eBay Motors is essentially a marketplace for car lovers seeking high quality auto parts at a highly competitive price. While there are myriad bargains to be found on eBay, we are sometimes left with the thought they are just too good to be true. While many take the decision to buy, there are indeed a lot who are still skeptical with such competitive prices. One of the major cause of concern would be the fact that many sellers offer compelling warranties on auto parts. Is there any way to protect yourself if a newly purchased auto part stops working just as the warranty expires? The answer is a straight yes and here is why!

eBay shoppers buying used auto parts can be protected by plans offered by Assurant, a global leader in extended service contracts. With Assurant’s affordable protection plans, you will receive repair service or reimbursement on covered repairs for items like a used alternator or rebuilt engine purchased on eBay. The plan covers the following:

Mechanical and operational breakdowns on new and used auto parts up to $5,000
Clients are reimbursed for purchases of $500 or less with a digital eBay gift card. Items above $500 may be repaired or a check will be mailed as reimbursement. Products over $500 may require an inspection.
Protection plans do not cover auto parts that are consumable in nature, such as batteries.

As a customer, one aspect that could be highly frustrating to handle would be the waiting period to know the fate of your complaint. However, with eBay, all claims and reimbursement are handled through an easy, 24/7 online customer care center. This ensures that customers receive fast and convenient service. Claims are processed the same day, with many customers receiving a reimbursement as quickly as one hour.

With an Assurant Protection Plan, the eligible item that you purchase on eBay can stay covered in case of unexceptional breakdowns and failures. Some of the key features of the Assurant plan are as follows:

Protection options include a range of 1 to 3 years for eligible new purchases
Protection options includes a range of 6 months to 2 years for eligible used and refurbished purchases
No deductibles or hidden fees (excluding installation-related costs)
Convenient 24/7 online claims submission
Anytime cancellation (and you’ll get a full refund if you cancel within the first 30 days)

No matter what you are shopping for, ensure to take a look at the protection plan offered with your purchase. Shop happily.

O’Reilly Auto Parts is a major auto parts retailer chain in the United States operating over 4800 stores across 47 states. The company is listed in NASDAQ and employs over 74,000 staff members. It sells auto parts that fall under an extensive list of categories from hundreds of automotive manufacturers and brands. The company is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. Here are a few frequently asked questions about making a purchase from O’Reilly Auto Parts.

How to purchase the right auto parts?
O’Reilly mentions four steps to purchasing the right auto part for your vehicle. Choosing the perfect part that fits your vehicle is extremely essential, and failing to do so, might damage your car. This can prove to be a very expensive affair. Therefore, follow the suggested methods to choose the right part for your vehicle.

Step 1 Provide the right information regarding your vehicle. If you are having trouble with this, visit a store and get your query clarified from a member of staff.

Step 2 If there isn’t a store near you, call O’Reilly’s Customer Service.

Step 3 Compare the representative photo of the part you are purchasing from the website with that of the original part. Ensure they match before paying.

Step 4 Once the part has been delivered to your doorstep, compare it with the original part. If you notice any differences, get in touch with the store or customer service before installing it.

Can products purchased online be returned?
Most products bought online can be returned to the online store, unless mentioned otherwise. You can even return an online purchase at an O’Reilly store near you. You can obtain more information about the return policy on their website.

How does shipping work?
O’Reilly ships only to locations in the United States. You can avail free shipping for orders costing $75 or above, except for locations in Hawaii and Alaska. Items that require special care while shipping as well as oversized auto parts are not eligible for free shipping either.

How to check the availability of auto parts?
You can check if a particular part is available in a store in any of the locations. First you need to locate a store near you. Click on Store Locator tab in the main page. Enter your zip code or city and state. You can choose stores with 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 miles distance from you. Click Find. After selecting your store, type in the part number/ name in the search box located on the upper left side of the page. Press enter to see if the part is currently available.

O’Reilly Auto Parts, headquartered in Springfield, Missouri is an American auto parts retailer. It sells aftermarket auto parts and tools in addition to supplying equipment and accessories. It sells to both professional automotive service providers as well as end users.

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. was established way back in 1957. It just started off as one store in Springfield, Missouri. Today it has 4,829 stores across 47 states including Alaska and Hawaii, employing over 74,000 staff members. It’s net income stands upwards of $1,038 million and its net assets at upwards of $7.20 billion as of 2016.

