![]() 07/03/2020 at 21:35 • Filed to: Prices | ![]() | ![]() |
...to support the local economy.
I need a new air filter and cabin filter for my car, as well as new wiper blades for the front windshield, new rear turn signal bulbs (the amber paint/covering is flaking off, but the bulbs aren’t blown), and new headlight bulbs (mine older Philips bulbs are getting noticeably dim).
I priced this stuff out on Amazon with Prime (which I have), so free delivery and quick shipping. I priced it out on Amazon with Bosch bulbs, a FRAM air filter, but the cheapest thin/aero-style wiper blades I could get (these have always been good enough for me to see fine!) and a cheap cabin filter. This all came to about $90 CAD, plus tax and convenient
free delivery to my door.
NOW...for the hell of it, I priced all the same stuff out on Canadian Tire’s website which I could go pick up at the local store....Sylvania bulbs, the same FRAM air filter, a FRAM cabin filter, and the cheapest thin/aero-style wiper blades the store had.....it came to
$166 PLUS TAX
....and I have to pay the gas to drive 15 minutes to town to pick the stuff up! Not that I mind driving to get it, just saying I am excluding the fact I would have to spend money in gas to go pick it up!
Look
...
I get that it helps people keep jobs and helps businesses stay open and all that, but when the SAME stuff is going to cost me almost DOUBLE to buy locally than online, it’s a no-brainer to get it online, as much as that doesn’t help the local economy....there’s no way ANYONE’S pocket book could handle that....
Sorry for the mini-rant Oppo! :(
![]() 07/03/2020 at 21:47 |
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Did you ask them to price match? They can have some of your money rather than none
![]() 07/03/2020 at 21:49 |
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How local is Canadian Tire really? A lot of chains have international ownership, or all least investors. Also, probably none of that stuff is actually made in Canada.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 21:50 |
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Hey, you’re supporting the local drivers who deliver the products to your door, and the warehouse staff who sort everything . That’s not nothing!
![]() 07/03/2020 at 21:53 |
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Usually places won’t match Amazon, because “you can have it now” so it's not the same.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 21:56 |
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Everything is up for negotiation
![]() 07/03/2020 at 21:57 |
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I used to live in a town with a waterfront “old town” with very high rent. There was a toy store that had been there forever but charged insane prices to make enough. Eventually people stopped paying. The rant they published in the local paper when they went out of business was insane. Like I’m supposed to spend twice as much just to keep him in business? No thank you. If you can’t charge normal prices and make enough to pay rent, it’s not a viable business, and that’s no t my problem.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 21:58 |
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Why is buying local so hard?
Taxes...
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:03 |
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I sometimes order my stuff from thewrenchmonkey.ca, their prices are decent and comparable to Amazon.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:05 |
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I’m in the market for some new woodworking tools. I’ve been watching videos and have an idea of what I want. So, I hit up Amazon to see if they have what I’m looking for. Of course they do. Then I did a little digging and discovered that I could get the same items for about 20% less on other sites, also with free shipping. It seems that third-party sellers are jacking up their prices and consumers will just buy it because they assume Amazon has the lowest price.
Buyer beware.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:06 |
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I don’t know how it is in Canada, but in the US we’ve paid sales tax on Amazon purchases for years.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:07 |
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It’s a franchise, so the owner is likely a local business person.
You’re right, though, at the end of the day.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:07 |
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I get cat litter shipped to my house on chewy because it’s $4.50/bag (33%!!!) cheaper than buying it locally. Plus the shipping is free if I get it with my dog food order (which is also like $3/case cheaper).
On the other hand, I’d like some inexpensive polo shirts for work (like, school uniform pricing, not golf pricing) and not a damn store in Denver has them to go try on. I think there’s one Walmart with some on the other side of town but my size looks sold out.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:08 |
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I ran into the same issue recently with my Volt. It’s time for rear brakes and shocks. The price for just the shocks and shock mounts locally was more than getting everything, including upgrading the pads and rotors, on Amazon. A big part of that was just in the shock mounts since locally they’re a dealer only part.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:08 |
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Including negotiation
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:09 |
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i’ll go to my local advance or napa for oil, oil filters and expendables(wd40, brake cleaner etc). but it gets to a point, like sparkplugs, I wanted the oem denso ones, Adva nc e was 18 and rock auto was 9.50.
I personally can’t stand amazons BS user interface for car parts.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:09 |
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Not looking forward to the day when we all have to work as warehouse workers (they’re already working on replacing the drivers).
