RockAuto and Dorman

[ssn696]

The last RockAuto Newsletter had a short blurb about Dorman and 'price fixing'. Apparently, as big as RockAuto has grown in the past few years, it does not yet have the clout to outvote the big parts store chains. Dorman has decided that RockAuto and others are undercutting Dorman prices too much. I guess the chains' price-matching guarantees are having unintended consequences.

It seems that investors are also becoming underwhelmed with the O'Reilly monster.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4085808-oreilly-crashes

Too bad they are a major source of OEM replacement bits not offered by anyone else. Not sure how this will play out.

https://www.rockauto.com/Newsletter/

 

[DRIVEN]

Too bad. Dorman has a huge catalog of parts not available from anywhere else.

 

[Ribbedroof]

IMO, OReilly fell more than a couple rungs when the name brand stuff started being replaced by house brand, even things like RTV sealer. Locally, they are now really no better than AutoZone, just at a higher price point.

FWIW, about 3 weeks ago I price shopped a new fuel tank for my F350, a Dorman at Rock was $73 +$15 shipping, O'Reilly same part number Dorman was $172. This is why I use Rock for planned projects

 

[ssn696]

The Zone is pretty much it around here. Same problem. 'Do you want the Gold or Silver version'? Of course, it's the same part in the box, with two different warranties. They are gambling that DIY cheapskates will sell the heap before the thing breaks.

 

[ssn696]

Buy up your Dorman parts at RockAuto before they stop selling the brand in October...

 

[Ribbedroof]

Already not available...not sure if they went out of stock or are suspending sales of all Dorman part numbers.

 

[Ribbedroof]

Not sure how many of you are old enough to remember real independent parts stores...the ones that sold real name brands, that didn't need a "lifetime warranty" because you knew you were buying a part that was AT LEAST as good as the OE part it replaced. These parts houses usually had a machine shop attached. This was the time where companies like Bendix, Fram, Raybestos, Wagner, TRW, Moog, Federal Mogul, and many others earned a reputation for quality at prices better than the OEs, many times with improvements over the OE piece. Sometime later, corporate raiders bought them up, gutted the manufacturing, and banked on the goodwill of the name. It wasn't just automotive parts, though, Curtis Mathes is a fine example of a stellar reputation gone to sh*t. Once THE BEST television on the market, last marketed by Kmart after being manufactured by Daewoo.

Somewhere along the way someone decided junk parts with a "lifetime warranty" were a better selling feature than a quality brand, I would guess because of higher margains on short-cut remanufactured parts.

 

[ItsnotaGN]

That sucks. I bought a Dorman carrier bearing for my kid's 08 Caddy from Rock Auto, it was 72 bucks, the same part from Autozone literally the same Dorman part number was a week out and $173.

 

[ck80]

Not sure how many of you are old enough to remember real independent parts stores...the ones that sold real name brands, that didn't need a "lifetime warranty" because you knew you were buying a part that was AT LEAST as good as the OE part it replaced. These parts houses usually had a machine shop attached. This was the time where companies like Bendix, Fram, Raybestos, Wagner, TRW, Moog, Federal Mogul, and many others earned a reputation for quality at prices better than the OEs, many times with improvements over the OE piece. Sometime later, corporate raiders bought them up, gutted the manufacturing, and banked on the goodwill of the name. It wasn't just automotive parts, though, Curtis Mathes is a fine example of a stellar reputation gone to sh*t. Once THE BEST television on the market, last marketed by Kmart after being manufactured by Daewoo.

Somewhere along the way someone decided junk parts with a "lifetime warranty" were a better selling feature than a quality brand, I would guess because of higher margains on short-cut remanufactured parts.

Not unlike when Zalinsky tried to acquire Callahan brakes just for the name on the box......

 

[Ribbedroof]

Not unlike when Zalinsky tried to acquire Callahan brakes just for the name on the box......

EXACTLY!