In 1993, this automative retail giant finished its first round of IPO (Initial Public Offering) and it now trades at NASDAQ market with the symbol ORLY. O’Reilly rose to be in the top 10 list of auto part retailers in United States after it acquired Hi/LO back in 1998. This acquisition marked a major milestone for the company as it added 182 stores in Texas and Louisiana as well as a distribution center in Houston. After its first acquisition, O’Reilly purchased Mid-State Automotive distributors, Inc. in 2001, Midwest Automotive Distributors, Inc. in 2005 and CSK Auto in 2008. It also announced its acquisition of VIP Parts in 2012 and Bond Auto Parts in 2016.

David O’Reilly is the Chairman of the Board and Greg Hensley is the Chief Executive Officer of O’Reilly Auto Parts. Their catalog includes interior and exterior accessories, air conditioning, battery and accessories, engine parts and mounts, tire and wheel, waxes and washes, filters and PVC valves, brakes, belts and hoses, ignition and tune up, oil, fluids and chemicals among a variety of other product categories. They sell auto parts from hundreds of leading brands and manufacturers such as Mobil1, Castrol, Bosch, Gates, Fulton, Delta, Chroma, and Valvoline.

The O’Reilly stores even recycle your old battery cores and used oil and filters. Then offer you a $10 gift card as a reward if you have an unbroken automative battery. They provide recycle services for free with a view to help the environment.

O’Reilly provides an excellent customer service in addition to a range of services to make auto parts shopping a seamless experience. The company offers free shipping on most orders of $75 or more. You even get on a loyalty program and earn loyalty points every time you shop. You can sign up for free and start accumulating points as you buy. You will be sent a certificate of $5 as soon as you hit 150 points.

A car cannot run without a battery. A battery is a rechargeable element which supplies electrical energy to the car. Its main purpose is to start the engine. While the engine is running, most of the power is provided by the alternator, which includes a voltage regulator. Its also called an SLI battery which means starting-lighting-ignition. They are lead-acid type and provide electrical energy to the car. In the modern generation, car batteries are designed in such a way that the maintenance is very easy and its cost less too. A car battery can be drained off completely when the headlights of the car are switched on unknowingly.

Batteries are typically made of six galvanic cells in a series circuit. Heat is the main cause of battery failure as it accelerates corrosion inside the battery. Batteries can be recycled so that the resources used to manufacture new batteries will be less. Earlier cars did not have batteries as their electrical systems were limited. A bell was used instead of an electric horn. Car batteries became widely in use in the 1990’s when cars had electrical starters. Batteries are usually grouped by physical size, type and placement. When a vehicle has a flat battery it can be jump started by another battery of another vehicle. These batteries use lead antimony plates, which can be recycled and thus preventing much harm to the environment. By recycling old batteries, the raw materials required for manufacturing new batteries would be lesser thus reducing various forms of pollution and utilization of exhaustive resources.

Car batteries are extremely important elements of the car without which the car cannot run. Few heavy vehicles use more than one battery because it requires more energy and power to run the vehicle.
There are different brands of batteries like Autocraft, Bosch, DieHard and Duralast among many others.
The battery is an important component of a vehicle because it supplies power to the motor, the lights and the ignition.

These are few indications to tell that the battery has drained:
The battery ammeter lights up
There will be starting problems, the car may not start immediately because the battery will not be able to supply enough power to the other components.
There might be a bad odor coming from the car which is also a sign for battery failure.

RockAuto is an auto parts company located in Madison, Wisconsin. It sells thousands of auto parts from over 200 manufacturers to customers all over the world. RockAuto updates its catalog on a daily basis and sells a variety of parts including, but not limited to, brake pads, bumpers, shock absorbers, door handles, mirrors, carpets, steering gears, engine long blocks, complete transmissions, and CV axles. They don’t have any mechanics employed, but they do provide customers with service manuals to help them repair their vehicles.

Here are a few things you need to know while purchasing from auto parts from RockAuto.

Know which part will fit your vehicle
You can find the right part that will fit your vehicle by choosing the right year, make, model, and engine combination of your vehicle. Note that there are certain factors that you must take in to account such as RWD vs. 4WD or 2-doors vs. 4-door or w/ A.C vs. w/o A/C while choosing the right fit. Read the descriptions carefully before making the choice.

Know if your vehicle has a feature mentioned in the part description
One way to find if the part you are looking for is the perfect fir for your vehicle is by comparing the features mentioned in its description with the original part. For instance, measure or inspect the original part, do an online search to decode the VIN number, read the owners’ manual, search online forums for similar queries, and contact a local dealership to get the right information.

