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Posted

Jeez, I wish I got that!!! O'reilly's hardly gives me any discount. I've seen where it's cheaper for a customer to walk in and get it. I'm getting ready to drop their certified auto program because of it and look more towards worldpac. Worldpac delivery is hard for us since we don't have a local one, but sometimes it's worth it. It's certainly not worth O'Reilly's threatening a $100 membership fee if I don't buy enough.

Posted

With Advance I have a platinum account and we do all our brake pads with them. We get their Gold Ceramics for $23.99. Doesn't matter which car, Bmw, Mercedes Audi you name it. 

With bigger ticketed items, depending on the sutuation, I ask for a better price. But the best deal is Autozone. They will slash their prices next to nothing to earn business. But for some reason, we just don't deal with autozone too much. It's just that feeling in the back of my mind that quality isn't that great no matter how low the cost. 

Brake pad wise, we have used everybody. Oreilly, Napa, autozone, advance, online etc. hands down lowest comeback percentage with noise etc is Advances Golds. Maybe like 1 out of 300 come back for a slight squeal. Napas pads are almost twice the price and comeback rate was like 40%! Greased pads, used disc brake quiet and everything 

 

  • Like 1
Posted
  On 3/10/2017 at 8:37 PM, mmotley said:

Jeez, I wish I got that!!! O'reilly's hardly gives me any discount. I've seen where it's cheaper for a customer to walk in and get it. I'm getting ready to drop their certified auto program because of it and look more towards worldpac. Worldpac delivery is hard for us since we don't have a local one, but sometimes it's worth it. It's certainly not worth O'Reilly's threatening a $100 membership fee if I don't buy enough.

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I'd drop em. Too many competition out there for them to threaten you with petty stuff. Tell them you're going to go with technet lol

Posted
  On 3/10/2017 at 5:19 PM, sparkerauto said:

I use advance auto for my main supplier and they are giving me 15% off.  Does this sound about right ?

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I just remembered, when I first started out and before I had a commercial account, I was getting 20% off..... I bought everything on AAP website with their 20% off code. I stood in line at the store, bought on my phone and they would pull it for me lol. In fact, I even did this after I got a physical location for a while. Commercial manager just ended up giving me ridiculous deals so that he wouldn't lose to the online store. Believe it or not, the store doesn't get credit for online orders, completely separate part of the  company 

Posted

I use World Pac and SSF due to the fact that I am an import and Saab service center. I do have Oreillys, Advanced and Car quest accounts but SSF and World Pac are my main 2 sources. I have gotten Oreillys to start stocking certain import parts for me since they are 3 doors down but prices are a little higher. 

Posted

I have had decent luck with advance. They give me an across the board pricing of $34.99 for platinum pads. I have had some fitment issues and had to grind some imperfections off the ears that slide into the caliper bracket. 

Radiators, condensers, compressors i get from Cold Air Distributors. They carry name brands and blow the prices out of the water.  Worldpac is good but deliveries take a bit. 

I do wiper stocking through advance and carry a rack of cheapo basic wipers (Kleenview) and they are actually decent. I also stock a rack of beam blades (Xtraclear) and they are fine for the price. Many times customers go for the better but some buy the cheapos and i normally dont lose the sale. 

Their oil filters are supposedly made by Mann Hummel and are fairly cheap. 

Get the commercial sales manager out to your garage and have a chat and tell him what you want and ask what he can do for you. 

Posted
  On 3/13/2017 at 2:07 AM, after6tuning@aol.com said:

I have had decent luck with advance. They give me an across the board pricing of $34.99 for platinum pads. I have had some fitment issues and had to grind some imperfections off the ears that slide into the caliper bracket. 

Radiators, condensers, compressors i get from Cold Air Distributors. They carry name brands and blow the prices out of the water.  Worldpac is good but deliveries take a bit. 

I do wiper stocking through advance and carry a rack of cheapo basic wipers (Kleenview) and they are actually decent. I also stock a rack of beam blades (Xtraclear) and they are fine for the price. Many times customers go for the better but some buy the cheapos and i normally dont lose the sale. 

Their oil filters are supposedly made by Mann Hummel and are fairly cheap. 

Get the commercial sales manager out to your garage and have a chat and tell him what you want and ask what he can do for you. 

