Do you source them yourself or go to a mechanic?
Generally toyotapartsdeal.com because their prices are pretty good.
For generic non-OEM stuff I almost always use rockauto
+1 for RockAuto. I have an older non-domestic car, and they’ve had everything I have needed for it
Rockauto if I can wait a week otherwise it’s the local Autozone/O’Reilly. Rockauto prices are way better and the selection of parts (including quality stuff) is so much better.
Depends on the job, special tools and workspace needed, and time.
I recently had a mechanic replace a wheel hub assembly for me. He sourced the parts, finding them for about 5% cheaper than I could find them. His labor rates were very reasonable. And I don’t have a lot of time for that sort of job, nor space to do it efficiently where I currently live. Could I have done it? Yes. But he got it done in 3 hours where it would have taken me the better part of the weekend.
For what I have in mind I think I could pull it off relatively quickly myself. I just wonder if I should try ordering online and where. In Canada ideally.
I have a couple online stores I check, otherwise I just use the Google Shopping tab. Auto parts don’t seem to be spammed up as much as other things yet. Heck, online Walmart often times has what I need.
For most stuff like brake pads, wipers, or bulbs I have used Autozone or O’Reilly, not really picky about either. When I needed the occasional expensive thing like batteries or an alternator I would check prices first and pick the one that was lower for the one I wanted.
This was mostly due to needing the thing right away, so I’m paying a little more for convenience.
I also used LKQ a couple times over a decade ago for junkyard parts like a headlight housing that was damaged.
Haven’t had to do the expensive stuff for quite a few years, just wipers and the occasional brake pads.
At the carparters.
Halfords
eBay if I can wait a few days, otherwise O’Reilly’s.
If I need it now, I’ll go to any major auto parts store. They’re all decent imo, so whatever’s closest, but if you put a gun to my head and told me to pick I’d probably go O’Reilly’s. If I can wait for shipping and I need a few things at once, I’ll do rockauto, and for anything harder to find I do eBay, maybe Amazon but they suck so I avoid them if I can. And occasionally I’ll go to a third party site if it’s the only place I can find something.
I don’t have firsthand experience but I’ve been meaning to swing by the local parts yard to see if I can find hatch mat and other bits and pieces.
If it’s an OEM part that I need, I usually use the car manufacturer’s parts catalog to find a part number. Then I enter that part number in a web browser, and browse through whatever comes up to find the lowest price from a trustworthy source (usually a car dealer online somewhere that sells/ships parts and has an online store, but sometimes eBay, Amazon, etc.)
Aftermarket parts get a little more complicated because it depends entirely on what kind of part you’re looking for.
