RockAuto was founded in 1999 by brothers Tom and Jim Taylor. After growing up in Detroit and working for both the GM and Chrysler factories, these brothers found true frustration with most auto parts stores. In the 1980’s, car factories were closing and many auto parts stores were struggling. Tom and Jim moved to Madison, Wisconsin, and after trying to be happy working other jobs, they decided to open their own online auto parts store.
While RockAuto claims to have more than 1 million parts in stock, the company actually uses large distributors to actually hold items in a warehouse. RockAuto finds the parts and has the distributor ship the parts to the customer. RockAuto backs their suppliers, however, and if there is ever a problem. RockAuto takes care of the issue.
The company has been growing steadily over the years but is reluctant to actually release any numbers. RockAuto has recently been running some ads on prime-time television shows, such as the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. The commercials might be a bit corny, but the company says they have been effective. 
RockAuto has a 4.7 out of a 5-star rating on many review sites, such as Google. The Better Business Bureau gives them an A+ rating, with more than 790 positive reviews. Company headquarters remain in Madison, Wisconsin.
RockAuto was founded in 1999 by brothers Tom and Jim Taylor. After growing up in Detroit and working for both the GM and Chrysler factories, these brothers found true frustration with most auto parts stores. In the 1980’s, car factories were closing and many auto parts stores were struggling. Tom and Jim moved to Madison, Wisconsin, and after trying to be happy working other jobs, they decided to open their own online auto parts store.
While RockAuto claims to have more than 1 million parts in stock, the company actually uses large distributors to actually hold items in a warehouse. RockAuto finds the parts and has the distributor ship the parts to the customer. RockAuto backs their suppliers, however, and if there is ever a problem. RockAuto takes care of the issue.
History
The company has been growing steadily over the years but is reluctant to actually release any numbers. RockAuto has recently been running some ads on prime-time television shows, such as the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. The commercials might be a bit corny, but the company says they have been effective.
RockAuto has a 4.7 out of a 5-star rating on many review sites, such as Google. The Better Business Bureau gives them an A+ rating, with more than 790 positive reviews. Company headquarters remain in Madison, Wisconsin.
I’m getting the run around. They’re saying I ordered the wrong parts. I put in My year, make and model…..now tell me why parts for an XLT are showing base parts?…. THIS SITE SUCKS…..ILL NEVER USE THIS CRAP SITE AGAIN. I’LL BE DISPUTING THE CHARGE AND IF THEY WANT THE PARTS BACK THEY BETTER SEND ME A SHIPPING LABEL WITH FREE DELIVERY….OTHERWISE THEY CAN POUND SAND.
I just ordered 8 oil filters Red Purolator for my buick 10111 they sent a tech basic cheapo oil filter 8 of them. I wont use these. There not what I ordered. Now there Service email address
is being insane there telling me I have to pay shipping and will only be refunded for the part
I want my money back I have ordered from you all for 10 years.
help..
i could not find a section to place my order..
that is why i am contacting by email..
from: robert in houston texas
i have a 1997 Chrysler Sebring
JX Automatic
VIN: 3c3el45h4vt587014
do you have these parts..?
i need the 2 connector harness pigtail that connects to the side of the distributor. i believe one harness is a 5 or 6 pin connector. and the other is a 2 pin connector.
i have ordered a a/c hose twice with overnite shipping still have not recieved it ? my name is dean at accurate auto specialists, i order a lot of parts from you!!! please call me 303-791-XXXX
RockAuto has NOT received its MasterCard payment for order # 190454633, October 27, 2021.
Baden Automotive matt@ badenauto.ca
There is nowhere on your website that addresses this type of problem.
Please e-mail Matthew Musselman the owner of Baden Automotive and tell him what credit card paid for this order. Did the wrong person get charged at your end?
Hello
If you decide to start a class action lawsuit against RockAuto, please let me know. I will be glad to get involved.
I have already placed a complaint against them via BBB and I’m still dealing with them.
We paid $114.99 for “NEXT BUSINESS DAY EXPRESS” and merchandise didn’t get to us until 3 days later. I have been requesting FULL REFUND for the shipping fee and on their 1st reply they blamed FedEx, on the 2nd reply they blamed me and on the last reply from today, Rock Auto again blamed FedEx.
