Thanks for sharing that story. Going cheap costs more money and could sacrifice safety.

The only time to shop at Rockauto or another large scale online retailer is when buying a quality brand that is not being offered by FCP. I bought the OE brand Valeo A/C compressor from one of the large online retailers with coupon. FCP didn’t have Valeo at the time and this part normally will last well beyond the 100k-mile lifespan usually seen in engine maintenance and suspension parts.

Otherwise, almost always FCP. If you cannot find a part listed, search by part number. Sometimes the same part is listed under a different vehicle, but not the XC90. Also, some parts (different brands) are added in a different subcategory.

You can also purchase original Volvo parts from FCP and they will honor the lifetime warranty/guarantee.

 

 

Not all OEM brands make all parts with quality. Read the suspension thread and you will see even original Volvo parts fail much sooner than it should.

Read threads of people’s real-world experiences and be a smart consumer. Buying parts with a lifetime warranty helps too.

 

True. Nothing is perfect. There are certain upgraded parts I like to put on no doubt. The first items that come to my mind are some of the DO88 parts, some of the Koni struts for some of the other cars and polyurethane bushings in certain areas and stuff like that. The FCP warranty is nice to have though for sure.

 

I just finished a 3 week ordeal chasing what I thought was a bad tire. I replaced my rear hubs in early November 2022. I bought the UltrPower from Rockauto in 10/26/2022 thinking that if I get 3 years and 30k miles out of them I would be ok with that. Well, about 6 weeks ago I started getting a tire noise that sounded like it was out of balance. I had the tires balanced and rotated and still had the noise. And it got worse. I went to Sam's Club to file a warranty claim on the tire and they nicely pointed out that the left rear wheel bearing was bad. I couldn't accept that because they were only a year old. But there was no arguing it as it was clear once I rocked the wheel. I then went and looked up my purchase records and tried to file a warranty claim with RockAuto. They very kindly told me I was out of warranty. I asked for help on this as it was a matter of weeks beyond the warranty and the problem had presented during the warranty and was rather coldly told that it was out of warranty and the issue was closed. No going up the supervisor chain or anything, Great customer service.....

So I ordered 2 new ones from FCPEuro and installed them this weekend. Lesson learned, don't go cheap and RockAuto just lost a good customer.

lol. rockauto offers around 40 choices of hubs for your car, you choose the cheapest one, it fails, then AFTER the warranty expires you request restitution.
rockauto is the bad guy?
I've dealt with rockauto since their inception and their speed of service, prices, returns, and variety of parts in most applications is tops.
They actually do have great customer service.
You're right, don't go cheap, but don't blame a business if you do , and a warranty is a warranty for a reason.
Welcome to life.
here's the list:

 

RockAuto is excellent. One thing I noticed about the heart icons next to parts - they're usually the cheapest option. Be wary of going by that alone. I'm sure if you bought a Timken or SKF, it would still be good. Why would you want a wheel bearing to only last 3 years? That's crazy.

 

Jlh3rd said it best don’t just buy the cheapest part, if you’re going to use aftermarket components go for the trusted names in the aftermarket parts world. Hell I can get many of the Pentosin (OEM) products on rock auto cheaper then anywhere else. Do your research before buying parts if the name is unfamiliar to you! Don’t cheap out and don’t expect to get something from a business outside of its clearly stated guidelines for a warrenty. You will know now that when you have an issue file your claim and do not wait.

 

Our 2006 XC90 went through rear hubs like underwear - they were replaced not once, but twice before it was traded at 150k. FCP covered the parts. The first time I had to take both axles shafts out of the car with the hubs still attached and put the whole assembly in a press to free the hub from the outer axle splines. The second replacement was much easier as I had greased the splines well before reassembling. Our 2013 XC90 is still on the original factory hubs with 140k. Not sure if Volvo improved them at some point, but there's a repeated repair I'm very happy to do without! I will say that other than the entire front suspension, which like our 2006 was pretty much shot at 120k, our current XC90 has needed no repairs since the CPO warranty expired at 100k.

 

Some ppl might not have the funds to buy the best during difficult times. So they can buy the cheapest option to get by just for now.

This is why Rockauto is excellent. They offer you a choice of different price range for the same part. Their prices is some of the best in the business. They offer you a choice of different price range for the same part. their refund policy is fair.

 

yeah...I don't wanna sound cold hearted, but the OP didn't say anything about being in a tough spot.

 

It doesn't matter why I chose that part. My issue is that the part failed during the warranty and I called them 2 weeks after the warranty expired. Expecting a part to only last the duration of a warranty is ridiculous regardless of the cost. I said I expected it to last maybe 3 years and I was ok with that. Besides the part failing so early in less than 10,000 miles, I'm pissed that RockAuto wasn't even willing to offer me anything, no replacement, no discount on a replacement, not even a "sorry about that". I use them as my main parts source for my families fleet of cars and now I don't want to do business with a company that doesn't stand behind a products the sell.

 

Guess you live and learn.

Swedespeed members here reflected on different part brands' quality (or lack thereof) and when it's a good idea to shop at Rockauto. A warranty like that isn't from Rockauto, but from the manufacturer. FCP may have an arrangement with the manufacturers or they eat the cost for warranties.

FCP is also known to remove many parts that have higher warranty claims and that's why, in general, FCP carries more quality parts. They list some parts in their catalog to meet certain price points, such as if the only options are an original Volvo part for $350 or a cheaper aftermarket for $75 that could get you through an immediate bind.

There are a lot of members on Swedespeed with experience buying parts from different outlets and doing warranty claims for decades. We share the pain...this is why we recommend going with quality even if it costs more because, in the long run, you save money. Ironically, for a lot of the same parts, I found FCP to be equivalent or cheaper in price after factoring the free shipping over $49. If the cost is $1-$2 more at FCP, I typically go with them because of the lifetime warranty.

Remember, FCP also gives a warranty/guarantee on spark plugs, engine oil, Pentosin fluid, suspension, and the rear hub.

 

If I were the king of Rockauto I probably would have handled it differently, if, in fact, we were only talking about a few days out of warranty. My impression of Rockauto, however, is that they are highly automated to keep overhead low and prices down. The "machine" handling return authorizations probably doesn't have any discretion programmed in.

In the end, if you don't comply with the terms of the warranty then they have no obligation to bend the rules.

 

I bought Timken wheel bearing hubs from Rockauto and so far the rears have outlasted the originals. Some parts I have good luck with, others I don't. Recenly I bought plug wires for a GM and they sent the wrong ones but I did get a credit on them and didn't have to send them back. Another mistake that I made was buying a Dorman pump for the AWD which didn't last very long. I guess you have to be careful in what you order.

I don't like FCP Euro because they only ship through UPS and I have been screwed too many times on them gouging on the customs duties. Also they don't list their parts in Canadian dollars so Rockauto is miles ahead of FCP on that computer ordering sort of stuff.