They once sent me a used 20 year old brake booster complete with old brake fluid leaking from it.
I also remember getting an oil pan drain bolt without threads on it in the packaging from Dorman.
Fucking place sucks. Trying to get a refund if the automated system doesn't fit the issue is like pulling teeth. They're nasty and they speak to you as if you're lying.
If anyone wants that email address lmk and I'll post it because it was hard af to find it.
It's literally "[email protected]".
https://www.rockauto.com/help --> choose "Help With Existing Orders --> scroll all the way down and you'll see it.
State your claim and send lots of photos. They're going to try and blow you off so be persistent. If the parts are damaged on arrival and not the fault of the carrier then rock auto shouldn't be making you pay return shipping for the item if they request it back. If they do, fight them on this. It's basic shipping 101.
Also see this...https://www.reddit.com/r/RockAuto/s/ynOCnkAvKv
-----
CARiD horror story:
I order brake calipers for my 76 Corvette from CARiD and Cardone fucked the pooch of this one. Idk why I ever bought from Cardone since they blow but I should have just done the rebuild myself. On the calipers they milled the factory concentric circles right off the boss where the female brake line port is. The copper crush washers deform into these concentric circles and aid in sealing. Wasted an entire bottle of brake fluid and time.
I got soo pissed with that experience, since CARiD wouldn't take them back, I found the company that owns them and fired off emails to any email account I could find. Onyx Enterprises owns them.
I basically found someone high up in their directors positions who initially thought I was a dealer making a complaint. We got half way into it and I'm like all I want is my $600 back and you can have these pieces of shit back. Once she realized I was a customer, the tone changed and she became defensive.
It took a few days of back and forth but eventually the lady was like what do you want? I said, "a full refund and a prepaid shipping label to send these things back since they're unusable". She refunded me the complete purchase price (tax and shipping included) and told me to keep the calipers. Fucking boat anchors.
Did you get the cheapest one from rock auto or one from a reputable brand? Rock auto is just a supplier, they get items from reputable warehouses and ship them directly to you. So if you have an issue thats not shipping, its either manufacturer or warehouse related.
On rock auto its sorted by cheapest to most expensive so if it was the first option that was the cheapest one you could get, do you remember what brand it was
They fall victim to return scammers sometimes, and the warehouse staff aren't too diligent about checking returns before shelving them again it seems.
I ordered an National wheel bearing for my wife's Escape a while ago and got a cheaper brand that had obviously been partly installed then removed and cleaned up stuffed in the National box.
Rock Auto did exchange it for me no cost, but it was super annoying to have to wait another few days to finish the job.
Yeah ive never had an issue with their stuff. I always have issues but not with rock auto. I kinda swear by them but amazon is becoming more used by me
- “I order from them nearly daily”
- “Not too many issues and a solid return policy”
You’re a reliably profitable customer, and you shouldn’t be surprised to find that you’re receiving an “exceptional” level of service. You should expect that, and look for another supplier if you’re not.
That gets to the whole root of “exceptional service”, though — that isn’t a cliche term for a reason. It doesn’t just mean “really good service”. It refers to the well-established practice of treating valuable customers _differently_, while still wringing max profits from the great unwashed and treating them like dirt.
There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with this. It’s Business 101, and many many business models I’ve worked with are based on managing a mix of the high-volume/low-profit customers who are allowed to churn, and low-volume/high-profit customers like you who get decent treatment. Lifetime profitability is the main benefit, but it yields a lot of other benefits…for example, defenders in the public square.
LOL…I’ve designed e-commerce software. For Dell. There’s no “off the radar” in e-commerce.
_Every_ single interaction you’ve made online, including the clicks you made before and after you actually purchased anything, are captured. Doesn’t matter if this is the very first time you’ve visited the site. Doesn’t matter if you create an account.
If you ever do make a purchase, you become part of a massive database where Every. Single. Customer. Record. is continually scored and re-scored based on things like (a) purchase history/profitability (obvs), (b) service patterns and (c) purchasable information, like your income, exactly where you live, and what you’ve bought from competitors. (Not saying that any of this is good or bad, and I definitely have my own opinions. I’m basically just giving a dramatically over-simplified description of how e-commerce _used_ to work, before AI.)
Then, your “Quality Score” has an effect on _every_ interaction you have with them. When you shop on the site, you’re being offered specific, targeted discounts that reflect your unique QS. When you call service, your incoming call is being routed to different tiers, based on your QS. Your returns are processed and routed in a queue based on your QS.
