because the dirt isn't washed away from the base of the rock.






Thanks for looking.

Wuuf! That’s a big fricking rock and it’d sure f ya flat if your luck ran out.

As always Mike, I luv the pics and stories bud. I’m hoping my schedule backs off a bit in the next couple months so the wife and I can go do some off roading in that same area before summer hits.

 

[civhatch90]

Thanks for looking.

This pic is super cool! Thanks for sharing all your work and adventures! Always an interesting read.

 

[zmotorsports]

Wuuf! That’s a big fricking rock and it’d sure f ya flat if your luck ran out.

As always Mike, I luv the pics and stories bud. I’m hoping my schedule backs off a bit in the next couple months so the wife and I can go do some off roading in that same area before summer hits.

Agreed Cam. As the wife and I were driving away, we kept looking up and realizing that this is the 3rd large rock slide in this same area we've seen now in the past several years. Kind of gave us an eery feeling until we cleared the outcroppings.

 

[PhantomEB]

I love Moab and wish we could get the Bronco Safari back there in 2027. Lately all the red tape etc drove the Bronco Safari up to Vernal.

Hoping to do Utah next year.

 

[Xti04]

Agreed Cam. As the wife and I were driving away, we kept looking up and realizing that this is the 3rd large rock slide in this same area we've seen now in the past several years. Kind of gave us an eery feeling until we cleared the outcroppings.

After the snow and old weather we had a couple weeks ago I headed up to Scott Co ,TN Friday for work. There was a fresh rockslide that had stopped right at the edge of the road. This is up past the Royal Blue/ Brimstone offroad area. With the crazy weather here we have had several rockslides, even onto interstate and main highways.

 

[ntsqd]

A friend of mine was able to slip his Rotopax between the spare tire and the body with ample room by placing them side by side with their large faces facing fore/aft. One on each side of the tire support tube, but almost fully behind the tire. Possibly an option for you?

 

[zmotorsports]

A friend of mine was able to slip his Rotopax between the spare tire and the body with ample room by placing them side by side with their large faces facing fore/aft. One on each side of the tire support tube, but almost fully behind the tire. Possibly an option for you?

Not an option as my CB and GMRS mounts as well as my Hi-Lift mounting bracket is located there. Plus, I'm not a big fan of closing that gap between the spare and the rear glass as I have seen too many people hit their rear tire and shatter the rear glass on the trail. I actually like having them mounted on the spare tire and the San Rafael Swell area is the only place I run them. Otherwise the Rotopax are not on my Jeep.

 

[ntsqd]

Bummer. His actually fit in the "shadow" of the tire support structure (which has his 2M antenna on it as well) so they weren't as close to the body as what was already there. We're almost always pushing our range on our "Guy" trips (as my wife calls them), so spare fuel is always on the trucks.
Example, Diana's Punchbowl, but we didn't come in from Austin or Tonopah, we came in from Ely by way of a private ranch near where Hamilton, NV used to be.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thom, it could be that when I built my rear bumper and tire carrier I kept it as tight and tucked up close the tailgate as possible to reduce the weight hanging off the rear, which in turn, closed up the gap between the tire and glass.

 

[ntsqd]

That would tend to inhibit putting anything else in there!

 

[larry4406]

Bummer. His actually fit in the "shadow" of the tire support structure (which has his 2M antenna on it as well) so they weren't as close to the body as what was already there. We're almost always pushing our range on our "Guy" trips (as my wife calls them), so spare fuel is always on the trucks.
Example, Diana's Punchbowl, but we didn't come in from Austin or Tonopah, we came in from Ely by way of a private ranch near where Hamilton, NV used to be.

I had to look Diana's Punchbowl up. Don't fall into the 200F water!!!

Diana's Punchbowl​

 

[ntsqd]

It may look like we're pretty caviler about the edge, we're anything but. From the rim you can see the water boiling in spots. It can be windy enough there that too close to the edge is obviously ill-advised.
What it looks like from the road going to it:

 

[SilverJimmy]

Okay Mike, I need a @zmotorsports opinion on this. My 2021 JL Rubicon Extreme has a problem. Right front shock, a Rubicon Red shock, has **** the bed, leaking oil. At only 24k on the clock. I have an extended warranty that will replace it, with a $100 deductible. I’m thinking that if that one has failed, and probably it’s brothers and sisters are not far behind, so, do I pay a Benjamin and get that one taken care of, or do I just bite the bullet and just replace all with something better, like the Bilstein 5100’s? This Jeep is really my wife’s car of choice, and what we flat tow behind our truck/camper rig. We do have a trip planned end of May up to Wyoming and the Jackson area, so I want what is best for our use, what’s your idea and or recommendation? Bilsteins…. Or something better that I don’t know about?

