ok guys, quick question, when i had my saturn there were some parts that everyone agreed should be purchased from the dealer
because normal auto parts store parts were crap. so my question, is the oil pressure sender unit/sensor a dealer only part, or can i
order one at advanced or napa and be ok?

on that note are there any other dealer only parts i should know about? i dont want to hurt anything by using an inferior part.

i dont think it matters for this, but its an 84 gs.

 

no black dragon has them also Mazdatrix

 

i checked at one of the parts stores locally, i forget which one, (theres four or five here in town) the guy there said he could order it in,
im just wondering if that one would be ok. i just didnt want to order one online if i could get one locally for the same cost.

i'm assuming the dealer part it going to be more expensive, but if its truely a better part i'll go with it.

i guess any part is better than the non-functioning part i have now tho.

 

I've used "store brand" parts from regular auto parts stores around here: Pep Boys, Auto Zone, Advance Auto Parts, and I've had no real problems whatsoever. Avoid the dealer, as they'll charge you 400% more than any other place.

Try to find a place that specializes in import cars or look for well-known name brands on parts at your local auto parts store. The sensor, you needn't worry about something like that. The parts store you went to should do just fine.

 

I get most stuff from Mazdatrix if they have it, unless I know for a fact it's the same stuff as the normal auto parts stores have. I just feel safer that way.

 

Thankfully, I have Olympus in my area, who deals with import cars only.

 

ok, good. i'll do just that. right now in fact. its not that it really bothers me, the gauge not reading,
but i have visions of the oil pressure actually dropping and my not knowing about it ...
i dont even want to think about it.

 

Then, don't think about it. I'm sure your car's oil pump isn't going to fail right away now that the gauge isn't working.

 

yeah i would buy that at auto store i buy stuff through dealer and with my discount things are outragous

 

Most of the things that are available at Auto Parts store for our cars are generally of good quality. Napa carries some good quality lines. Stay away from your Auto Zones,
CSK auto and pep boys for electrical items such as starters, alternators and batteries.

I have found a lot of times that www.mazdaautoparts.com (Mazda Dealer) has some good deals at times.
For general order items check rockauto.com
Blackdragonauto on a lot of things are over priced.
At Napa Auto parts you can get a good discount on most things if you have a AAA towing card. Just have the guy check the price with and without the card, sometimes it can be higher, its a programming thing.

 

The "1" thing I "always" only get from the dealer is a thermostat.

 

Back in march I had to get the hose from my master to my slave from the dealer, cost $90, because I had(and still don't) no knowledge of how to replace those parts and no auto parts dealer in norman carried the hose and said it was dealer only. Had a look at it after it was done and it looks like it's just a normal brake line with a different connector on it.

 

Doc...linky no worky!

 

Lets try this. www.mazdaautoparts.com

 

Doc, you said avoid Auto Zones. I go there all the time and have yet to have any problems with their parts. (Altho, I tend to go to Olympus, anyways ) However, I avoid Advance Auto Parts like the plague. Pep Boys is under new management so I'm starting to go there again.

 

Come to think of it, i did know about the thermostat thing... i should **** down. heh

yeah i ended up having to work late and didn't feel like getting it tonight.

thanks doc for the parts places they're all in my links list now.
im not to picky about my parts stores i have yet to have a bad experience with any here in my town.
there's an advanced, an autozone, a napa, and an auto value within two miles or so of each other.

so doc is it just a personal thing you have with autozone, or just your particular autozone, or is there something bigger going
on with the electric stuff there that i should know about?
i only ask because im about to do the GM alternator upgrade and *was* going to go to autozone. play it safe and go to napa?

 

Since there are a number of places that sell genuine Mazda parts, besides the dealer, the question might be better posed as what parts need to be genuine and what direct replacement aftermarket ones are OK. On that note, the thermostat and the pre-formed heater hoses for the beehive oil cooler are the 2 main OEM parts off the top of my head.

One can also get into the long running debate as to which apex seals are the best, OEM or any of the other aftermarket ones. This is one debate that's better left to the major engine builders. Each type of seal has it's own place/application. As far as many of the body/interior specific parts, Mazdatrix still carries many of them.

Fwiw, I buy my carb kits at AutoZone. While not packaged under the Standard brand name, they are made by the same company.

 

AutoZone, Advanced Auto, etc will save you lots of money for parts that are as good as or better than you will get from the Mazda dealer or the various Mazda dealer clones that charge Mazda dealer prices.

I like Mazda and Mazda employee's, but not enough to give them two times or more money for the same or better parts you can get at the local AutoZone. I think the Mazda guys would even agree when the boss isn't looking.

I'd even go so far as to disagree with Trochoid (Gasp!) on the OEM thermostat. They cost a friggin' fortune from Mazda and you can get better part made by duralast from autozone, jiggle pin and all, for about half the price. They work fine, the OEM crap is a myth.

For information and specialty parts, Mazda, Mazdatrix etc are excellent resources and much appreciated, but out of necessity supplying spare parts for 1st gen RX-7s must always be a small part of their business. There simply are no profits in $25 thermostats.

Ray

 

I have to disagree with everyone on the t-stat. I never had any problem with autozone, pepboys or kragen. The only parts I wont get are electrical such as alternator and starter. Lifetime warranty is useless when you have to replace it twice a year (at a minimum).

btw, the frotn brake hardware kit (shims/clips) are now getting harder to find in Socal. Only dealer and mazdatrix. So I have been collecting from junkyards.

 

Where are you in Virginia you have Malloy Mazda!

Most of the Forum use Malloy. Malloy is same price or cheaper than Mazdatrix.

 

I usually check between the various places to find a good price. The dealership usually wants an arm and a leg for just about anything. I avoid Pepboys and Auto Zone for anything electrical, but Advance Auto Parts is usually pretty good about it.

 

I like to check out the dealer prices since shipping to canada can get expensive. When I had to replace my front cover gasket the dealer prices were actually cheaper than mazdatrix's prices for the gaskits and seals.

 

As you can see from others posts, stay away from them on the items that I have mentioned. This is from 30 years of experience of being off and on in the Automotive industry.