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While most of us might agree that going to the neighborhood parts store to get parts for the car is a good idea, there are some things that you might need to know. While many times, the parts are cheaper and you can get the same ones that you could from the dealer, some of the items from the auto parts store are of dubious quality. Starters and alternators are one thing that I avoid buying from anyone but a dealer. This is because most after-market ones are rebuilt overseas and in the case of the "one year" warranty parts, they will fail repeatedly before the warranty is up. A case in point is the alternator found in GM cars from 1987 to 1995.

Many times these will fail after five or six years right from the factory. However, the after-market parts, unless they are OEM re-manufactured, will seldom last more than a year.
I had a 1989 Buick Skyhawk that, like clockwork, needed an alternator after a year of driving. This would cost me $100 a pop, plus $30 for a belt when the rear bearing seized. For $30, I went to the salvage yard and purchased a used, GM re-manufactured alternator out of a 1988 Chevy Cavalier, and it lasted me another two years and the new owner another five.
Another item is brake pads. After-market ones are cheaper and have a lifetime warranty, so they're better, right? The answer would be wrong again. They're made of a harder material that doesn't wear right and makes more noise. This was very apparent on my 2003 Dodge Intrepid. After spending nearly $40 on a set of front pads, they squeaked and ground as if they were running on metal. I spent nearly $70 on ones from the Dodge dealer and swapped them out, taking the after-market ones back. What a difference it made. There was little, if any noise from the pads, and I didn't have to spread that red goop on the backs of them either.
As for anything else, while after-market parts are cheaper as a first cost; you have to keep in mind that your time is also valuable. This is especially true if you do your own work. Nobody likes to do a repair over and again, especially when you've got a wedding to go to the following day or when you're late for work because your alternator froze up. Any way you look at it, you're worth the quality that Original Equipment Parts provide, and so does your car or truck.

Learn more about this author, Walter Grace.
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