NAPA Pricing

[truckster]

Yesterday I went to NAPA to get an oil filter for my 98 Newmar MH. It has a 5.9 Cummins diesel in it, so filters tend to be slightly more expensive. The counter guy put the filter on the counter and told me it would be $32 and change. I said, "Never mind; Cummins has it for half that price." He says hold on a minute, does some typing on the computer, and comes up with a new price: $13 and change.

I just added it to the list of reasons I hardly ever go to my local NAPA.

[kwmech]

Why would it be any different than the regular Cummins oil filter

[68Gold/white]

Not all Napa's are the same...

The store in my town is likely one of the last locally owned NAPA stores around. I do business there because of quality of their merchandise and correctly getting what i need EVERY time!!!

I sometimes have to go to one of the other chain stores, and even when I get one of their seasoned parts guys to help me, they don't have a clue!!!

The Goober trying to sell you a $32.00 dollar filter needs to be reported!!!

[mongocanfly]

Our local napa was locally owned ...they put theirselves out of business with their pricing...and the counter guys were always smoking cigars...you couldn't even breath in their store...and go home smelling like smoke....all we got left is chain stores...all the old timey parts stores are gone now except for one...and its about 30 miles away

[CG]

I was thinking NAPA has a "gold" version of some of their filters ... maybe that was it?

[WorkinLonghorn]

I headed out to NAPA this morning and it is all boarded up! Heading up the street toward O'reilly's I ran across an old-school independent with 40 foot ceiling and long row after row of stocked parts and counter space for maybe 12 parts counter guys(only 3 on duty early AM). I asked for brass exhaust mani flange nuts and the guy got in his car and returned 10 minutes later with the nuts! Try that at autozone. Prices are competitive and I'll bet that they have some hard to find parts in that vast storage area. I say, give business to the independents when you can. This will be my new go-to store. -BA

Anybody local to the San Fernando Valley it's "Diamond Auto Parts"

[special-K]

I use NAPA Gold. They are Wix filters and they don't cost much at all. Not enough that I pay attention and I'm a tight wad. Less than $10 for my trucks.

[shifty]

Last dozen parts I've bought for the truck I got quotes at NAPA vs. big box stores vs. Summit.

90% of the time, this is what I've found:
- NAPA on average is 30% higher than everyone else's price, even for OEM
- Big box stores are usually within 5% of each other which is 20-30% lower than NAPA
- Summit (especially on ACDelco/Delphi) is at least 5% cheaper than anyone out there, even Amazon

I like shopping at Summit, especially near major national holidays and season changes because they'll have 10-25% off coupons online, you can order and pick up in the store same-day or get free 2-day shipping on orders over $50 or something. Drives already-lowest pricing waaay down.

In SE USA, Advance Auto and Auto Zone nearly always have 20%-25% off coupons if you give them a new email address and also offer buy-online-pickup-in-store. I don't shop O'Reillys, they never have worthwhile coupons and pricing is just the same as everyone else.

My aunt and uncle south of San Anton had a NAPA store back in the heydays. I remember hanging out in the store as a little kid. It makes me sad what's happened, but maybe it's a matter of necessity with behemoths like Summit getting by doing massive volume sales and big box stores selling budget (read: cheap, imported) products at cheaper rates.

I reckon NAPA still gets lots of fleet work/commercial accounts.

[greasemonkey]

The NAPA local to me is worse than the other chain stores. It's a bunch of guys that don't appear to be very mechanical at all. I had to pull up parts on my phone to show them their own part number since they were utterly clueless as to what a 3/8 heater hose was. I tried Advance's order-and-pick-up-in-30-minutes thing...total failure. They have never once pulled my order in anywhere close to 30 minutes. I waited an entire day one time and they still hadn't pulled it.
So I do almost all my shopping online. To all the people that complain about putting parts stores out of business...that's their fault, not mine. I can get stuff cheaper and I don't have to go through all the hassle of trying to explain to someone what a coolant overflow cap is. I buy oil at WalMart, as they have the best prices on Mobil1 around. I buy filters in bulk from RockAuto since they have Wix for 1/3 the price of Oreillys. And hey, I'm keeping FedEx and UPS in business.

[blazer2007]

Here where I live in BC Can. if your a regular they put you on discount called the Mechanic. I,m sure you can ask for it. Same as Lordco , just say some sorta car club that,s in your area and get a discount.

