I have stopped buying pretty much all "critical" parts from non online-Toyota Dealers. So no more Amazon, no more ebay (unless it's verified to come from that dealer).

For my LBJ, spark plugs, etc, I went with an online Toyota dealer. There are SO much counterfeit stuff on the market right now, I can't even begin. Hearing stories of Denso labeled spark plugs exploding in engines because they were indeed fake, made me eat what I spent and spend MORE to get original guaranteed ones from a dealer. I also wouldn't want to risk the LBJs failing for the same reason.

I've come to realize as I get older, time is my most valuable asset, and redoing something I did because I went for a cheaper part is just not worth it, at the best case. The worst case is something breaks and it costs me so much more.

I’ve only ever bought one belt from a dealership online. Everything else Genuine Toyota I’ve bought from a dealership in person. I have 6 or so in town or very close, which helps. They typically discount 20% just because you ask. And much less trouble returning versus eBay or Amazon.

It’s funny as I’ve tried that approach but local dealers by me never provide any parts discount for walk in business, makes little sense.
Conicelli Toyota in PA will honor online pricing for walk-in business but that’s an out of state drive for me.
They’re great to deal with and they ship quick so I usually go with them.
No more eBay parts for me.

thats nice to have so many dealers in one town for doing competative price. I have one dealer, the next is over 250 miles, and is the same parent company and same name. so they got a locked in market

there is fake, chinese shit everywhere. ford, honda, toyota, nissan, etc. if you know what to look for, you can spot the fakes. that's what happens when buying from ebay, amazon, etc. pay more and get it from the dealer.

I the L.A. area, I have dealt with Hamer Toyota in the S.F. Valley. They are a large dealer with a large parts dept. Online prices with option to p/u in person and save the shipping cost. My immediately local dealer in Santa Monica (you know who you are!) is largely worthless.
I've also used Amayama for parts that are grotesquely overpriced by Toyota USA like brake hoses.

I've always had good luck buying Honda parts off genuine websites and the dealer. Buying online (eBay) is where the problems start. No more eBay and Amazon stuff for me unless its a popular verified seller like cabinairman who sells nothing but timing belt kits.

I have ordered so much Honda parts that I even recognized the looks of the label. When I got my counterfeit coil packs on eBay, I immediately knew it was fake just by looking at the label. "mAdE iN cHiNa " Last time I knew, OEM parts were made in Japan, not China.........

are these legit

GENUINE OEM TOYOTA VALVE COVER WASHERS GASKETS SPARK PLUG TUBE SEALS 5VZFE NEW | eBay

gonna order the timing kit from cabinman

few other small things from amazon

then gonna try to price out some other stuff from aryana, like all my suspension bushings

I vote not OEM Toyota parts. I may be wrong I don’t believe the heat seal on the packaging is what Toyota uses.
The online parts I get from Conicelli Toyota never come that way.
That was one of the things I noticed on the packaging of the counterfeit inner tie rod ends I bought on eBay from eBay seller “rrenterprises”.
Better off buying from a trusted source.

what u all r failing to understand is that Toyota DOES NOT make, most if any, of the parts the stealership are selling you. Toyota uses a list of what they call tier 1 manufacturers to get their parts from, NO vehicle manufacture makes every part that goes onto their vehicle. Toyota seals are generally NOK, wheel bearings KOYO, timing auto tensioner NTN, valve steam seals Ishnio, and the list goes on and on.... and these manufacturers have factories in India, USA, Mexico, and even in China, to name just some.

I have bought a number of parts from the dealership that have China on the bag...

Just to give u all examples I am currently going through my new builds engine and I can pay the stealership price for my intake valve steam seal at 7.49 (this is a discounted price) or I can buy the exact same part/manufacture for 1.50, multi this by 12 and.... If u do some research u can save a lot of $ and get the same quality.

Except that when you buy from a non dealership source you don't actually know where the parts are coming from. They could be real. They may have come from the same factory on the same equipment. But even if that's the case, they may be parts that failed to pass QC inspection. They could also just be straight up counterfeits. You have no way of knowing. And that is why for some parts you just suck it up and buy from a dealership, because some parts aren't worth the risk of that unknown.

When I buy from Auto parts stores and the online stores/places I shop from, I do know where the parts are coming from... If ur buying from sketchy web sites that on u, Amazon has great return policy's and u can c feedback on the sellers, and there r many items I get from the dealership for one reason or another.

Well said.

If you go to an autoparts store for aftermarket parts that's fine, but for my money, if it's an OEM part the dealership is the only place I'm buying from (Online dealerships are fine, it doesn't need to be my local dealership). I won't trust ebay or amazon to be real OEM. I don't care about return policies, because I need my parts to install correctly the first time, and not break quickly, and easy returns don't help me with either of those problems.