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:11 |
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They’re independent, traded primarily on the Toronto Stock Exchange, but given the state of Canadian manufacturing, certainly its mostly Chinese.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:12 |
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Here online services didn't get charged... So amazon was untaxed... But the main issue is that bigger companies usually can get away with a much smaller tax burden than a progressive system would ask for.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:13 |
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Woodworking tools, eh? What other sites were you looking at? Lee Valley Tools or something?
For Amazon, I almost always cross reference it with CamelCamelCamel. I'm surprised Bezos hasn't somehow shut them down yet. It at least gives me an idea if the current price is reasonable.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:15 |
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Well I ordered a Honda wagon cargo area cover from the UK because it’s the same as the Acura one, and I got it for half of what the local Acura dealer sells it with shipping from the UK! It’s insane they charge $450+ at Acura for the same part.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:17 |
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Just trying to make him feel better. I like to support local too. That’s why I pay a touch more for stuff at my local bike shop. But I don’t pay $90 for a jersey there when I can buy one for $15 online. I’m not stupid.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:19 |
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So-c alled la st mile shipping is probably going to be human controlled for quite a while longer, but I could certainly see the trailers that go from major hub to local terminal going the self-driving route.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:24 |
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Does Rock Auto ship to Canada?
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:34 |
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I’m not going to judge.
I’m always at O’Reilly’s for my bulbs, filters, oil, fuses, cleaning products, and the occasional “I gotta have it this instant” parts. But my larger purchases are from Amazon, eBay, or RockAuto. I think my trips to O’Reilly’s offer no benefit except helping a handful of clerks employed, and add a stop to a trucker’s route.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:35 |
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It’s a good point. I’m not sure I’d consider Canadian Tire really ‘local’ because of franchising. It does help because of local employment and the associated business stuff to region.
I’ve sort of found the independent stores better with regards to the whole ‘
buy
local’
. The places that will price match online or big box and you can develop a relationship which leads to discounts without inquiry.
I’ve mentioned it before but smaller
motorcycle gear shops are very good about this. They will
discount online stores for the
newest
gear.
T
he only items
that come up on
sale online are new old stock they want to axe
from inventory
.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:39 |
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I watched a comparison on number 4 planes and the reviewer brought up Grizzly Industries. They manufacture several brands of their own and do spec work for other companies. They sell their planes direct for quite a bit less than someone is selling them on Amazon.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:51 |
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Whenever I see Amazon prices this much lower than store prices, I get concerned about counterfeit goods. I’m going to pick my words carefully so Amazon doesn’t accuse me of libel, but my understanding is that it’s challenging for Amazon to police all the third-party store fronts on their site. If you are buying a FRAM filter, and you find one that is unusually cheap, look closely at the seller. You probably a getting a genuine part, but check it closely when it arrives.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:52 |
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I think its a valid point. I get that local merchants gotta eat, too, but I’m not paying double for the same thing.
But I've also been making an effort to curb my Amazon purchasing, so Im trying to buy local when I can, and Ill even eat 10-20%, but once you start getting up around 50% more and up, I'm going back to Amazon.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 22:58 |
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No way it will come to that. They’re already working on replacing those workers too .
![]() 07/03/2020 at 23:01 |
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It’s not exactly local to me, but given that I’m in Seattle, IPD in Portland fills almost all my 240 & V70 needs, quickly ; the balance goes to FCP & the few self-service scrapyards around here.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 23:21 |
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https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/dec/28/detergent-makers-redesign-containers-to/
online retailers are alread demanding changes to packaging to be more compact and better for sucking up.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 23:22 |
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I’ve been noticing that with a lot of items lately. But the cost of convenience and all.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 23:31 |
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Except that Amazon fucks those people over on the regular. To wit, I routinely buy from outlets that ship USPS, UPS and Fedex. Never Amazon Logistics.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 23:38 |
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I could drive 25 miles each way to home depot and expose myself to COVID to buy a weed wacker or I could buy it online and let someone deliver it to my door in two to three days.
![]() 07/03/2020 at 23:53 |
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I’m a bit of a cheapskate, so I settled for a “Record” branded #4 plane. It cost me about $50, but with an hour or two of flattening the sole and sharpening the blade, it has worked well for me. There’s no way k could justify a Veritas for how comparatively I use it.