If I paid $114.99 for “NEXT BUSINESS DAY EXPRESS” then my package should have been here the next day not 3 days later and as such, I should be entitled to the full refund as service was not render on the next day.
I believe that they keep that money for themselves and have profit from it, and I definitely believe they are thieves!
I have been a customer for many years and this is the way they have treated us. Definitely disgusting!
If I wanted the parts to get to me 3 days later, I would have never paid $114.99 for NEXT BUSINESS DAY EXPRESS. Definitely ridiculous.
My email address is: rebecca_garcia1070@ yahoo.com
Please keep me posted.
Thanks in advance
Tom Taylor,
I purchased a replacement radiator for a Ford Explorer and found out it was defective and had hairline cracks only after spending all day installing. The only response your customer service has is that they will replace or refund the part but in both cases I have to spend another day removing, packaging and shipping back to you and then another day putting in a second new radiator. You offer no compensation for labor to replace your defective part? I find that insulting, unacceptable and pure BS. The standard response from your customer service people is that your manufacturer only warrants the part replacement. But I don’t really care what the manufacturer gives you, I want to know what you are going to do to make this right and stand behind your parts. Assuming this situation is rare, I would expect you would have a process to deal with exceptions to standard policy and do the right thing for the customer, not just give a BS response. Not sure how your company survives with such disregard for the customer and worthless customer service. Would be nice to be able to have a real conversation with you since there is no other way to talk to a human at your company. I have been an executive in many small businesses over the the years and have rarely seen this level of disrespect for the customer. I expect more from a fellow Michigan graduate…
I am currently having the exact same issue with TPMS sensors that they keep sending me which are junk! Two of the original four have failed within one month, so I ordered two Replacements, one of them was Dead on Arrival after installation, and either case they’re refusing to reimburse for labor to R&R these units, and just like you they won’t talk, all they keep saying is return the unit after ordering another one and another one and another one, it’s like a game of crap you don’t know what you’re going to get if it’s going to be a good one or not, yet they expect you to order it and install it at my expense and hope it’s going to work, total bullsh*t what a way to operate a business! No wonder all of their ratings and reviews are so low! As a business owner since 1985 and a successful one at that, I would never treat my customers this way! I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau and making sure I can give them all of the worst ratings I possibly can on every aspect of social media going forward! Real pieces of sh*t they are!
As a concerned citizen interested in truth in journalism, I urge you to drop Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham from your broadcasts.
These two individuals no longer promote just their opinions, they promulgate falsehoods damaging to this country.
For example, they recently made disparaging comments on a very personal level to law enforcement personnel who protected our elected leaders on January 6, 2021 while performing their official duties.
For my part, I no longer purchase products or service from your advertisers.
These companies include, but are not limited to:
Relief Factor
Pure Talk
Tommie Copper
Quonol
Goldwater Firm
X-Chair
My Pillow
Balance of Nature
Rejuvenate Muscle Health
Rock Auto
Liberty Mutual
Empire Today
Boost
Car Fax
Vitrazza
I am sending this letter to each of you advertisers stating my reasons for not doing business with their companies.
Thank you,
Michael A. Elizondo
American Institute of Architects, retired
United States Navy veteran
I purchased an engine from RockAuto (Order#143784916) and it was delivered to Marietta Toyota, and installed in Nov 2020. When I received the car and started driving, it was apparent that there was a problem with the engine. I thought it was just needed a break-in period. It lacked power, and hesitated when driving. The car has less than 1,000 miles on it. I took it to Melbourne Nissan of Florida who stated that the engine was assembled wrong and the CAM timing was 12 degrees off on the left bank and 13 degrees off on the right bank. This was from the Nissan Master Technician of 25 years that diagnosed the car and is currently running the test required by LKQ. I contacted the warranty of RockAuto and I was told that they would not replace the engine, but instead I would have to do a series of tests to rule out other issues. All other parts of the car are running fine, Oil pressure, Fuel pressure, etc. the issue is the CAM timing being off. I am a retired Air Force veteran of 26 years of service and a current Department of Defense Civilian employee and everyone in my sphere of influence is shocked at this. Why do I have to pay for an apparent assembly mistake? If there was something that I did to cause the issue we all could understand, but this was an assembly mistake that occurred at the remanufacturing plant and should not bear any issue to the consumer.. This is absurd, crazy…is what I am hearing from all with whom I speak about this. I am disappointed and need an explanation. My car sits at the dealership as we go back and forth with this warranty issue. I paid for the engine, I paid to remove and install the engine. and now I am being told depending on the resolution I may have to do the same again since RockAuto only covers up to $50/hr for labor.
