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| 95Vert | Parts Hunting | ||
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Senior Guru
 
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Presently, I'm hunting some parts for my car. Its always interesting as the internet has made it somewhat easier than it used to be. That said, the availability can make decision making tougher without seeing the actual part. Local would be best but is usually not an option.
What I'm always surprised at is the wide variances in prices, never mind shipping on top of that which becomes a consideration. Frankly, if the vendor adds a handling charge as well, its not in consideration especially compared to other vendors that don't. In my search for a ebrake handle, the parts clustered right around the $50 mark plus shipping. One outlier was at $125, same used part, and was telling me how rare they were. When confronted with the other pricing, he suggested I go there. Why, thank you, I'll just do that. Of course, it means he loses not only that sale, but most likely other business as well. So, instead of coming down on price, he suggested I go elsewhere. Not like these are rare or one of a kind. I don't and never have understood that business model. Oh well, I'm sure they have their reasons. On the eBrake, I think I might end up with Jason at vette2vette. He is a little higher, not much, but he comes recommended here and seems personable on the phone. That is another consideration. I don't buy from people I can't understand, don't have time, put me on hold for unreasonalbe lengths of time or just grunt (unless I can't get it anywhere else)  I guess basic phone courtesy goes a ways with me at least. I don't mean to sound like I'm hard to get along with...I just try to shop around, get a price that's reasonable and try to repeat business with decent people. Does that make sense? Just some thoughts this bright and lovely morning. |
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Posted on: 2011/6/28 15:16
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| 1Fast04Vert | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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Elite Guru
 
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Here is another possibility. Try Chris at 770-546-3504.
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Posted on: 2011/6/28 15:42
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2004 Vert. 475hp. Built by Vengeance Racing |
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| 95Vert | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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Senior Guru
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I think that is Chris at Superior, right? I've dealt with him as well, great pricing.
For this adventure, I thought the best pricing would be used. Corvette recycling actually had the handle cheapest and a new switch that I'm looking at as well. They ship FEDEX which I'm learning I like better than UPS as well. |
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Posted on: 2011/6/28 16:30
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| bogus | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
 
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I hate the Corvette Tax.
Her in SoCal, I have a number of local Corvette specialty shops to deal with, and only one I trust - McJack's in Santa Ana. However, for parts, there are so many options once you get outside of ones immediate area. A few I have dealt with over the years and some comments: Taber in Indiana - nice, but a bit old school, rather ignorant on C4 on up, or were. Dino's Corvette Salvage - Fairly good customer service, but his prices are all over the place; some are screaming deals, some are rip-offs. Dino and I had it out once on the purpose of the Dual Mass Flywheel and how it effected engine balance. He was wrong and won't admit it - even when I gave him chapter and verse in the Helm manual regarding fitment of the little counter weights. GMPartsDirect.com - Great online reference, yes, annoying and fiddly to deal with. I don't like how they put a shipping & handling charge on EACH PART. I ordered several parts from them one time... never again. Ordered the 8 coils for my LTCC conversion and they hit me $60 to ship them!!! TPiS - Customer service issues. I had read on a CF thread where they used to sell after market LT1 cats that were OEM fitment. Several acknowledged this fact. I called them and the guy denied it completely and hung up. Skoggin-Dickey Performance - I called them once to get info on LT1 crate engines. The guy answered, "oh, we don't support that engine." I asked, "who does?", he hung up. ASSHOLE. RockAuto.com - Great source for general parts. Cheaper than anyone else, and no worse than anyone else. Very quick turnaround time. Summitracing.com - I have had issue with product sent and at times their sales people not paying full attention to task at hand and sending the wrong part. Case in point, I ordered a 1987 distributor cap. Spoke with the rep and he replied 1984? I corrected him 1987. I get an 84. Asshole. A few years ago, I tried to buy a Goodyear Gatorback belt. I ordered the part online, only to find it was for an LT5 - way too long. So I filled out the form, told them they had the wrong part listed, and they promptly returned to me the EXACT SAME WRONG PART! Assholes. I called this time and had it out with a CSR and told him to fix the damned database and that my research through Goodyear.com indicates THIS # is the one for the LT1, not the one you list. He supposedly made a change to the database. I don't know, I haven't reordered to confirm it is right. O'Rielly/Autozone - these are the bottom feeds, but my local O'Rielly isn't bad. They seem to be carrying a better quality of part. None of the crap failures. I just refuse to buy an alternator through them anymore. EVER! NAPA - Still the best of a bad lot... sad to say. Ecklers - I have had good customer service, but some pretty crappy parts at times. I don't know what to make of them anymore. MidAmerica - Not bad. Not great. Corvette Central - Ditto. Really, all three are expensive and oversell the whole USA/Apple pie/Baseball/Corvette thing. I know Corvette owners who buy all their stuff exclusively from these vendors and then bitch about the price. Corsa Exhaust - GREAT vendor. Excellent customer support. Vette2Vette.com - They are the best from my position. Jason has great customer service, superfast shipping and fair prices. Corvette Salvage (Reading, PA, can't remember the name!) - Never really dealt much with them. Kinda funky vibe when I did. Superior Chevy(Chris May) - I have been working with these guys for 11 years near enough. They are THE BEST. GM factory parts, fast and at a great price with great support. Chris will go so above and beyond to find a part for you. Absolutely amazing!!! I cannot recommend anyone higher than Chris. I think that's about my list for now... |
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Posted on: 2011/6/28 16:42
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| 1Fast04Vert | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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Elite Guru
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No. This Chris lives near me and parts out C4s all the time. Good guy and honest. |
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Posted on: 2011/6/28 17:10
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2004 Vert. 475hp. Built by Vengeance Racing |
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| corvetteronw | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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Senior Guru
 
