Luke
Luke SuperDork
7/19/10 9:47 a.m.

As in the auto parts supplier, FCP Groton. http://www.fcpgroton.com/

They have thousands of positive Ebay feedbacks, offer a lifetime warranty on parts, and they're the cheapest place I've found so far. However, I'm interested in purchasing vital steering components, hence the hesitation.

Apparently their kits may consist of parts from "Karlyn Industries, URO parts, PEX NA , Moog, TRW, or Meyle." Is that good?

93celicaGT2
93celicaGT2 SuperDork
7/19/10 9:49 a.m.

Moog is good.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker
Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork
7/19/10 9:51 a.m.

I have bought parts from them before. The experience was fine - fast & accurate.

They are a Worldpac dealer and someone else as well. I'd call them on the phone and tell them you want OE brand suppliers only. That will make the parts a bit less of a bargain - so the price will be comparative to everyone else at that point.

stuart in mn
stuart in mn SuperDork
7/19/10 9:54 a.m.

They had something of a poor reputation in the BMW world for selling bottom of the line suspension components that would wear out quickly. However, in the six months or so, someone from Groton has been appearing on the BMW boards to announce they've cleaned up their act and are now selling better quality parts. I haven't heard any feedback from buyers to indicate if that's really the case or not.

edit: talking to them in person and telling them you want an OEM quality part is probably a good idea. It may cost a few bucks more but it will save you grief in the end. Lemforder is a good brand, if you're talking BMW parts.

editx2: if you are talking BMW, I've been buying parts recently from http://www.blunttech.com/. Prices and service have been very good.

m4ff3w
m4ff3w GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
7/19/10 10:03 a.m.

I've never had a poor experience with FCP, mostly with Volvo stuff. I had no complaints about the front suspension stuff I bought from the for the e30 5 years ago though.

jrw1621
jrw1621 SuperDork
7/19/10 10:19 a.m.

I have successfully purchased many misc Volvo parts from them.
All positive experiences.
Like most parts places, the cheapest part is usually priced that way for a reason.

procainestart
procainestart Dork
7/19/10 11:22 a.m.

I've compared prices with www.eEuroparts.com a couple times and found that eEuro was cheaper. This is for identical items, by the same manufacturer, not, say cheap-o Chinese cr@p vs. European OE maker. eEuroparts also has free shipping for orders over $49 -- for me on the west coast, I usually get stuff in three days.

Example: a Saab 900 control arm at eEuro is $79.90; the same part -- same manufacturer -- at FCP is $115.00.

Of course, YMMV...

1988RedT2
1988RedT2 Reader
7/19/10 12:56 p.m.

Pretty sure I bought some Volvo parts from them. I'd have remembered if it was a bad experience. They were fairly highly regarded on the turbo brick forums.

minimac
minimac SuperDork
7/19/10 1:01 p.m.

I've dealt with them in the past and never had any problems.

Junkyard_Dog
Junkyard_Dog HalfDork
7/19/10 1:16 p.m.

+1 for good results with Volvo parts.

Carrera4
Carrera4 Reader
7/19/10 2:08 p.m.

No problem with past orders on parts for a Volvo 850 that I used to drive. Fast shipping, no hastles. These guys are on the up-and-up.

Strike_Zero
Strike_Zero Reader
7/19/10 2:32 p.m.

Bought and install tons of front end parts through FCP from the 2 E30s I had and my E36s during the poor reputation in the BMW world. No problems at all.

I've only gotten a few parts from them since, but everything seems to be better on the customer service side.

cwaters
cwaters New Reader
7/19/10 3:57 p.m.

I ordered some control arms and end links from them a while back. I asked for M3 control arms and 328i end links but got both parts for M3. No hassle on the return though. I'd buy from them again. CW

pigeon
pigeon HalfDork
7/19/10 4:03 p.m.

I just got a fan clutch from them last week for my E30. Sure, it's a cheap UGO part but it was 1/2 the price of anything else anyone else carried. It arrived in a reasonable time, in a nicely packaged box. No complaints.

Luke
Luke SuperDork
7/20/10 12:01 a.m.

Thanks for all the feedback. FCP sounds like a safe bet, but I will make sure I'm getting OE quality.

foxtrapper
foxtrapper SuperDork
7/20/10 9:11 a.m.

They describe on their web page who makes each part. So it's easy to tell if it's oem or aftermarket.

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