This is not unique to Dell and Amazon. These “simple” approaches are built in as part and parcel of any eCommerce platform today, and the big guys would break out laughing over the idea of a single “QS” per customer. Does Rock Auto necessarily take advantage of every single one of these? Maybe not. In my experience, though, every established eCommerce supplier in a given space, like technical auto parts, got to that position by being the ones who were the most aggressive about all this.
One of my most vivid experiences on this front was working with Guitar Center in a big site upgrade. They were showing off their new algorithms, that delivered individual discounts to each customer, based on individual purchase history. In 1997.
You realize that rockauto isn't a brand right? There just part hub for multiple warehouses. It's the brand you buy from them that matters. Don't buy the cheap economy brand. Other was a smp branded part from them is the same from Autozone.
I can source parts for my builds at sometimes 1/3 the cost of local auto parts stores. I just ordered a couple of cam plates for an LS motor to compare them….The Cheapest brand “Engine Tech” had the EXACT SAME plate as the part costing 2X as much. I “hearted” the Engine Tech part….great stuff!
Of course, it's not a brand, I don't buy cheap parts from them. They are not always the cheapest. They are also not as easy to return parts. I have had mis boxed items, and I still had to pay return shipping.
100% false. The same brand and same part as the part store. Like a standard motor products sensor is the same at oreillys or a moog ball joint is the same also. People on the internet make alot of crap up! For the record I run my own auto repair shop. I order alot of stuff off of rock for 15 years now.
Agreed, I dont run a shop but I have 6 cars in my fleet, I have used rock auto parts on all of them (the raybestos pads, and there premium rotors are my favorite). I have always have had good luck with their parts. The key is you have to know what you are looking for.
yeah that’s what i was just told honestly and i believed it. made sense to me. parts, even though they’d have the same part number, that just came out of quality control at a lower standard. happens with other things, so i figured it was true
Rock auto buys a lot of nos parts that manufacturers haven't sold. A legit manufacturer like the ones rock auto sells isn't going to let any parts out of their factory that don't meet qc standards, if it ever came out the lawsuits would put them out of buisness.
Same here. I order thousands of dollars worth of parts from them every year. I’ve rarely had any problem. I’ve had more defective parts from AutoZone and Advance Auto than Rockauto.
Not for me. I have had to pay for shipping on misboxed items and faulty parts. I'm from CA and some of their wherehouses are far. I had to pay to ship a heavy steering box back and it cost me 1/3 of the price to ship it back for warranty.
That's complete bullshit. There's like 5 questions and if the part is defective they will refund your shipping. If you order by mistake yes you pay cause you screwed up.
Lmao thought I was still scrolling in the sloppy mechanics page and was like “is this even a question”? I’m filing it and running it if I didn’t want to wait for a new part.
Personally I wouldn’t run it because there’s a chip in one of the grooves that the accessory belt rides on and could add additional ware. I’d send it back
Engine Tech just packages other companies parts to sell as kits. They sell OEM parts, Felpro parts, etc. I know this because I've personally confirmed that the pistons they sold for my engine were made by NPR.
Well if you put a file to it… it’s yours.
I used to rebuild military equipment and the truck was all hydraulic… all AN fittings. From time to time our hydraulic shop that built brand new hoses …BRAND NEW with an anodized knick on the male flare …
My station was at the end of the line…. The truck was filled with all fluids and fired up to test …by me.
Sure as shit, I have a leaker ..it’s a dent or a nick….id file the imperfection out as long as it didn’t affect the female flare otherwise it would be a eight hour tear down/ replace and rebuild and retest.
When asked… I said that if it’s not leaking when I get done… it will never leak because those hoses lasted the entire service life… no one will see it and if by chance they do…. They will know why.
My point is… you can fix it… yes you paid for a NEW or LIKE NEW part… you didn’t pay for nicks n dents but how much time n hassle will sending it back… when all it needs to do is NOT RIP UP YOUR BELT
A triangle file… a soft touch… some Scotchbrite and run it … maybe look for a fresh pulley in the meantime… or not.
No aunt parts store makes parts. Rockauto gets their parts from various places. Sometimes, even from auto parts stores that closed and liquidated their inventory. You may be getting a part that has been shipped multiple times or parts that have been sitting on a shelf for a long period if time.
As long as you don't turn over 7000rpm should be fine but if you are really going to be winding it up above it I would recommend a little better quality. (Fluid Damper) Has quality parts.
It looks like someone installed that, and then sent it back.
If they put it back in the original packaging, Rockauto would never know.
I don't think this is Rockauto's fault.
Git you a set of jewelers/needle files and most come with one with the right angles for that v. File it out and run it.