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I am visiting Jason on July 17. I wrote an article on his shop and was going to submit it to Corvette Enthusiast magazine. The magazine went through a shakeup and has changed its name to Auto Enthusiast magazine. They now have sections for Corvette/Chevy, Mopar, Mustang/Ford and classic cars.
I contacted the new editor and he said to go ahead and submit the article. The magazine has a vintage scrapyard section in it each month. It is set up a little different so I am going to go back to Jason's and take pics that match their new format. Anyway, I can pick the part up for you if you can wait that long and ship it from my home by either USPS, UPS or FedEx/ Might save you a couple of bucks? Let me know. Here is a pic of the only Corvette that Gordon Killebrew ever owned. He had it at his Tennessee classroom where he used to teach C4 classes. It was being parted out at the Vette2Vette shop when I visited.  |
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Posted on: 2011/6/28 17:15
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A VETERAN IS SOMEONE WHO AT ONE POINT WROTE A BLANK CHECK MADE PAYABLE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR AN AMOUNT OF UP TO AND INCLUDING THEIR LIFE. |
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| biggrizzly | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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2011 Memorial Day Car Show Winner!
 
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Pretty Much my own experiences too. A little better with Summit Racing and Mid America. |
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Posted on: 2011/6/28 17:35
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Don Haller Corvette Club of America 94Coupe, 383Stroka, PeteK Trans, 3000stall, 3.54rear, Konis and bigger sways. |
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| BillH | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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The Stig Moderator
 
