‘Wait till you see the price on RockAuto.’
A man goes to a NAPA Auto Parts store to check the price on a part. He finds that competitor PartsSource is the more cost-effective option—even though it’s a 15-minute drive out of the way.
TikTok user Bee Bare Botanicals (@beebarebotanicals) posted a video with his auto parts price comparison on Dec. 8.
“Today, I was at NAPA, and the part that I just purchased for $100 at PartsSource was $250,” he says to start the video.
He continues, “When I told them it’s $100, she’s like, ‘One moment,’ and she goes to her computer, and she’s like, ‘How is $160?’ I’m like, ‘The part costs $100, and it’s a 15-minute drive. I’m going to go for a 15-minute drive and save $60 on the same part in the same brand.’”
The creator concludes, “What did I learn out of this? Buy your parts at PartsSource and don’t go to NAPA. They are ridiculously overpriced.”
In the comments section of the video, some viewers said the man should’ve anticipated this before ever setting foot into the store.
“NAPA has always been expensive,” wrote one person.
A second person agreed, “It’s been like this forever. Nothing new. Wait until you see the price on RockAuto.” The online auto parts retailer is a favorite among many DIY mechanics for its friendly pricing.
Another person argued, “Sometimes [the best price is at] PartsSource, but sometimes it’s NAPA, or Warehouse Services, or Bumper to Bumper, or RockAuto, or Amazon, or Lordco. You gotta shop around.”
Someone else said, “My go-to is PartsSource or Amazon for some of my parts.”
According to Cheapism, the TikTok commenter who urged shopping around might have the right idea. That’s because the outlet compared prices across four retailers (Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, O’Reilly, and NAPA) and found that the best prices on every part require visiting virtually all of them.
In this Reddit thread posted to r/MechanicAdvice last year, one person said there’s little difference between Advance, O’Reilly, and AutoZone. “NAPA is a different animal,” the person said. “They are geared more toward professionals and shops.”
When it comes to NAPA, San Diego County accused the company of overcharging customers via register scanners that “rang up inaccurate prices.” The company agreed to settle the lawsuit for $338,000.
Motor1 contacted Bee Bare Botanicals via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also contacted NAPA via online contact form for comment. We will update this story if either party responds.
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