Opinion: NAPA/Autozone/Advance/OEM

[DC runner]

I consider your general duralast to be a basic, generic part replacement. Depending on the part it is either just fine or bottom barrel.

I have used duralast rotors several times. They your nice, thick, OEM fit rotor and never had an issue.

Hardware is a different story, obviously. I am looking to re-do the front calipers on my truck. I have an SE edition, so I need WH calipers.

Do you consider NAPA parts to be quality? Never used NAPA for component parts before.

 

[Sungod]

Steel is steel for the most part. I wouldn't pay extra for rotors from the dealer or Napa. Unless you are looking at cross drilled or slotted then you will do just fine with the autozone or advance rotors. Advance has a crazy promo right now that if you spend $100, they wil give you 15% off and then kick in a $50 gift card. You run order everything online and pick it up in the store. If you are not at $100, you can add things like oil filters, wheel cleaner, etc. to get to $100. Just not motor oil.

 

[Ultramontanist]

Not sure about all the others, but I just replaced my front calipers with the Napa reman's and I also have the WH. One great thing about the Napa one's, and again I don't know about the others, but they carry a lifetime warranty, which was very attractive considering that the calipers are a known issue on these trucks. Also, price wasn't bad, I think, once I returned my old calipers, as there is a core charge on the new ones, they were about $115. They seemed great quality, but time will tell how they hold up. Although, with the warranty I'm not too concerned.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

If you can afford it nothing beats oem for long lasting, quality made parts. They fit right everytime. NAPA would be my second choice but they are now mostly china made parts now. I avoid auto zone. All chineese parts and very low quality. I put a new auto zone clutch master cylinder on my Jeep several years ago and it failed within a year. I then went back to oem and never had another problem. When the parts are held side by side you can see how cheaply made the auto zone parts are. I do not care if they have a life time warrenty. The warrenty does not cover labor and on some parts that is a major part of the job. Just do it right the first time unless you are just fixing up a vehicle to get rid of it. In that case go with whatever is cheap.

 

[black_120]

I would use OEM if possible. But the cheapest route would be Advance Auto ordering online and using a coupon. There are $40 off $100 and $20 off $50 coupon codes floating around the internet.

RockAuto is pretty cheap too. But I like the in-store pickup option.

 

[black_120]

Here are some codes to try. They are not valid on oil or trans fluid.

•$10 off orders of $30 or more via code "A123"
•$15 off orders of $40 or more via code "BIG15"
•$20 off orders of $50 or more via code "A123"
•$30 off orders of $75 or more via code "BIG30"
•$35 off orders of $85 or more via code "RAF7JA1102"
•$50 off orders of $150 or more via code "VISA"
use P20 for 20% off any order, no min.

 

[MikeInNH]

I use NONE on your list.

NAPA I find too expensive. And quality is decent.

Auto-Zone, PepBoys and the like are great for wax and oil but the quality of their parts is questionable.

Here in NH we have a couple of local automotive chains Sanel Brothers and Robins). Each chain has maybe 20 stores (MAX). They carry good quality parts that are cheaper then OEM but a little more expensive then Auto-Zone. Besides their better parts..the people behind the counter are very knowledgeable. The one near me..the average age of the counter person is 40+ and they've been working there for years. At places like Auto-zone..MOST are high-schoolers or drop-outs. And from what I see have little or no knowledge of automobiles. And don't ask them about anything built prior to 2000.

Went to AutoZone and buy a Float for a 1984 GMC S-15 with the 2.8L V6. The kid behind the counter gave me that deer-in-headlight look. Had no idea what a float was. Even when I told him it was for a carburetor. His response was "Carburetor's are on lawn-mowers NOT cars."

The GOOD thing about AutoZone and similar stores is they are open on Sunday's and usually until 9pm most days. That's very convenient.

 

[sonerick]

The OP is talking about calipers, not rotors. OEM calipers suck hard and are prone to seizing, as are most aftermarket brands, cheap and expensive alike. I recommend buying an aftermarket set with a warranty because you will probably have another seized piston somewhere down the line. I know NAPA's carry a lifetime warranty, and sometimes the Duralast ones do as well.

That being said, I recently replaced my front calipers with NAPA ones. Although they are OEM re-mans, they seem to be rebuilt with better-than-OEM parts (pistons, seals, fittings, etc.). They come painted black, which looks nice and will help prevent rusting of the outer casing. Also, the seals around the pistons also seem a little bit better than the ones on my old OEM calipers, and will hopefully help ward off corrosion. They also include the necessary hardware (m-springs, pins, and clips).

 

[DC runner]

The OP is talking about calipers, not rotors. OEM calipers suck hard and are prone to seizing, as are most aftermarket brands, cheap and expensive alike. I recommend buying an aftermarket set with a warranty because you will probably have another seized piston somewhere down the line. I know NAPA's carry a lifetime warranty, and sometimes the Duralast ones do as well.

That being said, I recently replaced my front calipers with NAPA ones. Although they are OEM re-mans, they seem to be rebuilt with better-than-OEM parts (pistons, seals, fittings, etc.). They come painted black, which looks nice and will help prevent rusting of the outer casing. Also, the seals around the pistons also seem a little bit better than the ones on my old OEM calipers, and will hopefully help ward off corrosion. They also include the necessary hardware (m-springs, pins, and clips).

You mind posting up the ones you got? Napa has several options at various price points.

 

[zstampe]

You mind posting up the ones you got? Napa has several options at various price points.

X2.

I need to replace a caliper this weekend.

