Looking for the Lowest Cost Genuine AC Delco Replacement Parts?
Update 2025: I still buy a lot of products for my RV Adventures from Amazon, however I know longer work work with their Affiliate Program (I do NOT receive a commission from these links). But Amazon is still one of the few places you can find parts and get them in just a couple of days.
Direct Link: Amazon Automotive Parts and Accessories
Do you Shop Amazon?
I have a real love hate relationship with Amazon based on my own purchases over the years. I’ve spent $1,000’s at Amazon buying a lot of “little” items which are hard to find locally and to be honest a waste of my time to try and track down. I love the convenience, pricing, and selection. I hate the games they play with “Free” Shipping and when orders ocassionally get split. I also greatly dislike that you can’t just pick up the telephone and get a person to help you. They are pretty good about returns, but it’s clearly easier to buy than return (This is the case most places now). In any case I can tell you without doubt you will often find some of the cheapest prices on Van Parts at Amazon… especially AC Delco which I will talk more about below. And for little items like Bungee Cords, Hand Tools, Inverters, Battery Cut off Switches, Cables, etc. they are really tough to beat. Currently most orders (As long as they ship direct from Amazon) qualify for free shippping if you spend over $35. Be sure during the checkout process to select they type of shipping you want. Amazon will defualt to regular shipping you MUST select FREE if that’s the option you want.
What you need to Know BEFORE Buying Auto Parts from Amazon
It’s easy sure, but it can take a while to ship if you select their “Free” Shipping. You should also know that even though it’s pretty easy to enter your vehile data – year, make, model, etc. sometimes they will say a part will work when it will not and also say it won’t when it will (Make sense?). Most of the time it’s pretty accurate. I always verify with the manufacturer website or compare to Auto Zone, Pep Boys or Napa or similar just to make sure.
Amazon also will put in the top section the parts they want to sell not what might be the best deal and quality for you. This doesn’t apply if you search for specific brands, but due to their massive size you may have to scroll and dig a little through all the pages of items for sale. I buy AC Delco most of the time so it doesn’t really make much difference to me. The AC Delco site isn’t that easy to search, but it’s a good idea to verify with them before purchasing.
Another thing to watch out for when purchasing from Amazon, if you didn’t already know is that 3rd party companies sell on Amazon. So you need to verify that the part is “Shipping and Sold by” Amazon or at least Fullfilled by Amazon. This makes a difference if you ever need to return the item. It makes little difference to shipping other than if you select 3rd party (And I do sometimes because of price/availability) because sometimes 3rd party is actually faster and sometimes not, but it can result in split orders so you get some of what you want while you wait for the rest of your order.
When split shipping occures Amazon will wait to bill you card until the item actually ships. This is good for you, but also results in a whole lot of small charges on your credit card statement.
eBay is NOT the answer for car parts unless you want used or have a lot of trust in the seller. Over the summer I had to replace the AC Compressor and Altenator on my G-Van. I called all the local places Autozone, Napa, O’Reillys, and some local places. Then I went To Amazon to compare prices. Amazon blew the locals away and that was for AC Delco vs Dorman and whatever other Chinese Crap parts were available. And yes AC Delco is Chinese as well, but it’s “Good” Chinese if there is such a thing. To be perfectly honest the replacment parts were close but not as good of quality as the OEM parts I pulled off my van (But what can you do?). I also found out that Amazon is an authorized AC Delco distributor. And there are actucally very few of them in the USA. The upside is pricing – I paid $86 for a BRAND NEW AC Delco Altenator! I was quoted as high as $300 plus labor on a 3rd party remanufacured Altenator! Rip Off!
I did have to send back one small idler pulley that was defective and replaced it with a Gates from O’Reillys (Didn’t have the time to wait for shipping).
Be forewarned sometimes it’s worth paying for Shipping. Amazon is “free” over $35, but their free shipping can be painfully slow especially if you order on a Friday. It might not go out until the following Tuesday or Wednesday. And I have not figured out how to determine where the part may ship from as they have Warehouses all over the country. But it is hard to argue with their prices on AC Delco.
Sometimes it’s worth buying local (Core Exchange, Convenience, Parts Knowledge of competent mechanic/clerk), but if it’s price and convenience you are after on name brand auto parts I find it hard to beat Amazon.