Know why their prices are low
RockAuto sells parts at a much lower price when compared to retail outlets, dealership stores, and competitors. They do this by providing a platform for customers to self-serve and choose the parts they need from the catalog themselves without any external help from employees. They cut costs by removing manpower from the equation. They also have a centralized warehouse from where they ship parts directly to the customers, thereby cutting costs.

Know if they have promotions and rebates
RockAuto does advertise manufacturers’ promotions and rebates. Current offers are available by clicking on the promotions and rebates icon located at the top right icon on the main page. You can also identify rebates on parts if there is a star icon beside it. Most of the promotions and rebates on products are honored by the manufacturer. You can find more information on the terms and conditions on their Promotions and Rebates page.

RockAuto is a family owned online business established in 1999 with an aim to provide all the information about auto parts including product specifications. They started out with a goal to make auto parts available to customers at affordable prices. They don’t have any stand alone stores or counter people. They run their business purely through an online presence. They cater to millions of customers throughout the world by shipping thousands of auto parts from leading manufacturers. They keep adding more products, thereby expanding their catalog.

Here’s how to find the auto parts you are looking for at RockAuto in the following situations:

Situation 1
When you need to find if RockAuto is selling parts for your vehicle

RockAuto has an extensive catalog, listing the vehicle make alphabetically. Choose your vehicle make. Then, click the year, model, and the engine size of your vehicle. Alternatively you can even type these details in the search box located at the top of the main page. You will get matching words as you type. Just choose the appropriate one in the drop down menu and click search to get to the particular vehicle or part your are looking form.

Situation 2
When you what’s wrong with your vehicle but don’t know what part to get to fix the problem

Chose the vehicle system or category of parts, the broken auto part falls under. The list will then show you all the parts that belong to that part of the vehicle in alphabetic order. All the frequently purchased parts for your vehicle will appear in bold. Chances are that one of those parts are what’s broken. You can of course seek a mechanic’s assistance to find what’s broken.

Situation 3
When you know the name of the part you are looking for
Type the name of the part you are looking for in the Find Category box. You will then get a drop down menu with the possible matches. Click enter to choose the categories that contain the parts matching your search.

Situation 4
When you know the part number for the part you want to buy
Click on the Part Number Search tab located at the top of the RockAuto page. In the search section, type in the part number and click search. You don’t have to go through the hassle of mentioning the name of the manufacturer or part group. Instead, you can just narrow the result down by the brand or part the by using the drop down lists.

Auto replacement parts can definitely burn a huge hole in your pocket, if you buy it without doing a bit of research. Most people, intimidated by the process, end up an paying exorbitant amounts to dealers for parts that would otherwise be available for a third of the price.

Here are a few tips to help you purchase auto parts at affordable prices

Research
It’s extremely important to conduct an online research to determine the cost of the part you are intending to buy. You can visit online discussion forums specific to automotive topics and ask people for assistance in acquiring a specific car part. You can also turn towards Facebook groups to do your research. Alternatively, you can visit websites such as car-part.com, or Ebay to compare prices. See of you you can source the part from overseas for a cheaper price.

Verify the part with your dealer
Once you have found what you are looking for, verify the part number with your dealer before making the purchase. Auto parts vary with engines and transmission combinations. Hence, it is extremely necessary to ensure that you are purchasing the right parts for your car.

Visit a junkyard
Most people don’t consider this option as feasible as it requires you to sort through many used but parts, until you find what you are looking for. Self-service junkyards are great to find auto parts at affordable prices. However, this requires you to spend some time and put in considerable effort to find what you are looking for.

Scour the internet for coupons
Lets face it, buying auto parts from retailers work out to be very expensive. Instead of turning to their websites first, look online for discount coupons and manufacturer rebates. You’ll be surprised to see the number of options available to you. Also keep an eye on magazines and newspapers for offers and promotional coupons.

Purchase a parts car
A slightly complicated method, but if you are in need of a number of spare body parts, consider buying a parts car that will act as the donor vehicle. You can look at public-auction listings, local impound-lot auctions, salvage auctions, or the Auction section in your local newspaper to find an older version of your car.

Purchase from a dealer
Purchasing auto parts from your dealer should be your last resort. If you have been unsuccessful in sourcing the required auto parts using the above methods, visit your local dealership. You should be ready to shell out more money in this case.