I'm trying to price out parts for a front end rebuild and hope to avoid any surprises from cross border ordering. The last time I ordered from the US was back in the '90s and my experience with additional charges wasn't exactly favourable. My first question goes to reliability of suppliers, I found a drastic price difference between RA and Summit.


All parts are Moog except for a pair of KYB shocks, prices do not include applicable taxes, shipping or duties.


Summit - $435.57 USD
Rock Auto - $315.70 USD (after 5% discount code)
Lordco (my local jobber) - $551 USD


With the $120 difference between Summit and Rock Auto, is there any compelling reason to order from Summit?


When it comes to shipping to Canada, how accurate have you found their calculations to be? Were there additional charges added at any point along the way?


For my orders, they've provided these costs:


Summit - Tax/Duty - $34.04, Shipping - $29.16
Rock Auto - Tax/Duty - $18.97, Shipping - $20.02


This is the start of planning my winter project, with the aim of tackling everything forward of the firewall and not leaving any MAWs behind. My intent is to remove everything...fenders, engine, etc...list includes:


- Remove fenders for rust repair/painting
- Restore Grills and Gravel Guard
- Restore Core and Rad Supports
- Clean/repair/replace wires & hoses
- Replace front Bumper
- Upgrade to front disc brakes
- Replace balljoints, tie rod ends, bushings, etc
- Possible installation of 455/TH400 (while the ideal time, I might wait until I'm ready to restore and install the buckets and console)
- Clean and paint exposed frame and anything else


I figure that'll keep me busy for a day or two anyhow.

 

Summit is always my first choice. Since I am in CA, I don't pay tax, anything over $99 is shipped free. Most of the parts are stocked in Sparks Nevada, which means if I order before 8pm the parts are at my door the next day. Also their customer service is the best, hands down. I bought a quarter panel for my Chevelle which arrived bent, refused the package gave summit a call and they shipped another one same day, before they got the first one back. I have returned parts 4-5 months later with no problems. So that's my reason for going with Summit for everything.

 

I've had great experiences ordering from Rock Auto for my DD Dodge truck and I'm told they're pretty good with parts for old cars as long as you don't require complete authenticity. The caveat is, I've only ordered while in the States. Lordco's always pricey but they often have stock on hand. Haven't used Summit and given your price comparison I can't see why I would. A lot of those "meat-and-potatoes" parts are also available from the resto houses like Year One or The Parts Place, but if it's all available from Rock Auto, that'll probably be your best bet.


Good for you for "gittin' 'er done"! Best of luck with your project.

 

I've been pleased with Rock Auto overall and ordered all Moog parts to rebuild the front end in my '69 from them last fall. My only caveat would be to triple check all part numbers from whatever sources are available (Moog website, other parts catalog, etc) prior to ordering. Their catalog is pretty good but isn't perfect & returning a part because you ordered the wrong one can be kind of a hassle.

 

I'm up in Canada as well, I've purchased 95% of my parts from Summit in the U.S. Have had great success with them. I get better customer service from them then I do at our local Performance Improvement shops. Had a couple parts that didn't work or that were the wrong part number. Such as Hawk brake pads ( wrong part number for my application) and a voltmeter that didn't work out of the box.
They shipped me another voltmeter with no questions asked, also sent me the correct Hawk pads.
This is why I continue to deal with them, I now prefer to buy from Summit over any other part source.

Eric

 

If you had them ship to your door, were there any additional charges (customs, taxes, brokerage, etc) or was your checkout price at Summit all you had to pay?

 

Everything is paid at checkout, no fees after shipment. The only think I would say is if your not going to be home during any shipments, let Summit know to tell Fed-x to put your parts in a bin or somewhere you don't want them to go missing because the fed-x ppl will just drop them on your door step and leave.

 

I buy parts from both outfits. OPGI too. Generally I have everything shipped to my PO box in Washington which makes things considerably cheaper. Once you hit the PAY NOW tab there are no hidden fees except when something has to cross the border - that's when the extortion begins. A $32 part becomes $77.00 becuse someone has to print out an extra form.

Aside from all of that - I suggest buying the simple moog parts from Rock Auto. Most of the time it's a quarter of the price anywhere else. My entire front end is built with RA moog parts.

 

Yeah, that was my experience years ago and what I was concerned about this time too. Shipping straight here would have been a lot more convenient, but my other option is using Seawings Express...with them I can have the parts shipped to an address in Blaine, pay low shipping to Victoria and do my own customs clearing.

Thanks for everyone's input, it's been helpful!

 

Summit is relying on their reputation to justify the higher price. Rockauto is no slouch, though, either. You'll find them mentioned in threads all over this site, and I think you'll find very few negative experiences reported.

With that much difference in price, assuming shipping, etc. are the same or nearly so, and especially if it's the exact same part, I'd definitely order from Rockauto. I have ordered from them several times over the years without problems. If you're unhappy with the part for some reason, you can return it, but I don't know why you would be if it's the same part you would get from Summit.

 

I have to agree with others about Rockauto. I have ordered several parts from them for our other cars with no issues. Better pricing for stock components for our Pontiac G8's than summit.
The price at checkout is the same as Summit, no hidden cost delivered to the shop or house.
I would never order from OPGI again unless I wanted the part really bad!! I ordered a hood ornament for our 76 Olds and the shipping was almost twice the cost of the part.

Eric

 

When I did my front end I ordered everything from Rockauto. They by far were the least expensive for all Moog parts and had no issues with the order. However I am in Texas and don't have to deal with Import BS.

 

I have used Rock Auto a few times, prices delivered to the Uk a way above what I would pay in North America, but that's too bad, if I need the part badly enough then I have to pay up.
However their service has been first class, I know what something will cost delivered to my door before I am asked for my card #, occasionally I will be warned that extra duties may be payable beyond their control, but I have been warned!.

Roger.