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
![]() 07/03/2020 at 23:59 |
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They do, but depending on the weight, it can get quite pricey. I ordered my brakes (pads and rotors) for the Sienna, and shipping was $120 or more on ~$250 worth of parts. Still ended up being slightly cheaper than buying locally.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 00:16 |
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How much on rock auto.com?
![]() 07/04/2020 at 00:22 |
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I look at buying local as going to the local convenience store. You go there because it’s close by and you need it now. You pay more for it, but you get it now instead of 2 days.
But if I can wait, I’ll do my shopping at the supermarket or Amazon.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 01:14 |
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The Grizzly is about the same price and the reviewer seems to like it. It also requires a bit of work to make it better. I did think about the Harbor Freight option, but the video reviews are bad. Really bad.
Below is the review of the Grizzly. Rex is one of the guys I’ve been watching lately. Peter Sellers is also fantastic.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 01:16 |
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I try to buy local, and I don't mind paying a fee bucks extra, but that price difference is crazy.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:18 |
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CT would be the cheapest local store I could get the parts I need from, so there’s nowhere else local to bother getting them to do price-matching with.
They’d never price-match online prices, would they...?
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:22 |
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Well, they are a major chain, but it’d be a franchise owned locally and employing local people, of course.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:24 |
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True, but sadly Amazon really treats a lot of those people like garbage, so I feel guilty doing it :(
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:33 |
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I feel bad for shops in situations like that, but I’m sorry...I just can’t afford it :(
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:34 |
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Tax is 15% here in Nova Scotia.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:34 |
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Online services are charged tax here...taxes in Nova Scotia are 15%.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:35 |
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Never heard of it! I should check it out, thanks! :)
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:36 |
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Hmmm, I’ll have to look and see. I’ve got stuff from Rock Auto before, but the shipping cost
ruins their lower prices, at least to where I live...
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:37 |
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Never heard of this, I should use it on some higher-price items I am looking to buy!
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:40 |
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Yeah, I ordered from them in the past and did a local pickup. They have a warehouse near Pearson.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:41 |
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I don’t think I’d ever get our cat
food online...I think you guys in the US have more places to choose from for stuff like. Shipping seems to kill us for prices here in Canada for most other sites :(
Re: your shirts, I have the same situation with shoes....there’s a Payless Shoe Store chain that closed down awhile back, so all that’s really left in my neck of the woods unless I drive an hour to Halifax is the local Walmart, and all their sneakers are crappy brands that last 5 minutes before falling apart :/
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:42 |
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Yeah, I need new shocks/struts on all 4 corner
s
on the Accent at some point...I don’t NEED them....at least the garages have told me none of them are leaking, but they feel a little tired when I hit bumps and stuff. It’s probably bushings more than anything...
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:44 |
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Rock Auto is awesome....but their shipping prices to where I live are deal killers. I wanted to order an oil filter from them last time I did an oil change...filter was like $8.00...shipping on it was like $20!!! I guess where I live sucks for shipping...
We have 2 local NAPA and also 2 local Bumper-To-Bumper auto parts stores, but their prices, from my experience (at least for run-of-the-mill stuff like wiper blades, bulbs) is even worse than Canadian Tire...
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:49 |
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I did the same! The driver’s side sunvisor on my Accent always worked
when I got the car, but the spring in it was messed up so you couldn’t
flip it down properly as other than full-extension, it would always just
flip back up, which was useless in the sun as I’d then get blinded
while driving without being able to properly adjust it to where I needed
it.
Local dealer wanted an arm and a leg for it, local auto
supply places didn’t stock them, nearest pick-and-pull salvage yard is
an hour and a half away....so I ordered it on Ebay straight from South
Korea for like...$20.
Now I get to explain to people what the weird writing on my sunvisor is! :P
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:50 |
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Th
ey do, and I LOVE their interface and their site’s ease of use and layout....
...but their shipping to where I live is murder. I wanted to order an $8.00 or so oil filter the last time I did an oil change and they wanted like $20 in shipping!!!
![]() 07/04/2020 at 07:57 |
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Yeah, I double-checked after I posted this last night
and found a cheaper set of turn signal bulbs at Canadian Tire for like...$6.50 when the cheapest I could find for those on Amazon was $8.50 or so. I’m going to town next week, so I can stop in and get those....
The wipers at Canadian Tire are like $40 for the pair (if I get their ‘Reflex’ brand, and that’s just ‘normal’ blades, not the thin ‘aero’ style ones.....I prefer the aero ones and those would be $50 for the pair). I can get cheap Chinese ones that will work fine (as I’ve done it before) on Amazon for like...$25...so I’ll be getting those online.