I do not know any mechanic that works for that. The Nissan Dealership is $140/hr. Really!!
My question is why does the consumer (me) have to pay for a manufacturing mistake? This should be a no-cost fix for the consumer, especially when it is a remanufacturing mistake! Please advise!
My warranty number is WC63921. John is a nice adviser, but he only states what he is told. I am funneling this up to higher authority for an explanation. As a Department of Defense civilian, I contacted our lawyer who stated that the item was supposed to come with a “Warranty of Merchantability” which it sounds like this did not. I purchased this engine to perform running as when purchased brand new and it does not. All I am asking is for Rock Auto is to stand by their warranty of merchantability and have my engine fixed. I should not have to pay to fix this. I have already spent a lot to replace with is defective engine and now they want me to spend more. I need Rock Auto Corporate to contact me and not the middlemen who ignore customers.
I’ve been trying to reach purchasing , with no luck. My name is Bob Walsh, I am with a company called RA Tool And Hardware we buy closeouts, overstock, ect. The reason I’ve been trying to contact you is to see if you would be interested in buying Fram oil, gas, and air filters brand new,in retail packaging ,and warrantied at 90% 0ff wholesale plus freight. Please contact me, I have a stock lift deal on Fram right now that is $144,000.00 wholesale ( 24,000 filters ) your cost $14,400.00 plus freight, I will also be getting more of these. please contact me if interested, I can send you a spread sheet.
My second email to Customer service. They responded to my first email by the next day. I am sure that my question was not as clear as I hoped and they did their best but I need more understanding. So this is my second email. I decided to post this on here because from the previous post on here I have a feeling that shipping may be RockAutos Achilles’ heel. I am sure shipping charges are a big profit to many companies. But at what cost. I have always liked the guys and gals at RockAuto, The whole family thing and all. I have always gotten along with the guys and gals who buy parts from them also….The Times They Are a-Changin’
(Sent 07/17/2020)
Hello again. I spent a lot of time following your easy to understand instructions. I’m sure it’s on me but this does not help. I am wanting an itemized invoice including shipping charges for each shipper. I understand these instructions, Order Status & Returns page (see “How do I view an order?”) and I was able to pull up my “order page” showing the individual shippers and the items they shipped, but no shipping charges on that page. I also see my Rockauto Order Confirmation. It is very detailed and done very well unfortunately it is incomplete as well.What I am seeking help with is that I can not find any shipping charges from any of the shippers. I can only see on the Order Confirmation page one total of all three combined. To itemize an order all individual costs have to be accounted for, individually. There has been a long debate in my Auto Tech school concerning Rockauto. Mainly about shipping. This has been going on over 2 years now progressively getting more heated. Half my class has stopped using Rockauto now. I want to clear the air on this with my fellow students and get the school and students back on board ordering from Rockauto again before I graduate in 4 months. The instructors told us in our first class about good places to get parts. RockAuto was the one they pushed. I saw the school staff, and the students, spend hundreds of dollars in one just one order. The instructors bought the school supplies from you guys.The teachers do not bring you guys up in class anymore…
I purchased a kit for front and rear brake pads and rotors for a 2018 gmc terrain, I put the correct year,make,model and engine in rockauto site, I was sent wrong parts after I took apart the vehicle to put new parts on, no phone number only emails from them stating I pay shipping back, and I may order again and pay shipping again for the 3rd time, MR TAYLOR if this is how you treat customers, it may be best if you either raise your prices to hire customer service people we can actually get in contact with, or close the doors, I’d rather pay more for parts to get the correct ones, very very frustrated. Richard Bruni
I noticed on the web that rock-auto can send stuff for car show goodies bag, I am putting together a car Show for the Mustang Oklahoma Kiwanis International. This will be our very 1st Car show, I’ve been involved in the car show scene for many years, I belong to the NSRA, and the Oklahoma Hotrod Assoc. Our mission as Kiwanis is to provide food to help feed people in our community as well as provide Scholarships to Our local Students for college. We are in need of anything you could provide for us to assist in a successful show. I wanted to get started early, our Show which i can provide a flyer if you like, will be in May 2020, May 30th to be exact, can we count on your help and assistance please.