[rsavage]

My local NAPA is locally owned. I like the 3 guys that own it and they have some great employees. I have an account there and pay monthly. The store is 1/2 mile from my house so it is convenient. However, I have noticed that the pricing has gone up significantly, even with my discount. I bough a regular sized roll of electrical tape a week ago and never looked at my invoice until I got home - it was $7! Today I needed a gold oil filter for my Durango - list was over $13 and my price was $9.05 - seemed a little high to me. I have spent thousands there over the last 10 years as I restored several vehicles. Spent thousands on line too. In any event, I think I am now done with major restorations/projects so I guess I won't worry too much about it going forward. I hope that they can stay in business. We have an Advance in Town too. I have ordered on-line with discounts for such items as shocks, ac compressor etc, because NAPA just wasn't close, but I never go into the store to shop parts.

[special-K]

If you're paying the full retail price at NAPA you need to ask them for the better price. If they bulk, just say "You know, the one that will keep me coming back rather than go to your competition". If they don't appreciate that request and meet it with a crappy comment, just say "I figured you'd want to stay in business" as you walk out. The days of huge mark-up are gone and only fools don't know that... buyers and sellers.

As far as quality of counter help goes, it is a sinking ship, getting worse. Doesn't matter where you go, it can be the same. Just appreciate the helpful and willing ones. Hold your attitude until you get one from them. Then, GIVE THEM BOTH BARRELS!!!

[LockDoc]

-
My local NAPA is still a good store. The main man that works there will usually just walk to the back and get the general old vehicle parts before he even looks them up. (if they have them on the shelf)

I also have an account there and pay monthly. My next closest auto parts store is a 34 mile round trip so I have to take that into consideration when comparing prices. If it is something I don't need right away I will sometimes order it on line. Now, with most online parts houses charging tax + shipping, many times there is not that much difference.

LockDoc

[Steeveedee]

My local NAPA is privately owned as well. When the younger guys have a problem finding a part, they let me use the computer. They even have paper catalogs that I've had to resort to to find a part. I'm lucky in not seeing crazy prices, too.

[truckster]

It was my third NAPA incident in the last couple of years. The first one, the guy behind the counter asks me if I had a diesel in my truck... when I asked for spark plugs. The second, the gal behind the counter brings me out a gasket for a 12 bolt... with 14 bolt holes. Then this last one. This NAPA is also locally owned, and I don't see a lot of walk-in traffic, so it must be corporate accounts that are keeping it afloat.

[Ol Blue K20]

The local napa store is fantastic. Some parts I don't want to wait for shipping. Even the young kid (29) isn't afraid of the books. I needed a fuel pump for "Blue" yesterday. We all know K20's didn't come with big blocks, so we matched it up with the picture book. A few bucks more than Summit, but I have it and I help good people have a job.........

[72c20customcamper]

I use nappa a lot but I buy my Cummins oil filters at wal mart. Chrysler packaging Cummins filter same filter as the wix gold filter 13 $ no issues

[PGSigns]

The days of finding a good parts store around here are close to gone. The last two we had were Car Quest. Good old school parts guys that knew what to do and how to find parts for the "custom" stuff we all drive. After they were bought out by Advance they are now gone. I went to the NAPA that is 4 miles from the house the other day to get 2 feet of 5/16 fuel hose, just over $7 with tax. More and more I have been shopping for what I need online with pickup in store. Can see who has it and for what price. Some tome there is a big difference.
Jimmy

[special-K]

We have three parts stores. Well, really two now... NAPA, Car Quest, and Advance. I was surprised they didn't shut it down, but the town has gotten bigger along with surrounding housing developments and we are the dot in the center of a lot of things. The Central Maryland hub, so people from a big area come to town. A Baltimore tire outfit came to town and ended up buying the old local tire shop. They just renamed the local shops they bought, once they started spreading out, to "Tread Quarters" and have a monopoly on tires in town. If NAPA goes Advance will have a monopoly on parts. I know, I know, two separate corporations so slipped right through the corporate loop hole. I'm not a lawyer so that legal BS doesn't count in my world. The fact is they are both owned by one company. Write what you want on a piece of paper. That's man-made law, not reality. And it give a loophole to big business giving them the advantage they need to impede upon our right to freedom of enterprise. One thing for sure here, bigger is not better. Our lives are getting biggered into poor quality service. Doesn't matter when you are the only game in town. Right now we are in the "One of Two" big box stage of all this.

[davischevy]

WE still have five parts stores here, Napa, O'reilly, Car Quest, Auto Zone and Bumper to Bumper (Crow Burlinghame).

The old O'reilly store was good until the manager moved over to Bumper to Bumper. Now B to B is pretty good, and the NAPA and Car Quest, being locally owned are good. They still have people that know cars and trucks.

We are a fleet account, so I get pretty good prices, but we are buying more and more from the WWW. We buy all our engine oil off the net, and more and more parts.

I need to check out the NAPA pricing.