Parts, Parts, Parts
- e30black
- Oct 4, 2020
- 4 min read
In this post, I'm going to talk about some of my favorite online parts stores. If you plan on doing any work on your BMW, you have to have a good network of parts suppliers.
Over the past two years, I've been rebuilding the engine in my 1999 740i. This project started with the need to replace the timing chains. Anyone who has owned a BMW equipped with an N62 engine is well aware that after 150,000 miles, these chains need to be replaced. The chains themselves are made out of high-grade metal, but the guides that keep the chains in place are plastic. This plastic over time degrades and ultimately starts to fall apart. If you don't replace these guides once you notice a rattling sound coming from your engine, nicked named the "death rattle," you can seriously damage the engine or, worst-case scenario, the engine seizes and game over.
Here is what it sounds like when the guides go bad:
So, if you've ever worked on your vehicle, you know how one project can lead to another project that can lead to another project, and so on. Well, this happened to me. A project that should have taken up only a long weekend turned into a two-year project. During that time, I have purchased more than $10,000 worth of new parts. I spent many a night searching the Internet for the best prices on parts.
Here are some of my top picks for online parts shopping:
RockAuto
Rock auto was my go-to online parts store for the 740i project and many other vehicle projects. They are by far the cheapest and quickest shipping of any of the online parts stores I have used. They received a five-star rating from Customer Lobby. No matter what BMW series you own, RockAuto has a massive inventory of the most common parts needed to do home projects.
RockAuto has five different grades for many of the parts they offer: economy, daily driver, heavy-duty, premium, and performance. This range of prices allowed me to save money on some parts and upgrade parts that I felt were critical. For any internal parts, I highly recommend you
go with the premium grade. You do not want to find yourself with a small part that fails deep inside the engine because you decided to go with the cheapest one.
ECS tuning
While I can find many of the parts I needed on RockAuto, I discovered that ECS tuning has the best selection of parts for performance upgrades and package deals. During my online quest for timing chains, guides, and other parts for my long weekend project, I found ECS tuning offered an entire kit of what I needed. A complete "timing chain kit" included the timing chains with all the gaskets and fluids that I would need after completing the job. As you can see in the photo, the timing chain kit is quite extensive, but it’s not cheap. This kit regularly costs $1,300; I waited and got it on sale for less than $950. If you decide to buy a completed kit, before you unscrew one bolt, make sure to inventory the kit you receive. It will take about an hour, and I would ask a friend to help you, but it's well worth the time spent. You do not want to find your engine entirely apart and find out they shipped the wrong-sized gaskets. There is nothing worse than promising that you're only going to use the garage for the weekend and have a car still sitting there two years later.
eBay.com
I have to include eBay on this list of online parts stores that I have, and continue, to use. However, I have to caution anyone using eBay to ensure that you know exactly what part you want and that you're comfortable with the seller. Be sure to review the seller's rating. You can do this by clicking on the seller's information on the auction page's right-hand side. This will take you to the Sellers Profile Feedback page. If the seller has less than 90% or has sold less than twenty items, I will not use them. I would rather spend a few dollars with another seller than deal with a new seller's issues on eBay. Lastly, I always make sure to look only for parts that are shipped from a US location. If not, they can sometimes take months to get to you.
Before I scare you away from eBay, I have found some fantastic deals over the years. If you're okay with the part being used or out-of-the-box, you can sometimes save as much as 50%. I won't buy critical components such as water pumps, alternators, etc. on eBay, but I will purchase interior parts, strut bars, etc. These parts are not critical to the vehicle's function. Again and I cannot stress this enough if you're going to use eBay be sure, but you know exactly what you want and that you're buying it from a reputable seller.
Advance Auto
AutoZone
For fluids and other items such as air filter, fuel filter, and oil filters, I use my local AutoZone and Advanced auto. I made sure to use the online store, which always offered a discount, and if you check them out during the holidays, you can usually get a terrific deal on items such as antifreeze.
In my next post, I will talk about how strut bars work and show you how easy they are to install on your BMW. Until next time happy motoring.
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