Given your RockAuto’s persistence to avoid honoring your 5% discount code because of your website’s error drives me to do the following. My loss of a $25 discount won’t be missed, but AutoRock will miss my future purchases:
1. Avoid using your company for any future purchases unless it’s of a last resort.
2. Spread the news on every social media means available to me. Specifically:
a. LACK OF GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE
b. Write BAD REVIEWS on your company, any opportunity I can, warning potential customers of how your business operates.
c. Inform others that your company doesn’t provide a phone number because it’s easier to hide behind the keyboard and not engage your customers.
d. RockAuto will stop any email communication the moment they want to end it, essentially “hanging up on you!”
3. Encourage my family and customers to never use your company due to BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE.
4. Raise a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
Oh, and please don’t think I won’t spend the time and do the above, you’d be wrong.
I purchased a Mopar transmission oil pant Part number 68233701AA on order number 113992418 on the 26/07/19, then I got my mechanic to do a gear box service about 3 weeks ago and the oil pan leaked, I have to pay another $600.00 to get an after market filter fitted and new oil put in the gear box to fix the problem
on closer inspection of the pan I found out that is was a Filtran part 52854834AA
So I was sent an Filtran oil pan in a Mopar box which was open and resealed.
I will never purchase from you again.
Purchased I driver side mirror for my husband Ford F250. The description stated Power Fold,power telescoping,heated and memory with 16prongs/wires. The invoice and boxes all had the some part # FO1320488 opened the box the mirror only had 8prongs/8 wire. Went to exchange for the correct clicked on the button to to go back now I can not return it, Now out $700.00 due Rockauto mistake! Also it looks like it has been return before with all the sticks that has been covered up. No real person to speak to have to have better custom service. No wonder parts are at discount price if someone want to return their order you say non refundable
i oreder lots from you not no more because your retrun systerms suck and there no one that you are able to talk to about get print label for send back i try everthing to get and all i get is the name of were it is retrun but no address zip code nothing so if this how you are handle this then i am done i not worried about pay the freight back but needa address to do or as you guys off buy a print label good luck on get one you guys should try your syetrems it suck order parts is no problem but rertun is a joke if i dont get answer i done with you
ROCK AUTO IS A SCAM .I ORDERED THE CONTROL ARM PARTS FOR MY HHR LT 2.4 2008 .I CLICKED ALL THE RIGHT CLICKS FOR MY PART AND 620301 AND 620302 CAME UP .I ORDERED THE PARTS AND TOOK THEM TO MY REPAIR MAN AND WAS SHOCKED THAT THEY WERE WRONG FOR MY CAR .I CAME HOME GOT ON MY COMPUTER TO RETURN THE CONTROL ARMS .AFTER GOING THROUGH A MAZE OF BS I FOUND OUT THAT I HAD TO PAU FOR ROCK AUTOS MISTAKE .I GOOGLED [ ROCK AUTO SENT ME THE WRONG PARTS ] TONS AND TONS OF PEOPLE SAID THE SAME THING .ROCK AUTO SENT THE MTHE WRONG PARTS AND WANTED THEM TO PAY TO SHIP THE PART BACK .I HAVE DEMANDED THAT ROCK AUTO REFUND MY MONEY IN FULL .THEY OWE ME $15 .
