Oem Parts Vs. Autozone

cristal 265 · April 9, 2009

need brake pads, front rotors, and front calipers for '02 RX

......anyone know what the quality difference is as to whether to buy OEM parts from dealer or same parts from Autozone or similar retail shops.

I know the prices vary and there is dealer mark-up, but are you really getting better quality and longer lasting parts from dealer?

....any online stores sell OEM parts for good prices?

I'm a little nervous using Autozone parts due to questionable durability when you pay $30k for a vehicle....want parts that are legit!!!!

....anyone have knowledge & expertise in this field????

blk_on_blk · April 9, 2009

I've heard people rave about off-the-shelf Autozone parts, and I've used many of them myself (with great success). I've also heard people who swear by OEM stuff. For myself, I buy brands I know and feel comfortable with through online vendors (best prices and can find free shipping). I know Akebono is the manufacturer for Toyota OEM brake pads (and don't think big name vehicle manufacturers build their own stuff... they outsource a HUGE amount of it, and have their moniker stamped onto it), but I can buy Akebono direct replacement ceramic pads for less (and I did).

The biggest advice I can give - be educated about what you are buying, not so much where you are buying it. If it's a quality brand and you get it at Autozone, then I'd be comfortable with it. On the other hand, I wouldn't be comfortable with a brand I didn't feel comfortable with no matter where I bought it from.

Some really good on line sources are RockAuto

AutoPartsWarehouse

http://www.sewellpartsonline.com/

and http://www.irontoad.com/Merchant2/merchant...;Store_Code=LSC

lenore · April 9, 2009

As for the Autozone brake pads, dont buy their lowest priced ones, I did and ended up changing them every 3 months on my daughters Sequoia. Finally upgraded to their best brake pad, and they are satisfactory. I personally like Akebono on my Lexus and have over 85k miles on the present set. Bought them at RockAuto.com. Brembo Disks are great also, KYB shocks are also a manufacturor for Toyota. I have all on my Lexus with 162k miles.

pauljcl · April 10, 2009

need brake pads, front rotors, and front calipers for '02 RX
......anyone know what the quality difference is as to whether to buy OEM parts from dealer or same parts from Autozone or similar retail shops.

I know the prices vary and there is dealer mark-up, but are you really getting better quality and longer lasting parts from dealer?

....any online stores sell OEM parts for good prices?

I'm a little nervous using Autozone parts due to questionable durability when you pay $30k for a vehicle....want parts that are legit!!!!

....anyone have knowledge & expertise in this field????

I thought the Lexus pads were pretty good: very little dust and reasonably good 'feel'. I have read they are Akebono ceramic pads, which are available on-line (Google "Akebono brake pads" along with your model if you wish better results). In fact, I was thinking of putting them on my BMW which generates large amounts of black brake dust that seeps everywhere (and it is a convertible and I don't want to breathe the stuff). I would just buy the same pads (but maybe not from Lexus) unless you have had issues with their heat resistance etc....

code58 · April 10, 2009

As for the Autozone brake pads, dont buy their lowest priced ones, I did and ended up changing them every 3 months on my daughters Sequoia. Finally upgraded to their best brake pad, and they are satisfactory. I personally like Akebono on my Lexus and have over 85k miles on the present set. Bought them at RockAuto.com. Brembo Disks are great also, KYB shocks are also a manufacturor for Toyota. I have all on my Lexus with 162k miles.

Lenore, T/L does source some incredible parts don't they? You know my feeling already about their OEM parts. Just don't like some of the prices. Not all bad, just some. I think education in any area is the important part. Being a detail person, I want to be as educated about any issue as I possibly can, the only way to make the best decision. When I get around to PM or e-mailing you, Ill share some of what that means.

With what T/L builds their cars with, I am surprised at the few times they have screwed up, at least it's not often in the parts arena (except for that planetary gear carrier). :(

code58 · April 10, 2009

need brake pads, front rotors, and front calipers for '02 RX
......anyone know what the quality difference is as to whether to buy OEM parts from dealer or same parts from Autozone or similar retail shops.

I know the prices vary and there is dealer mark-up, but are you really getting better quality and longer lasting parts from dealer?

....any online stores sell OEM parts for good prices?

I'm a little nervous using Autozone parts due to questionable durability when you pay $30k for a vehicle....want parts that are legit!!!!

....anyone have knowledge & expertise in this field????

Depends on whether you have the time and inclination to do the searching online. If you do, you'll find a lot of the original equip. parts T/L uses online at a lot better prices than you'll ever find at the dealer. And even a lot of difference prices online on the same parts. Some times you can buy the parts from aftermarket sources in the Toyota packaging, sometimes in either plain box or packaging or the original equipment manuf. name. All orig. equip. parts just like you get from the dealer. You can buy the same timing belt from one online source for the 1MZFE engine with MBL on it, Mitsuboshi (the original manuf.) on it, or Toyota on it for 3 different prices. All the same belt by the same manuf., just with different name in paint print on them. I have learned that there is a big difference in quality between what we in America have been used to in aftermarket parts and what the Japanese use as orig. equip. I don't think there was Near as big a difference between what the American cars were built with and the aftermarket parts. We didn't use the same quality parts to build the cars with as they do, even on the cheaper cars.

carguy07 · April 12, 2009

I have been using the autozone pads (the good ceramic ones) and rotors for quite a while now and feel confident saying that they are very good quality.

lenore · April 12, 2009

Yes the ceramics are Ok, but the Duralast regular pads with lifetime, mean you change them every 4 months, not quite my idea of a great pad. They were also particularily high in dust. the Wheels would go black real fast..... The only other bad experience was with a tranny pan gasket set made by duralast for a Ford Windstar. Absolutely would not stop leaking.....

cristal 265 · April 16, 2009

thanks for feedback...

purchased Akebono Pro-Act brake pads from geekparts.com, good price, speedy shipping.......product quality looks great

still looking around for good quality reasonable rotors, not sure whether to go with local autoparts international brand, autozone, or brembo which is twice as much.....

....don't want to put quality pads on cheap rotors???

cristal 265 · April 16, 2009

thanks for feedback...

purchased Akebono Pro-Act brake pads from geekparts.com, good price, speedy shipping.......product quality looks great

still looking around for good quality reasonable rotors, not sure whether to go with local autoparts international brand, autozone, or brembo which is twice as much.....

....don't want to put quality pads on cheap rotors???