 

[SilverJimmy]

Thanks!

 

[zmotorsports]

Okay Mike, I need a @zmotorsports opinion on this. My 2021 JL Rubicon Extreme has a problem. Right front shock, a Rubicon Red shock, has **** the bed, leaking oil. At only 24k on the clock. I have an extended warranty that will replace it, with a $100 deductible. I’m thinking that if that one has failed, and probably it’s brothers and sisters are not far behind, so, do I pay a Benjamin and get that one taken care of, or do I just bite the bullet and just replace all with something better, like the Bilstein 5100’s? This Jeep is really my wife’s car of choice, and what we flat tow behind our truck/camper rig. We do have a trip planned end of May up to Wyoming and the Jackson area, so I want what is best for our use, what’s your idea and or recommendation? Bilsteins…. Or something better that I don’t know about?

That ***** with only 21k miles on them Sterling. Unfortunately, yours is not the only one I've heard of crapping out so soon.

I have a few clients who are running the adjustable Falcons from Teraflex, but they are really overkill for most of their applications. For most people that use their Jeeps as daily drivers/weekend wheelers I really have two choices that I personally recommend and it comes down to just how much time off-road the Jeep will see.

For those that seldom see rough off-road and like a bit smoother ride, I recommend the Bilstein 5100's like you mentioned. The other one is for those who do a bit more off-road driving and do see some of them at speed and for those people I recommend the Fox 2.0 IFP version. They also make a remote reservoir that I recommend for those who want to go to the next step as the remote reservoir does aid in keeping the shock's internal fluids a little cooler. However, the standard Fox 2.0 IFP (Internal Floating Piston) does an excellent job both on and off-road, it is just a little "firmer" of a ride than the Bilstein 5100.

Hope that helps Sterling.

 

[SilverJimmy]

Thanks Mike. To be clear, how does the Bilstein compare to the stock red shock? As this has become my wife’s around town ride I’m thinking I don’t want to go all offroad with it as that seems to be a slippery path that would soon lead me to installing an “Angry” grill….
With hundreds of ducks obscuring the front windshield!

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks Mike. To be clear, how does the Bilstein compare to the stock red shock? As this has become my wife’s around town ride I’m thinking I don’t want to go all offroad with it as that seems to be a slippery path that would soon lead me to installing an “Angry” grill….
With hundreds of ducks obscuring the front windshield!

Sterling, if you install and angry grille and have your dash lined with ducks I will ban you from my thread.


As for the comparison between the OEM "red" shocks and the Bilstein's, I really don't have a good comparison because the couple I have swapped out or advised on replacements for the OEM shocks were quite bad by the time I rode in them so anything would be better. However, the owners have claimed to have their ride returned to them to the best of their recollection.

The ones that have gone with the Fox 2.0's really liked the little extra firmness, especially keeping the tires in contact with the road on rough terrain, but those are two different groups of users.

 

[SilverJimmy]

I’ve actually had to tell people to NOT put one of their stupid ducks on our Jeep! The guy was so confused, why would we not want a duckie for our Jeepie….

 

[PugetDude]

I’ve actually had to tell people to NOT put one of their stupid ducks on our Jeep! The guy was so confused, why would we not want a duckie for our Jeepie….

Explanation for the non Jeepies?

 

[zmotorsports]

Explanation for the non Jeepies?

For those non-Jeep people out there, the angry grilles are the aftermarket grilles that have a tapered area near each headlight. Basically they take an already small surface area of cooling capacity and make it much smaller. So the owners who install them are paying to have an overheating issue and make their cooling systems work extra hard. Makes no sense to me and I did a whole video on my YouTube channel explaining the reasons to keep the grille area free of obstructions, including sinking winches down in the frame rails and not placing lights in front of the air flow path.


As for the ducks, it is a trend started a few years back of Jeep owners recognizing other Jeep owners by placing a small rubber duck on their Jeep. Think of it as a "thumbs up" from one Jeep owner to another. Unfortunately, the trend has grown so much momentum that people are lining their dashes with all of their ducks that they've obtained.

What's funny is it seems those who can add the most bolt on accessories to their Jeeps and make them the most "mall-crawler-ish" seem to get the most ducks, which is why I personally despise the trend and reject it altogether. Simply makes no sense to me that people will add things to their Jeeps with the sole reason to obtain ducks (ie. other's approval).

Off my high horse now.