 

[Ultramontanist]

I think I probably got the same ones as sonerick, as mine are black and have the warranty from Napa. If I recall correctly they are the Napa brand and labeled Eclipse. I got the semi loaded ones, which include all new hardware, like sonerick said, but don't come with the pads. I got their top pads too, which were reasonably priced. Like I said in my above post, I think once I returned my old calipers and got the core charge back, the new calipers were like $115, for the WH ones. I would agree with sonerick on the quality of the Napa reman's and the warranty didn't hurt either.

 

[Sungod]

Is there any verifiable proof that the Napa parts are better or is it just the thinking that more expensive equals better quality? Looking online the Napa calipers are over $200 compared to $50-$60 from rock auto.

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

I'm running napa ultra premium rotors/pads, seem to be holding up fine. I did get one rotor that was warped pretty bad out of the box. Napa replaced it, but it was just a pain having to do the job more than once.

 

[Belovian]

making calipers last

Here's some tips to help make calipers last longer.

1. At least twice a year I recommend to all my clients that the brakes be opened up and lubed. In the case of the 4runners calipers. this simply means removing the pins and the pads, and working the pistons. with the pads out, gently pump the brake pedal a couple times to extend the pistons a little further out. Careful not to pop them out. pump twice and check, better safe than sorry. then you simply reset the pistons all the way back in, I use large water pump pliers. You see as pads wear, more and more of the pistons are exposed to the elements as opposed to swimming in brake fluid. The rubber boot only does so much. pushing the pistons back in coats them and ensures they're working freely. I also take the time to grind the sides of the pads backing plate to make sure they're not sticking in the caliper.

If you do this at least twice a year, you will greatly reduce the chances of a sticking caliper as well as helping to ensure proper and even brake wear.


Later Jesse

 

[sonerick]

I think I probably got the same ones as sonerick, as mine are black and have the warranty from Napa. If I recall correctly they are the Napa brand and labeled Eclipse. I got the semi loaded ones, which include all new hardware, like sonerick said, but don't come with the pads. I got their top pads too, which were reasonably priced. Like I said in my above post, I think once I returned my old calipers and got the core charge back, the new calipers were like $115, for the WH ones. I would agree with sonerick on the quality of the Napa reman's and the warranty didn't hurt either.

I used the eclipse ones above. Same price and all (115 after core return), semi loaded (hardware but no pads).

Is there any verifiable proof that the Napa parts are better or is it just the thinking that more expensive equals better quality? Looking online the Napa calipers are over $200 compared to $50-$60 from rock auto.

I generally don't subscribe to the logic that more expensive=better. If that were the case I would use all OEM parts. Refer to my previous post as to why I think the NAPA's are better than OEM's. Also, Napa calipers were $115 each. I'll pay an extra $50-$60/caliper over the RockAuto parts for a lifetime warranty. Chances are I will see another seized caliper piston over the next 100-200k miles.

 

[Ultramontanist]

I generally don't subscribe to the logic that more expensive=better. If that were the case I would use all OEM parts. Refer to my previous post as to why I think the NAPA's are better than OEM's. Also, Napa calipers were $115 each. I'll pay an extra $50-$60/caliper over the RockAuto parts for a lifetime warranty. Chances are I will see another seized caliper piston over the next 100-200k miles.

I agree 100% with sonerick's reasoning behind using the Napa calipers. I chose them over OEM because they were cheaper with a lifetime warranty, and the quality seemed just as good, if not improved, as sonerick pointed out regarding the boots. Also, I'm with sonerick all the way in choosing them over Autozone and the like for the warranty alone, let alone the possibility of better quality parts and manufacturing. $115 seems a very reasonable price to me for a caliper that I only have to buy once, even if it fails in the future.

 

[DC runner]

And someone correct me, but the acutal brake pads are the same for both the sr5 and the limited/SE, correct? Regardless of which calipers or size rotors?

 

[Sungod]

I agree 100% with sonerick's reasoning behind using the Napa calipers. I chose them over OEM because they were cheaper with a lifetime warranty, and the quality seemed just as good, if not improved, as sonerick pointed out regarding the boots. Also, I'm with sonerick all the way in choosing them over Autozone and the like for the warranty alone, let alone the possibility of better quality parts and manufacturing. $115 seems a very reasonable price to me for a caliper that I only have to buy once, even if it fails in the future.

Autozone also offers a lifetime warranty and they are only $75. So what are you getting for an extra $40?

Napa jacks up their walk up prices because their bread and butter is wholesale. Their prices are are discounted when they are selling to shops who mark up their parts when they sell them. Of course those same shops are the ones knocking Advance and Autozone because they have to justify their inflated prices.

Personally I have bought parts from many different sources and typically only buy from parts stores like Napa when I can't find them at autozone or advance and then usually only buy them when I can get my neighbors discount since he has an account for his machine shop. He gets 25% off list for most parts compared to zero at advance or autozone both of which deliver.

 

[MikeInNH]

Autozone also offers a lifetime warranty and they are only $75. So what are you getting for an extra $40?

Better quality parts. My time to redo the brakes is easily worth $40.

I agree that NAPA is expensive. But I haven't been happy with the quality of AutoZone parts.That's why I go to a local independent chain (Sanel Brothers). Better quality then AutoZone and cheaper the NAPA.

 

[DC runner]

And someone correct me, but the acutal brake pads are the same for both the sr5 and the limited/SE, correct? Regardless of which calipers or size rotors?

Bumpy Bump, just so it doesn't get sunk in discussion.


All valid points. I have used autozone parts and I have used Napa. I tend to consider napa higher quality parts, but I could be wrong. I had used autozone calipers on an older 4 runner, and it was fine. That said, about 8 months after I put the new brake system on; the engine blew and I sold it off. So... I guess I didn't really get to test the longevity of the system.


The NAPA parts are not that horribly expensive and to me, the 40 bucks extra in price isn't a deal breaker.