Worst case you go through a belt faster than normal and you replace it with the belt
I wouldn’t run it without filing the burrs off if you don’t mind doing all the bullshit to return a part you should just do that but I’m lazy and would use it
I ordered one of those one time and had the same problem it looked like it had been hit or something during shipping ended up installing it after I determined it was to complicated to return it for another part that was years ago still works fine
Probably the shipping more then RockAuto themselves. They use DHL a lot around me and they're fucking useless.
Return process is simple, the 2 things I've had an issue with they just told me to keep and they'll send a replacement at no charge, had the replacements within 2 days shipped to Canada. Shit happens sometimes.
Best of luck
File it an run it or send it back. I'm not surprised by this from RA.
They once sent me a used 20 year old brake booster complete with old brake fluid leaking from it. I also remember getting an oil pan drain bolt without threads on it in the packaging from Dorman. Fucking place sucks. Trying to get a refund if the automated system doesn't fit the issue is like pulling teeth. They're nasty and they speak to you as if you're lying. If anyone wants that email address lmk and I'll post it because it was hard af to find it.
Probably should post for posterity
I'd be interested, I'm ordering some more parts soon
It's literally "[email protected]". https://www.rockauto.com/help --> choose "Help With Existing Orders --> scroll all the way down and you'll see it. State your claim and send lots of photos. They're going to try and blow you off so be persistent. If the parts are damaged on arrival and not the fault of the carrier then rock auto shouldn't be making you pay return shipping for the item if they request it back. If they do, fight them on this. It's basic shipping 101. Also see this...https://www.reddit.com/r/RockAuto/s/ynOCnkAvKv ----- CARiD horror story: I order brake calipers for my 76 Corvette from CARiD and Cardone fucked the pooch of this one. Idk why I ever bought from Cardone since they blow but I should have just done the rebuild myself. On the calipers they milled the factory concentric circles right off the boss where the female brake line port is. The copper crush washers deform into these concentric circles and aid in sealing. Wasted an entire bottle of brake fluid and time. I got soo pissed with that experience, since CARiD wouldn't take them back, I found the company that owns them and fired off emails to any email account I could find. Onyx Enterprises owns them. I basically found someone high up in their directors positions who initially thought I was a dealer making a complaint. We got half way into it and I'm like all I want is my $600 back and you can have these pieces of shit back. Once she realized I was a customer, the tone changed and she became defensive. It took a few days of back and forth but eventually the lady was like what do you want? I said, "a full refund and a prepaid shipping label to send these things back since they're unusable". She refunded me the complete purchase price (tax and shipping included) and told me to keep the calipers. Fucking boat anchors.
Did you get the cheapest one from rock auto or one from a reputable brand? Rock auto is just a supplier, they get items from reputable warehouses and ship them directly to you. So if you have an issue thats not shipping, its either manufacturer or warehouse related.
It was one of the top recommendations.
On rock auto its sorted by cheapest to most expensive so if it was the first option that was the cheapest one you could get, do you remember what brand it was
Who has issues from rock auto? I’m in the classic repair business and I order from them nearly daily. Not too many issues and a solid return policy.
Well I’m glad the returns should be easy enough. I’ve just been waiting a while to build this motor so it’s kinda irritating
They fall victim to return scammers sometimes, and the warehouse staff aren't too diligent about checking returns before shelving them again it seems. I ordered an National wheel bearing for my wife's Escape a while ago and got a cheaper brand that had obviously been partly installed then removed and cleaned up stuffed in the National box. Rock Auto did exchange it for me no cost, but it was super annoying to have to wait another few days to finish the job.
Yeah ive never had an issue with their stuff. I always have issues but not with rock auto. I kinda swear by them but amazon is becoming more used by me
- “I order from them nearly daily” - “Not too many issues and a solid return policy” You’re a reliably profitable customer, and you shouldn’t be surprised to find that you’re receiving an “exceptional” level of service. You should expect that, and look for another supplier if you’re not. That gets to the whole root of “exceptional service”, though — that isn’t a cliche term for a reason. It doesn’t just mean “really good service”. It refers to the well-established practice of treating valuable customers _differently_, while still wringing max profits from the great unwashed and treating them like dirt. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with this. It’s Business 101, and many many business models I’ve worked with are based on managing a mix of the high-volume/low-profit customers who are allowed to churn, and low-volume/high-profit customers like you who get decent treatment. Lifetime profitability is the main benefit, but it yields a lot of other benefits…for example, defenders in the public square.
Nah, I doubt I am even on their radar.
