Sully Posted November 30, 2021 Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 My step-daughter's car needs a new water pump. From Advanced Auto, they are $100. I found one on RockAuto made by US Motorworks for $17.00 and it has a 12 month warranty. That's a major difference in price. Would you feel comfortable using the $17 water pump? Backstory: It's a Chevy Cruze with 133,000 miles that her dad and I split the cost on the purchase of. We agreed that we'd split the cost on repairs. An independent shop wants $500 to replace it. We decided to just do it ourselves to save money as neither of us really have a whole lot extra to spend. It kind of makes me a bit nervous about purchasing a $100+ part for $17, but US Motorworks appears to be legit, from what I can tell. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergwheel1647545492 Posted November 30, 2021 Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 How long will she be keeping the car? If the answer is another 100k miles then splurge for the more expensive unit If the WP goes out will it take the timing belt with it? if yes, then go with OEM part from dealer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Brian Posted November 30, 2021 Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 man I have a pile of car magnets from buying shit from them over the years and they're legit ALL RED CARS. Fuck that place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted November 30, 2021 Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 When you buy from a parts store, they typically have a supplier contract with 2 or 3 suppliers and that's it. RockAuto buys from independent warehouses so you can find everything from the cheapest junk to high end stuff - you have choice. MY only experience with US Motorworks is that at one point they made a water pump for the LT5 in the c4 zr1. Since dad has a ZR1 we talked about getting one as a spare (OEM spares are non-existent). Someone else in the ZR1 registry bought one and sent us the pics - the casting was low quality, the threads were all gunked up, and the part needed grinding to fit. we ended up buying a used water pump and sent it out for a rebuild. I personally would not purchase their part - not because it is cheap, but because my limited experience is that their parts are not made well. Shop around, see if NAPA or Autozone has a better deal. I tend to buy from NAPA a lot these days because their quality is a little more consistent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted November 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 How long will she be keeping the car? If the answer is another 100k miles then splurge for the more expensive unit If the WP goes out will it take the timing belt with it? if yes, then go with OEM part from dealer All driving is very local, so maybe 15 - 20 minutes each way of our house. She's not going to be driving any long distances for quite some time and who know how long she'll have the car. It's serpentine belt driven, which we'll be replacing as well. They have several options on the RockAuto site, including some around the $50 mark. Maybe that'd be a good compromise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted November 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 When you buy from a parts store, they typically have a supplier contract with 2 or 3 suppliers and that's it. RockAuto buys from independent warehouses so you can find everything from the cheapest junk to high end stuff - you have choice. MY only experience with US Motorworks is that at one point they made a water pump for the LT5 in the c4 zr1. Since dad has a ZR1 we talked about getting one as a spare (OEM spares are non-existent). Someone else in the ZR1 registry bought one and sent us the pics - the casting was low quality, the threads were all gunked up, and the part needed grinding to fit. we ended up buying a used water pump and sent it out for a rebuild. I personally would not purchase their part - not because it is cheap, but because my limited experience is that their parts are not made well. Shop around, see if NAPA or Autozone has a better deal. I tend to buy from NAPA a lot these days because their quality is a little more consistent. Great feedback. Much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted November 30, 2021 Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 If it's an easy enough swap i'd opt for the cheap one expecting to replace it sooner rather than later. If it's a harder swap then look for a better unit. I've bought cheap stuff and "better" stuff from Rock Auto in the past and could rarely tell the differences in the parts aside from cost. Now I opt for the cheap stuff if I don't care that much or they are easy to change, otherwise I go to NAPA or somewhere I can see it before I buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted November 30, 2021 Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 I try to find OEM p/n from another site and cross-reference RA to see if they have it for sale cheaper. (i.e Honda oil filters for our van, brake calipers, ignition electronics, etc...) I think the big benefit of RA is, if you have a few days to make the fix, their prices are worth the shipping wait. I definitely agree that NAPA has quality parts and a great warranty. I'm glad I live near the warehouse on 161 in Worthington north of KOSU because they have nearly anything on SKU in-stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergwheel1647545492 Posted November 30, 2021 Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 All driving is very local, so maybe 15 - 20 minutes each way of our house. She's not going to be driving any long distances for quite some time and who know how long she'll have the car. It's serpentine belt driven, which we'll be replacing as well. They have several options on the RockAuto site, including some around the $50 mark. Maybe that'd be a good compromise? I'd definitely go with the $17 unit and just replace it as it breaks. This is also assuming its easy to get to and replace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted November 30, 2021 Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 I'd definitely go with the $17 unit and just replace it as it breaks. This is also assuming its easy to get to and replace. Ahh my brother in cheap-ism...... :lolguy: If it's an easy enough swap i'd opt for the cheap one expecting to replace it sooner rather than later. If it's a harder swap then look for a better unit. I've bought cheap stuff and "better" stuff from Rock Auto in the past and could rarely tell the differences in the parts aside from cost. Now I opt for the cheap stuff if I don't care that much or they are easy to change, otherwise I go to NAPA or somewhere I can see it before I buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otis Nice Posted December 1, 2021 Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 man I have a pile of car magnets from buying shit from them over the years and they're legit ALL RED CARS. Fuck that place. :lolguy: Agreed with what others have said. If it's easy to replace go with el cheapo and roll the dice. If not pay up. I have used RA several times. Depending on what it is I'll opt for the more expensive (and typically better) part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted December 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 Appreciate all the information and suggestions. I ended up going with a middle of the road ACDelco one for like $50. Figured that'd give me the best of both worlds, so to speak. Being ACDelco, not $100+, and her dad and I splitting the cost, figured that would be worth it. Also picked up the serpentine belt from RA while I was at it. Again, about 1/2 the cost of one in a local store. There wasn't a huge difference in price for the coolant, plus I'd have to pay shipping for that, so I'll just get that local. I'll probably pick up some of the hose clamps locally as well because I'm sure those will need to be replaced as we take things apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted December 1, 2021 Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 Is this a 1.4l Cruise? Many of these have extended warranties on them and could be free through the dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted December 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2021 Is this a 1.4l Cruise? Many of these have extended warranties on them and could be free through the dealer. It is the 1.4. It's 9 years old and 133,000 miles. Would an extended warranty be for that long though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted December 3, 2021 Report Share Posted December 3, 2021 It is the 1.4. It's 9 years old and 133,000 miles. Would an extended warranty be for that long though? I honestly don’t remember the terms for that one, it was probably 120k, but there are many that are 10 year 150k for certain things. My daughter’s Cobalt has a lifetime fuel pump module, so there are even some that go on forever. Nobody makes a big announcement about it but it never hurts to look into common issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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