As for headlight bulbs I am after, your garden-variety, no-extra-brightness, standard-issue Sylvania 9003 bulbs for my car are $35 at Canadian Tire when I can get some Bosch higher-end bulbs (not top-tier, but the ‘slightly-brighter’ kind) for $30 on Amazon.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 08:03 |
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Oh yeah, for sure...the FRAM air filter I am ordering is 99% sure to be an authentic part. It’s $16 at the local Canadian Tire, and $13 on Amazon, so cheaper (yay!) but not enough of a price difference for me to worry about it being unusually cheap, and therefore a fake. Weirdly, the biggest part of that price difference in the parts I am after is the wiper blades!
The blades are like $20-25 each at Canadian Tire (‘Reflex’ brand...I think a CT ‘house’ brand?). I’d usually just get cheap Chinese ones on Amazon - I know they are cheap, but they work well-enough. The smaller passenger side (16 inch) blade for my car on Amazon is like...$9.00 there and the driver’s side (22 inch) is $16.00 (though the driver’s side one I am getting says it’
s supposedly
a Bosch item, so that’s a pretty good brand if it’s not a fake!)
So like....$50 versus $25....? It’s a no brainer :(
![]() 07/04/2020 at 08:23 |
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Yeah, considering this total price is nearly double, Amazon it is....I DID just find a set of turn signal bulbs that ARE cheaper at Canadian Tire than the ones I was going to get on Amazon by $2, so I’ll stop in and get those on Wednesday next week when I am in town and order the rest online...
![]() 07/04/2020 at 09:02 |
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The prices there are really reasonable, but the shipping (at least to where I live) is killer :(
![]() 07/04/2020 at 09:03 |
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Yup, I’m the same way, if I need it right away, I buy locally, but if I’m not in a huge rush...online.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 09:04 |
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Same! If the grand total of everything Canadian Tire vs. Amazon would’ve been only, say
$10 apart...I’d have just got it locally as I have to go to town next week an
yway, but at this price difference....sorry, I’m going with Amazon!
![]() 07/04/2020 at 09:04 |
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fair enough then
![]() 07/04/2020 at 09:05 |
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Nice! How are their shipping costs? I highly doubt they have any warehouses anywhere near Nova Scotia...
![]() 07/04/2020 at 09:36 |
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It costs us $10 in gas to get to town, so I use Amazon for everything I can.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 09:39 |
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Not sure about Nova Scotia, but here’s 6 oil filters for my 2 cars as a sample. You can put your postal code there to get a quote.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 10:07 |
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I live 2 mins from one town, 8 mins from another and 15 mins from another....the ‘main one’ (the 15 mins one) would cost me some gas to get to. The ‘
2 mins’ one is a little tourist place, so no auto parts places or garages in it at all. Lunenburg (the ‘8 mins’ one) has 2 auto supply places, a NAPA and a a Bumper-To-Bumper, but their prices are pretty high :(
![]() 07/04/2020 at 10:12 |
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Checked them out...ordering new wiper blades and a new engine air filter and cabin air filter as we speak! :D
I’ll be paying more in tax than Amazon and more in shipping ($13), but the Denso air filter I am getting is $8.00 vs. the FRAM filter I was getting on Amazon for $13.
And the wiper blades come to $15 on Wrench Monkey vs. $25 on Amazon....and the Amazon order would’ve been one good Bosch one and a cheap Chinese passenger-side one whereas Wrench Monkey’s is 2 Bosch ones, so good
d
eal there!
Thanks, definitely bookmarked! :D
![]() 07/04/2020 at 12:56 |
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I need the front struts as well, but I’m trying to hold out till the auto shop at the base where I work opens back up. Unfortunately they haven’t announced when it’ll open so I’m not sure I can wait.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 13:06 |
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Yeah. But hey! By buying amazon, you’re still contributing sales tax to the upkeep of your province and thereby supporting your community. Let’s go with that.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 13:20 |
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Oh I like that! I have an issue with my Mercedes visors and the stuff they make now are kind of crappy, it’s very hard to find a good used driver side visor.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 16:20 |
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Im on the east coast so I usually go for FCP, but I also order from IPD. I also frequent my local salvage yards.
![]() 07/04/2020 at 17:09 |
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Works for me!!!
![]() 07/04/2020 at 17:54 |
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Are yours leaking?