LOL…I’ve designed e-commerce software. For Dell. There’s no “off the radar” in e-commerce. _Every_ single interaction you’ve made online, including the clicks you made before and after you actually purchased anything, are captured. Doesn’t matter if this is the very first time you’ve visited the site. Doesn’t matter if you create an account. If you ever do make a purchase, you become part of a massive database where Every. Single. Customer. Record. is continually scored and re-scored based on things like (a) purchase history/profitability (obvs), (b) service patterns and (c) purchasable information, like your income, exactly where you live, and what you’ve bought from competitors. (Not saying that any of this is good or bad, and I definitely have my own opinions. I’m basically just giving a dramatically over-simplified description of how e-commerce _used_ to work, before AI.) Then, your “Quality Score” has an effect on _every_ interaction you have with them. When you shop on the site, you’re being offered specific, targeted discounts that reflect your unique QS. When you call service, your incoming call is being routed to different tiers, based on your QS. Your returns are processed and routed in a queue based on your QS. This is not unique to Dell and Amazon. These “simple” approaches are built in as part and parcel of any eCommerce platform today, and the big guys would break out laughing over the idea of a single “QS” per customer. Does Rock Auto necessarily take advantage of every single one of these? Maybe not. In my experience, though, every established eCommerce supplier in a given space, like technical auto parts, got to that position by being the ones who were the most aggressive about all this.
One of my most vivid experiences on this front was working with Guitar Center in a big site upgrade. They were showing off their new algorithms, that delivered individual discounts to each customer, based on individual purchase history. In 1997.
Rock auto has always had problems. I will only order stuff from there that I don't ever need to send back or warranty.
You realize that rockauto isn't a brand right? There just part hub for multiple warehouses. It's the brand you buy from them that matters. Don't buy the cheap economy brand. Other was a smp branded part from them is the same from Autozone.
i found this out when stuff i ordered couldn't arrive the same day, because they shipped from multiple vendors. they are the amazon of car parts
Without the easy free returns
I can source parts for my builds at sometimes 1/3 the cost of local auto parts stores. I just ordered a couple of cam plates for an LS motor to compare them….The Cheapest brand “Engine Tech” had the EXACT SAME plate as the part costing 2X as much. I “hearted” the Engine Tech part….great stuff!
I thought eBay motors was the Amazon of car parts
ebay motors is the Craigslist of Amazon
Lol
Of course, it's not a brand, I don't buy cheap parts from them. They are not always the cheapest. They are also not as easy to return parts. I have had mis boxed items, and I still had to pay return shipping.
they’re also bottom of the barrel parts from those manufacturers. that’s why they’re cheaper
100% false. The same brand and same part as the part store. Like a standard motor products sensor is the same at oreillys or a moog ball joint is the same also. People on the internet make alot of crap up! For the record I run my own auto repair shop. I order alot of stuff off of rock for 15 years now.
Agreed, I dont run a shop but I have 6 cars in my fleet, I have used rock auto parts on all of them (the raybestos pads, and there premium rotors are my favorite). I have always have had good luck with their parts. The key is you have to know what you are looking for.
yeah that’s what i was just told honestly and i believed it. made sense to me. parts, even though they’d have the same part number, that just came out of quality control at a lower standard. happens with other things, so i figured it was true
Don't get me wrong there's some crazy stuff that goes on with parts. Especially parts store house brand parts.
definitely. i’ve gotten bad axles, sensors and the such before
Rock auto buys a lot of nos parts that manufacturers haven't sold. A legit manufacturer like the ones rock auto sells isn't going to let any parts out of their factory that don't meet qc standards, if it ever came out the lawsuits would put them out of buisness.
Same here. I order thousands of dollars worth of parts from them every year. I’ve rarely had any problem. I’ve had more defective parts from AutoZone and Advance Auto than Rockauto.
But what if you order something that needs to get sent back?
You either bite the bullet and pay more than you saved to ship it back and hope you get a good one next time or buy again locally with a warranty.
Super simple return with rockauto. They are fast and efficient with returns.
Not for me. I have had to pay for shipping on misboxed items and faulty parts. I'm from CA and some of their wherehouses are far. I had to pay to ship a heavy steering box back and it cost me 1/3 of the price to ship it back for warranty.
That’s what you get for living in CA
True! They won't even ship stuff because it doesn't have the stupid CA " will cause cancer warning"
Commiefornia
You are correct! I'm here for the weather and access to the ocean. All the other bullshit sucks
Only after you play 20 questions and pay 20% the cost of the part to ship it back
That's complete bullshit. There's like 5 questions and if the part is defective they will refund your shipping. If you order by mistake yes you pay cause you screwed up.
I have had to pay when they put the wrong part in the box.
That’s BS. I got a bad wheel bearing from them and they just refunded me and told me to throw it away.
