Veteran mechanic warns drivers not to let dealers ‘take advantage’ – you can buy identical parts for less than half

A PARTS store owner said drivers are missing out on huge savings buying parts from a dealership – dealers only care about profits.

Next time you’re looking to buy an important part for your car, consider looking into RockAuto.

Youtube/Scotty Kilmer

Scotty Kilmer, YouTube’s most popular professional mechanic turned content creator (@ ScottyKilmer ), recently told his 6.23 million followers some parts, like a mass air flow sensor, should only be bought from a dealership .

“Look, we all want to save money,” Kilmer said in the video .

“But you don’t want some cheap, Chinese-made electronic product that’s going to leave you stranded on the road saying, ‘I wish I would have bought the original equipment part.'”

While his advice is sound, buying OEM is a safe way to ensure a DIY mechanic is buying the correct part for their engine, it can be expensive.

In the video, Kilmer was leaning over his 2010s Toyota Yaris, replacing a mass airflow sensor (MAF).

A MAF sensor is important, as it tells the ignition computer how much air to mix with the fuel in the combustion chamber.

If an MAF sensor is on its way out, it could lead to a poorly running engine, a wobbly engine, poor gas mileage, and engine wear.

For his Yaris, Denso is the manufacturer Toyota uses for most of its parts.

On RockAuto’s website, the MAF for Kilmer’s Yaris is listed at $81.79.

After calling a few Toyota dealerships in different areas, I found the average cost of a MAF sensor is $216.00.

That’s a markup of 164%.

Jim Taylor, the Founder and CEO of RockAuto, told The U.S. Sun after watching Kilmer’s video that he didn’t disagree with his advice – and that it’s a safe bet when someone is in a pinch.

However, he did agree that mechanics were missing out on savings by buying parts from a dealership.

“I think a lot of people feel the security of going back to where they bought the car to buy the parts, but a lot of times they could buy the very same part from us,” he told The U.S. Sun.

Taylor buys parts directly from manufacturers who make genuine parts for many cars sold in America: Denso, NGK, AC Delco, Delfi, and more.

Because there’s no storefront to maintain, just a warehouse to store and ship, there’s little to no markup for genuine parts.

Though, he did mention drivers would need to know what to look for.

OEM isn’t always better, either, it just depends on the part. Sometimes an aftermarket recognizes there are some quality gaps and improves it.

Jim Taylor, RockAuto Founder & CEO

“Of course, that means people would need to know how to cross-check parts numbers to make sure they’re identical, how to look up who makes the part, whether it’s Denso or not, and that just takes a little research,” Taylor said.

“Car manufacturers tend to have multiple parts suppliers to avoid problems on the assembly line if something goes wrong. Like yes, Chevy uses Delfi, but they also buy from NGK.”

And, he said, sometimes OEM isn’t always better – which is why he makes shopping through his website easier.

“OEM isn’t always better, either, it just depends on the part,” he continued.

“Sometimes an aftermarket recognizes there are some quality gaps and improves it.”

That’s why his website gives shoppers the ability to sort parts by their popularity, price, or quality level.

“The website is categorized by quality level, like economy, daily driver, or performance, which is helpful for people who are just starting to work on cars or have never bought parts before,” he said.

The parts are also listed with photos for comparison, complete with manufacturer data and name, stock number, and general information.

OEM car parts versus aftermarket

Edmunds, a leading automotive media outlet, says 'it depends' when it comes to buying aftermarket versus OEM.

However, there are a few things to consider before spending a little extra on OEM parts and when to save with aftermarket parts.

As the webpage says, “Not all aftermarket parts are created equally, but all OEM parts are,” so there’s the promise of a higher quality part that is guaranteed to work with your car’s computer and electrical systems.

However, not all parts on a car need to come from a dealership’s parts department.

PROS OF AFTERMARKET:

1. The price will be lower without the automaker’s markup. An automaker pays wholesale for the parts from a supplier, but to make a profit, there’s a hike in price on the otherwise less expensive part.
2. Quality can be better than OEM, depending on the part. For instance, sometimes a factory stereo and speaker setup can be subpar compared to how they can be improved with aftermarket parts.
3. There’s more to choose from. With more options to choose from, a vehicle can be truly customizable.
4. More widely available. You can buy aftermarket parts from anywhere at any time and at a wider range of prices, while a dealership may make you wait for an order to come in for a part.

CONS OF AFTERMARKET:

1. Quality can be worse than OEM. Depending on the part, the quality can be subpar compared to the original equipment.
2. Too much selection can be overwhelming for some buyers, especially those just learning to wrench or those without experience.
3. Warranties can be confusing or non-existent.

PROS OF OEM:

1. Parts shopping is easier, as the parts department automatically has what your car needs.
2. Quality is more reliable and consistent, as it’s the same part that came on the car from the factory.
3. Most of the time, OEM parts have better warranties.

CONS OF OEM:

1. More expensive. As previously mentioned, the dealership aims to profit from the parts department by marking up the price for customers. Some parts can cost 50% more than if it were bought at a smaller shop, like NAPA or AutoZone.
2. Most times they have to be bought from a dealership or OEM website.

Source: Edmunds

“Rather than try to change anyone’s mind about what’s best, we offer a choice of OE-brand, OE-supplier, and aftermarket parts for as many applications as possible,” he explained.

“We show the brand and the manufacturer part number in our catalog so customers who want to follow advice from their mechanic, Mr. Kilmer or some other source can do so — along with pictures, specifications and other details so customers can do their own research.”

He said he started RockAuto with his wife and his brother almost 30 years ago after his journey into mechanics met a rocky start.

“I would go into parts stores and was made to feel unwelcome, or like I didn’t belong there because I didn’t know what I was doing,” said Taylor.

“I remember telling my wife and my brother, ‘There has to be a better way to do this,’ so we started RockAuto in our living room back in 1999. Our goal was to encourage and empower people when it came to working on their own cars.”