Anyone else notice Rockauto going downhill?

"MM54" (mm54mk2)
08/27/2016 at 19:37 • Filed to: Potential Rant

I used to order tons of parts from there without issue, but lately it’s been, at best, frustrating. Particularly their warehouse/shipping scam system - and I’m not even talking about how they easily charge 2x the actual shipping cost (I’m starting to think their margins come from “shipping” charges).

For example, based on the order you put them in the cart I’ve gotten drastically different “which warehouse is this in” results. When I ordered drum brake hardware a while ago, I found adding a second (unneeded) $4 adjuster reduced the entire order from four to two warehouses, reducing shipping by $25+. Needless to say, I have a spare adjuster.

Just this evening I was ordering brake parts for the Crown Vic to overhaul the brakes next weekend/week/whenever I get time and had rotors in the cart. In the catalog the pads were listed as the same warehouse, then in the cart they split into a different one. I called them, and after being on hold for 10 minutes spoke with someone who, after interrupting me while explaining how to create the issue (“So what’s the problem?” he interjected, as I explained the problem...) told me it was based on the quantity. The quantity is one (I told him this and he sort of brushed it off). The answer was then “Well there’s nothing I can do for you. Bye *Click*”

So is it just me (and my admittedly low tolerance for simple computer things that don’t work right and people-after-being-on-hold) or have they been going downhill? It’s a shame because I like their magnets.

As an aside, I was able to get the brake pads for about 40% less from Amazon anyways. They only had one of each rotor though, which is dumb.

DISCUSSION (10)

Birddog > MM54
08/27/2016 at 19:55

I only order from RA if they have a closeout item. (The tune up parts for Crusty totalled $32 with shipping, all closeout items)

Amazon is my go-to for almost everything lately.

LongbowMkII > MM54
08/27/2016 at 20:04

I took me a full week to get my plug wires. It would have been annoying if I didn't keep getting slowed up by life.

Textured Soy Protein > MM54
08/27/2016 at 20:04

Usually there are coupon codes out there that can compensate for the shipping charges.

They mostly irritate me because I live literally 3 miles from them but there’s no option for local pickup. But whatever, sometimes they have the best deal.

For my BMW parts, there are lots of other options like Tischer BMW (getBMWparts.com) and ECS Tuning, along with Amazon. I shop around.

MM54 > Textured Soy Protein
08/27/2016 at 20:13

I’ve only ever come across the typical 5% off codes, which usually just sort of make a ding in shipping.

I’ve also noticed that it tends to be cheaper (like... substantially) to ship to my work address than home - it’s 3 miles away but a different zip code that I guess is cheaper. Today’s order was $24 there vs $33 to my house. I’m travelling for work all week, but there will be rotors on my desk when I get back...

MM54 > LongbowMkII
08/27/2016 at 20:15

I think they recently started offering (and defaulting to) DHL on small/light orders. I’ve never had DHL take less than a week for anything, and will pay the extra couple dollars for ground 3-5 day when presented the option. It once took DHL just over three weeks to deliver a couple cards of old SIMM memory for my printer from Florida to western PA.

MM54 > Birddog
08/27/2016 at 20:17

Yeah, I haven’t ordered much in terms of car parts from Amazon but if this keeps up I may end up using rockauto’s catalog to find part numbers to then buy on Amazon like I did my brake pads today. The pads were much cheaper, but the rotors were listed for more (and not enough in stock).

LongbowMkII > MM54
08/27/2016 at 20:18

Yup DHL.

Aero > MM54
08/27/2016 at 21:00

I’ve pretty much stopped using them. The prices are sometimes slightly cheaper than Amazon, but I often experience the same warehouse shuffling issue that causes shipping prices to be unpredictable. I’ve got an account at a local parts store that saves me a lot off of the list price, so between them and Amazon I’m pretty set.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > MM54
08/27/2016 at 21:01

That’s a common thing with many online retailers. Sometimes it makes more sense to get the part that costs $1 more so you can save $20 in shipping. Amazon can be terrible for shit like that. One time I had an order for $100 worth of product with $90 worth of shipping charges... had to hit the back button and change things up so I could get shipping down to $20, but the cost of stuff up to $110 to $120.

And I’ve always known Rockauto has been like that too. Having to play with an order to keep the shipping down is nothing new.

Textured Soy Protein > MM54
08/27/2016 at 23:23

Yeah the 5% coupons are what I’m talking about. They don’t necessarily wipe out the shipping cost but put a dent in it. RockAuto isn’t necessarily my go-to for all stuff. I have my assorted places I go. If I need something, I check them, and the other places I mentioned, and buy from whoever is the cheapest price including shipping.

Now that I think about it, the last thing I bought from RockAuto was some Trico NeoForm wiper blades that were on closeout, I think they had been sitting on a shelf too long because they’ve been noisy since day 1. Actually, I bought some Monroe rear shock mounts too and those are fine.