Re: NAPA fuel pump for my 470 inline 6.
Always tried to avoid NAPA for auto parts because they were always higher priced than most of the other auto parts stores. That said, they always carry excellent quality parts and usually have stock on parts that you can't get at some of the other parts stores.
For boats, it doesn't really matter because the parts are expensive anyways. NAPA is nice because unlike some of the other discount parts stores they have the parts books for all the boat engines and can look up your exact part. Just make sure that they give you the fuel pump for a boat engine and not the one for the same car engine.
Okay guys, I gotta jump in here. As a Napa employee, I hear people say that “Napa is always higher in prices” a lot. Let’s think about this for a few seconds. There are many reasons behind prices for anything. First, to name a few, it’s supply and demand and second, it’s location. When you are dealing with a chain of cut rate Auto Parts stores that are on every other corner, chances are they are low balling low quality products just to get you in the door and second, in some cases, if not most, you will get an inexperienced individual that never seems to be able to get the right part for you or will tell you it’s not made any longer because they can’t find it in the computer and they don’t have the ability or interest in looking it up in the book. Computers are great, but like everything, they have there limits.
For example, I was recently told by a customer that an individual at the brand “X” chain store had told him that U-joints were no longer made for his 1989 F250. Not only did I have the u-joints on the shelf, but my machine shop installed them while he waited. As you can image, I hear lots of stories from customers about other stores.
I can tell you that we are very competitive with the local chain stores and in some cases cheaper. Not by much, but we are selling quality parts versus the cheap stuff. If you want to compare the different stores, just make sure you are comparing apples to apples because the oranges will always be cheaper.
Since I’m rambling already and we are on the subject, let’s talk about warranties. You guys have any idea why the other places have lifetime warranties on (everything). It’s because they know your coming back. And while you are taking back that (lifetime warranty) starter for the third time in six months, that took you two hours to get out, you will remember that you need tune-up parts for the wife’s car, and it’s time to do the oil change on the daughters truck, and wow, look, they have scooters, bar stools, fuzzy dice, and the cool spinner hub caps that everybody has.
Do you know how many calls I have answered from people asking for the lifetime warranty, factory pre-gapped, non-platinum, Autolite spark plugs? I can’t imagine where the customers are getting this information from. Oh, by the way, did I mention that Schucks is one mile down the road from us in one direction and Auto Zone is the same distance the other direction? Just a coincidence I’m sure.
As was mentioned above, and being a fellow boater, yes, I have also noticed that anytime the word marine is involved with the product the price goes up. In fact, it’s a little game I like to play with my customers. When they tell me it’s for a boat, I tell them that I get to charge them more for it (with a smirk on my face) because all the other stores do.
We have access to Felpro Marine gaskets and the Napa Marine parts books use same part numbers as the Sierra part numbers, and sometimes I can even cross reference the factory part numbers into a Napa number. I have an OMC parts catalog for my boat and it’s actually kinda cool that I can cross reference the OMC number into a Napa number, order it from my warehouse and have it delivered the same day for half the price that I would get charged from the boat shop.
Sorry to ramble, just wanted to drop my 2 cents in. If I can be of any assistance to anybody just let me know.