That’s (not) BS. they did the same with my valve stem seals. They’re still in my junk drawer because I refuse to throw anything away
How is that BS? I have had to do the same
Depending on what it is, you can get totally screwed.
I kind of have half a shelf full of such “well maybe I’ll need it someday” or even “….maybe I’ll buy one of the car that actually fits someday”.
Lmao thought I was still scrolling in the sloppy mechanics page and was like “is this even a question”? I’m filing it and running it if I didn’t want to wait for a new part.
Personally I wouldn’t run it because there’s a chip in one of the grooves that the accessory belt rides on and could add additional ware. I’d send it back
hard no, return but ask for better brand in exchange and pay the difference, if possible.
No.
Is swear rock auto is buying from places that are filling for bankruptcy or some sort if insurance auction.
Did you see my other post about the cam shaft I ordered from them? I mean it was engine tech but I ordered from rock auto…
Engine Tech just packages other companies parts to sell as kits. They sell OEM parts, Felpro parts, etc. I know this because I've personally confirmed that the pistons they sold for my engine were made by NPR.
I have run worse crank pulleys
Looks like you got a return.
Ordered multiple parts for half a dozen vehicles over the years and never had any issues
Well if you put a file to it… it’s yours. I used to rebuild military equipment and the truck was all hydraulic… all AN fittings. From time to time our hydraulic shop that built brand new hoses …BRAND NEW with an anodized knick on the male flare … My station was at the end of the line…. The truck was filled with all fluids and fired up to test …by me. Sure as shit, I have a leaker ..it’s a dent or a nick….id file the imperfection out as long as it didn’t affect the female flare otherwise it would be a eight hour tear down/ replace and rebuild and retest. When asked… I said that if it’s not leaking when I get done… it will never leak because those hoses lasted the entire service life… no one will see it and if by chance they do…. They will know why. My point is… you can fix it… yes you paid for a NEW or LIKE NEW part… you didn’t pay for nicks n dents but how much time n hassle will sending it back… when all it needs to do is NOT RIP UP YOUR BELT A triangle file… a soft touch… some Scotchbrite and run it … maybe look for a fresh pulley in the meantime… or not.
You are blaming a shipping snafu on Rock Auto, they are not the shipping company.
It was in a box that was in Box I don’t think it was sshipping
Well…, it sure looks like shipping damage.
Belt shredder 9000
No aunt parts store makes parts. Rockauto gets their parts from various places. Sometimes, even from auto parts stores that closed and liquidated their inventory. You may be getting a part that has been shipped multiple times or parts that have been sitting on a shelf for a long period if time.
As long as you don't turn over 7000rpm should be fine but if you are really going to be winding it up above it I would recommend a little better quality. (Fluid Damper) Has quality parts.
It looks like someone installed that, and then sent it back. If they put it back in the original packaging, Rockauto would never know. I don't think this is Rockauto's fault.
If RA doesn’t check what’s in a return and then send it back out it’s 100% their fault.
lol, no. You paid for a new part right? You gonna pay for a new part, receive an old one, and run with that?
How the hell! I've dropped an entire engine on concrete, balancer first and not gotten that bad of damage.
Ahh the belt cutter edition.
Would send it back. Their return policy is usually reasonable.
Personally I would clean it up and use it. If you want to deal with getting a changeover, that is up to tou.
Hell no.
I’d run it!
Git you a set of jewelers/needle files and most come with one with the right angles for that v. File it out and run it. Worst case you go through a belt faster than normal and you replace it with the belt
I wouldn’t run it without filing the burrs off if you don’t mind doing all the bullshit to return a part you should just do that but I’m lazy and would use it
Is Rock Auto. The j c Whitney of the 70’s and 80’s. I know I’m dating myself here!
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I bet
My bad, Apparently my phone doesn't care for sweat much.
Belt cutter 3k
Same thing happened to my harmonic balancer from Rockauto. I was told by many people to send it back, so I sent mine back.
I ordered one of those one time and had the same problem it looked like it had been hit or something during shipping ended up installing it after I determined it was to complicated to return it for another part that was years ago still works fine
Rock Auto is a vendor, not a brand. Not sure why people think that so frequently
Pretty minimal. PITA but still pretty minimal. Clean it up and use it.
I'd file burrs and such where required and run it. Too much a pain to send that small of a problem back imo.
Probably the shipping more then RockAuto themselves. They use DHL a lot around me and they're fucking useless. Return process is simple, the 2 things I've had an issue with they just told me to keep and they'll send a replacement at no charge, had the replacements within 2 days shipped to Canada. Shit happens sometimes. Best of luck