If you’ve ever owned a car, you know the importance of replacing a broken part with a genuine spare in time before the damage creeps up on the rest of the components. If you’re someone who likes working on your car by yourself, getting the best parts possible is a big piece of the puzzle.
In this article, we’re talking about Rockauto and Partsgeek, two leading automobile part websites that can help you acquire parts for whatever it is you drive from the latest electric cars to old antiquities.
Also read: Electric vehicle buying guide: All you need to know
Pricing and availability
While both websites have similar part availability and lower prices than the competition, Rockauto wins out in terms of the cheapest parts you can find. Do keep in mind that this can sometimes mean skirting on the quality so be wary of any perfect deals you’ll get. However, for the most part, you will get good quality parts while also saving some money.
Quality checks
Speaking of part quality, this is where Partsgeek justifies its slightly higher price tag. Yes, the website is a tad bit expensive, but the parts are sure to be either genuine or authorised third-party spares. The website runs OEM and SecureTrust checks on its products to assure the best quality possible.
RockAuto however doesn’t have any specific tests mentioned for how they check the quality of their parts.
User interface and experience
Both these sites are actually rather old. Partsgeek has been around since 2008 and RockAuto started all the way back in 1999. The age of these websites shows on the interface which is very reminiscent of older websites from the early 2000s. That said, Partsgeek does have a much better interface upfront.
However, we’re happy to report that that’s where the old age stops showing. Regardless of how old the websites might look, especially compared to modern e-commerce stores, they still have massive inventories for just about every car to date and a simple, easy-to-use interface that makes finding parts easy.
Physical presence
Unlike most items you’ll buy online, car parts have a good chance of not turning out what you were hoping and in such cases, it does help if you can visit a brick-and-mortar store to see the part for yourself. Unfortunately, neither of the websites offer physical stores in this case.
Customer support and return policies
Both websites are tied in this category with excellent customer support available by email, chat and toll-free numbers. They both also have a 30-day return guarantee where buyers can ship the part back to the respective store and get a full refund.
You will have to talk to the support staff on both websites to arrange for a return or replacement, which can be a bit of a back-and-forth, but you will eventually be able to make the return happen without much hassle.
