Sounds like its like buying an alternator at Advance. Worst mistake you can make, if I don't go dealer, then its off to NAPA. For things like pumps, and alternators, I have found that is best next to going to the dealer.

 

Here in Texas near Houston we have a parts distributor called XL parts. Many parts houses buy from them... They sell genuine Mopar, ACDelco, and motorcraft... you get dealer parts for ALOT less...

 

I managed an Advance auto parts for three years, my experience was that NAPA and Oreillys had the better parts and a more knowledgeable staff, we carried middle quality parts and had a good but young staff, eager to help but not very knowledgeable. I remember when we started to get in China made parts, they were half the price of american made parts and the american consumer chose cheap over quality, The bearings were one of the first parts to come in but you could feel and see the difference in quality and we started to get allot of returns on the china made parts within six months, everything from wheel bearings to water pumps even remaned short blocks. When I rebuilt the front end in my Ranger the only place I could find american made bearings was at the Ford dealership. Close to where I live is a very good Dodge dealership, The parts are Chrysler and their prices are close and sometimes beat NAPA and Oreillys, I usually start there when looking for parts so not all dealerships are out to fleece you, just my two cents

 

It's really sad to have watched the shift from half decent products over to cheap inferior products and.. seeing people pay the same if not more for those cheaper products. It's really sad and we as a country allowed this to happen. You can blame the government or who ever but at the end of the day we as a nation; a people are responsible for their actions. When are we gonna wake up and smell the sewage?



But speaking of Advance; I will say I got one of their Fan Clutches for about half what AZ and O'R wanted.. and they are pretty much the same part just different label on the box across all 3 stores..

I bought their Gold Boxed Brake pads for my jeep wrangler; my calipers locked up on me and i drove the Jeep home that way because i didnt have the $$ for a tow; and you know what when my paw and i took those off they still looked bran new blv. it or not.. and I smelt brakes burning all the way home.. it was about a 20 mil drive and they impressed the hell out of me..