Bad experience with Rock Auto. Ordered an expensive body part, the part arrived damaged. There are no human customer service representatives to deal with. Automated email replies from their online customer service channel said, in so many words, ‘It is too bad that you received a damaged part, but you didn’t report it soon enough, and the shipper will reject the claim. Therefore we will not take any action. Tough sh*t Mr. Customer’
suddenly cant access rock auto through a wired network only on mobile devise with Wi-Fi turned off. 8 days now
I returned some struts under warranty for credit (OK’ed by Rock Auto). The credit was issued to a dead account. I have been back and forth with for 2 months trying to find out which bank it went to. They are absolutely no help. Ordering parts is not the issue, trying to deal with them for anything else is a nightmare!!!
horrible the taylors must be d2ad or on a permnant vacation
I went to your return page and went to all the procedures for a return label, the return label was generated.and all i had to do was copy it. But i made a mistake on something and went back a page to see if i could correct it, but i found out i could not. So i tried to go back to the return label page but it would not let me go there. I tried to the whole process all over again several times but it would not let me go to the page where the return label was at. It tried another computer but same thing. please help me. I need a return label for fuel injectors part number:93303382. Can you please email it. Please don’t tell me i have to go to the Return Page and try again! The return label is already there along for the reason i am returning items, just need to have someone to email it. Thank you i would appreciate if you could remedy this.
Worst online shopping service I have ever had and the worst customer service dept I have ever had to deal with. You received a return from me on the tenth still waiting for my refund when your website says it will be issued within three days. Your customer service dept is nonexistent and has made no effort to try and take care of me as a customer, from all the complaints I have read most people are treated with the same lack of concern for their experience with your company as I am being . Losing one customer may not seem like a lot but if you would follow up you would find out your customer service is costing you way more than one. I will never purchase from you again and have filed a complaint with the BBB and will tell everyone I know about how badly I was treated by your company
Worst online shopping experience I have ever had. You cannot talk to anybody at this company, everything is handled through the worst customer service dept I have ever dealt with and you can only contact them through email. They received a returned item on the 10th was told I would have my refund within three days, still waiting, they are using every excuse not to process it. Will never purchase from this company again and have filed a complaint with the BBB.
I clicked on the wrong tab in the return section and now i can’t return the part because of this why don’t you have a better way to communicate with your customers you should at least contact me thru email asap or the word is going to spread fast about your company and how you don’t help your customers by the looks of the other comments it has already started.
Michael Pizzoferrato
Same issues
I purchased an incorrect brake kit and I would like to purchase a return shipping label through Rock Auto, but they are unwilling to provide as promised on their website.
To whom it may concern. I have been ordering parts from ROCK AUTO since 2000 or earlier. Recently, I ordered what was considered to be the one of the best CAM Shaft Position sensor for my origin 1999 740I BMW. I provided your sales person the VIN number and told him that the manufacturing date was 08 1998 and he said the part SI PC309 was the correct part. Once the part was installed the check engine light continued to come on. I took it to the BMW dealer and it was noted that the part PC 309 was the incorrect part even thought is was correct for some 1999 BMW but when the manufacturing date was reviewed, the correct part that should have been sent to me was PC299 and NOT PC309. This was determined after I paid BMW of Sterling, VA $169.45. I am requesting that your company send me the correct part so I can get my BMW back on the road. I will not squabble over the cost for the Maintenance service I lost because the wrong part was sent to me. I called the Standard vendor that provide Rock auto the parts and they said that they can not accept the part from me, the part must be shipped to ROCK auto. At this time ROCK AUTO has marked this part as unreturnable because the return site said that if the part is a fitment problem ROCK AUTO will not replace the part. Request you honor my request, this problem was not my fault. I gave your sales person the VIN # and MAN DATE before I gave him my CC #. My order number for this part was 83094650. Please provide me the Standard motor products correct part which Standard’s representative told me that it should have been PC299 or some other part that is suitable for the a 1999 740I BMW that was manufacturer in 08 1998. My email address is GVHALL84@ verizon.net. Thank you very much.
Colonel (Ret) Gregory V. Hall, US ARMY
Hello sir, did you ever get any reply back, I just had a rockauto mistake, on them too.
Purchased a starter from RockAuto. Per their web site this was OEM parts and would fit.