Expand  

Lol yes the Kleenviews. $1.99, I have sold a couple of those.

Posted

I did away with all my cheap wipers. Do the math. Pay $1.99 sell $7.99 you make $6. and you know they aren't going to last. Why not pay $7.99 for a much better blade sell for $17.99 make $10? Customers needs are much better met, you make more. I don't believe anybody that comes in with a broken wiper will say no to a $20 fix. You can transfer that mentality to every aspect of your business. Sorry to come across gruff but the parts stores push their garbage on us and it's exactly garbage. 

As pricing goes, we shop around even when we don't have the time. The parts store matrix will jack up your price over time if you become loyal to one supplier. It makes me sick and every shop owner has felt it if they've been around long enough. The only way to combat the creep is to shop them hard. Usually once we start feeling comfortable is when we realize we are overpaying by a few %. Your sales guy will remind you that you are marking up the higher price thus it's a good thing. What they forget or ignore is it's not good to overcharge your customers, the ones that matter the most. 

AZ & others have online coupons for 20% off to anyone that can click a mouse. Something to think about when they are pumping the preferred customer diamond platinum smoke up your you know what. 

Lastly on my rant here is the quality control on aftermarket parts has become so bad I'm thinking about only using oem dealer parts. My reputation suffers when that garbage wheel bearing or power steering component or fuel pump fails in 6 or 8 months. The OE pumps last 10 years. Airtex? I'd bet the farm it ain't going half that. I'm the guy that has to say "your original battery lasted 8 years, great, thanks to corporate greed your new (insert and parts store unit) will last 2 years at best. Thanks please come again" 

 

  • Like 2
Posted
  On 3/13/2017 at 3:00 AM, xrac said:

Does anyone on here do business with 1-800-Radiator? 

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I've used them a few times. Super super cheap pricing. Half of what Napa was with radiators. They have radiators in stock where Napa and every other parts store would have to special order. We only use them once in a blue moon, too inconvenient to order and iffy on the quality.

I have used their ac compressor kits for price but we are a Napa car care center and rather have Napa warranty our labor in case compressor goes out.

Posted
  On 3/13/2017 at 3:18 AM, xrac said:

There stock, pricing and warranty is excellent.  Radiaitor and heater core quality has been o.k.  They are now selling fuel pumps and that quality may be iffy. 

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Interesting that they are selling fuel pumps. Do you know what brand?

Posted

My experience with 1800radiator hasn't been great. Ive had too many come backs, and always replace them with a better quality part. I stopped using them. Although its tempting with their super cheap prices.

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  • 1 month later...
Posted
  On 3/13/2017 at 3:00 AM, xrac said:

Does anyone on here do business with 1-800-Radiator? 

Expand  

I have in the past. Radiators and condensers seemed ok, never had issues but they were somewhat "generic" in their fit, Fuel pumps...that's a different story, multiple failures, tows, and frustrated customers put a stop to that quickly. No more fuel pumps.

  • Like 2
Posted
  On 3/13/2017 at 3:00 AM, xrac said:

Does anyone on here do business with 1-800-Radiator? 

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Sometimes. Depends on what it is, and what they have available.  When they have known-brands, like KoyoRad etc, I jump on them because they're far cheaper than what I can get anywhere else. I shop value, not price and have yet to have an issue with anything from 1-800-Radiator. Except a radiator for a 1992 Buick Century that was simply the wrong part for the car. They took it back no questions asked.

Posted

As for brakes, we use Autozone gold pads and the lower rotors. We always buy pads and rotors as a set. For cars $79.95 and trucks / SUVs $99.95. I'm not sure if all the gold pads are made by Bosch, but I know some are. I can't remember if we ever had a come back for squeaking, but every now and then we will have a come back for pulsation. Been using them for 5 yrs come next month.

Radiator and AC parts we use Performance Radiator. We are their #1 buyer in SE Louisiana area. I know this bc I received a phone call from corporate thanking us for our business. Not too many warranties from their parts, acceptable I would say.

We do have a lot of comebacks for remanufactured alternator and starters, whether it's NAPA or AZ. I don't keep track, but it may be about 20% to 25%. I try to get the new ones from NAPA or AZ if available. Not too many new ones come back.

Ignition coils. Almost every one seems to come back for Nissan and VW coils from AZ. I try to get the Atrom brand from NAPA when available.


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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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