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WHAT? You expect customer service, knowledgeable people???
 You expect your brand new Maytag applainces to work right out of the box????  What a pipe dream.   Actually, I agree pretty much with Andy. Someone like Summit though, I can see the database getting screwed up, way to many applications, damn tough to monitor. The LT5 thing's been messed up for a long time but, it's screwed up at Jeg's too and some other sites I've been on. Bottom line for me (not counting used parts) is that I don't put my trust in any of these asswipes. When I order or walk in, I have the correct part number in my hand, it's a little extra work but way less than doing a return. One company not mentioned - Zip. I do like their sight because it tells you if the part is in stock. |
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Posted on: 2011/6/28 19:21
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Every man dies but not every man lives. |
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| 95Vert | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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Senior Guru
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I also like Zip. JT there is a good guy.
I ordered the parts from a place called Corvette Recycling out of Utah. They already sent me confirmation that the item was underway with FEDEX. Cheapest price. I didn't want to call back Jason and beat him up on price. As to Maytag, I went with a more expensive but US made washing machine that you actually purchase from the factory in Ohio. Its the most efficient machine on the market in terms of electricity and detergent used. Also no electronics and made to be fixed by the end user with help from the factory if needed. No middlemen and the most expensive part is the motor at a couple of hundred dollars. My wife kind of grumbled about not having a talking machine but as the good people at FixitSamurai always say, electronics and a humid environment don't mix. Great list of vendors here... |
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Posted on: 2011/6/29 0:27
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| bogus | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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what brand of appliance is that? Do tell.
One thing I have learned is don't just shop price. Shop service. Then establish a long term relationship with that vendor. I have done that with Chris May and with Jason and in both cases, I have been very happy. It is part of a bigger plan that a gentleman by the name of Ed Demming supports. Mr. Demming was a logistical genius. Back in the 1950s, he went to the big three and proposed that Long term supplier contracts would benefit in the company in giving the supplier a vested interest in the product being made. Vs knowing that they were gonna be shitcanned after one year or so. Well, the big three told him to buzz off and he did, right to Japan, Inc, and they all just drank this up! Just a couple of random thoughts... |
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Posted on: 2011/7/1 15:43
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| Ultraman | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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2015 Memorial Day Car Show Winner!
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Good list Andy! Some may depend on what part you are looking for. My experiance with TPiS was not that good. After waiting 6 weeks for a header to be made with the egr fitting welded in it the fitting was put in the wrong place and I had to delete the egr anyway. They say not to listen or pay attention to what you hear on the forums because we don't know what we are talking about......hmmmmmmm. They seem to kinda have an attitude. I am done with them.
The headers are great, love them, customer service not so much! NAPA has not let me down so far. |
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Posted on: 2011/7/1 16:11
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2010 Grand Sport Coupe Gone but not forgotten... Vote DeSantis in 2024.... Make the IRS go away... |
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| 95Vert | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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Senior Guru
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Tracking for the ebrake says it should be here today with FEDEX. Hopefully I'll have it installed this weekend. Of course you guys will hear of it if something goes wrong while I'm installing
Andy, that company website you're looking for is staber.com. Going on their site, the most expensive part I saw was the motor, $381. The machine is made for the person who does not want someone else to fix it. For that matter, something plugged up and customer service talked my wife through a complete disassembly and reassembly to find the plug. They suggest if something goes wrong, call them and they'll help. Its all mechanical, no circuit boards or digitized stuff (warm, humid environment, not good for electronics). As I said, when I read the reviews on Fixitsamurai, they were glowing. Also checked on the internet and a bunch of green sites came up saying how it saves on water, detergent (very true) and electricity. Though about $1300, we are making that back in lack of repair and ancillary expenses. |
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Posted on: 2011/7/1 16:25
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| bogus | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
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Interesting company. I will have to check them out.
I am not so convinced that their assessment of digital electronics being bad in humid environs, what I will say is that to make them weather resistant is much more complex that most appliance makers want to deal with. Think about it, your car, DVD, stereo and microwave all work great with digital electronics, even in humid environs. What I like about their methods is the ease of servicing. That is what really has me interested. If it is that easy to fix, that means I should be able to diagnose quickly and without more than a confirmational call when I order my part. If this is of good quality, tho, shouldn't have to order many parts! |
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Posted on: 2011/7/1 17:57
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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| 95Vert | Re: Parts Hunting | ||
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Senior Guru
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Staber didn't make that assertion about humidity. I read it on the appliance fix forum, FixitSamurai. I think he's now changed the name of that forum. That's where the cases came from in terms of the electronics crapping out.
We have had our washer now for about 6 or so years. Outside of the one call, no issues. Its also one of the washers that would be a side loader but you actually fill the stainless tub from the top. After our Samsung dryer goes south, we'll probably buy their dryer as well. |
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Posted on: 2011/7/1 18:19
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