I have been working on cars my entire life. Have done my fair share of starters on multi vehicles. I installed the starter after comparing it to the original that I took off. Everything looked good. Bolted up the starter and checked all the connections. Reconnected the battery and turned on the ignition. They I cranked it to see if the starter was live. Restarted the car and it would not disengage and turn off. The started was wining at full speed. Finally removed the battery connection and stopped the starter. That ended up burning up my ignition and I had to have the vehicle towed and repaired to the tune of 789 dollars.
I have the lame a** emails from some a** hat who wants me to return the starter and they will give me a new one News flash baby Einstein. The starter that you had on your site is not the right one. So why would I want you to send me another one? This company is amazing. No way to have contact with a human. It’s is all done by email. I plan on sending this to my local newspaper in my area and let them know just how this company operates. Also planning on calling and submitting with the better business bureau. And may even find an attorney to see if other have been screwed over and start a class action lawsuit against RockAuto. I know other have had the same experience.
I requested the correct starter and to be reimbursed for my starter, towing and the repairs to my vehicle caused by the part that was supposedly OEM.. NOT..
I was brushed off to return the part for a replacement. Which is the wrong one. I was told that they do not reimburse for towing and damage caused by the parts they sell.
It false advertising to list a part and say its OEM when ii is not……
I have asked multi times for someone to call me and no one has responded.
My advise is go to you local dealer, auto parts store and ask them to price match. Even if you don’t get the best price. You will actually get the correct part, human contact and service. I know from this day forward I will not buy another part from Rockauto..
Very disappointed in the company and feel for the other customers that have been screwed over by them.
Brian3
Hello
If you decide to start a class action lawsuit against RockAuto, please let me know. I will be glad to get involved.
I have already placed a complaint against them via BBB and I’m still dealing with them.
We paid $114.99 for “NEXT BUSINESS DAY EXPRESS” and merchandise didn’t get to us until 3 days later. I have been requesting FULL REFUND for the shipping fee and on their 1st reply they blamed FedEx, on the 2nd reply they blamed me and on the last reply from today, Rock Auto again blamed FedEx.
If I paid $114.99 for “NEXT BUSINESS DAY EXPRESS” then my package should have been here the next day not 3 days later and as such, I should be entitled to the full refund as service was not render on the next day.
I believe that they keep that money for themselves and have profit from it, and I definitely believe they are thieves!
I have been a customer for many years and this is the way they have treated us. Definitely disgusting!
If I wanted the parts to get to me 3 days later, I would have never paid $114.99 for NEXT BUSINESS DAY EXPRESS. Definitely ridiculous.
My email address is: rebecca_garcia1070@ yahoo .com
Please keep me posted.
Thanks in advance
Double billed me in two days! And nobody to speak to? Seriously???? This is bulls**t.
Today is the last time that rock auto sends me the complete wrong part. I’m done. I’m not doing business with this company anymore they don’t even have a phone number to call anymore which was ridiculous to find out after opening a radiator to a Chevy blazer something. I’ve got completely empty boxes from these people before. I’ve got boxes both labeled with the same part number with completely different parts inside of them before. I don’t have time to deal with this level of craziness.
Ordered a set of rotors and pads for my A6, the rear parts fit while the front pads were correct bit the rotors were to small. I returned the rotors and asked for replacements giving the correct size and was sent another set of pads. I returned the pads and asked for the correct rotors again only to reciebe another set of pads which I was charged to returned and haven’t recieved the new rotors or a refund in over a month. I had to go and spend 400 dollars for two front rotors for my car. There is no-one to speak to about this problem or get my money back. I will never do business with you again and will never give a good review or give you name to anyone of my mechanic friends across the country.
Hi, My name is William Bradley. I placed a order with rockauto for a complete greaseable front end kit for my 2013 f150. I had my mech. put the parts on. after he installed them I was going to grease them. when I found out the upper control arms came with out grease fittings. I need Jim or Tom Taylor to contact me 540589XXXXX. I am not getting anywhere with the customer service team. this is the product I was supposed to received rockauto.com/catalog/images/transpurple100.png. Thank you.