Aftermarket supplier- who do you use?

Since we all buy parts and accessories for our beloved C4's, which aftermarket suppliers get the best marks for customer service, pricing, quality, selection, etc.?  No flame jobs, let's keep it civilized  just your opinions.  Since we all need the best bang for our buck in this economy, thought it might be helpful. jimmymack2009-05-04 13:39:56

No doubt about it....Corvette South (corvettesouth.com)

Ask for Kevin (the owner).

You will get any part....if they dont have, they will find it for you at no extra charge, even if they have to get it from another vendor and break even on the price.
Customer service is priority #1....he will talk to you (or his employees) like you are neighbors.
And in this economy he is more interested in making a lifelong customer than a huge "one-time" profit.

I have been using hm for years, I no longer have to use any other vendor for any of my cars (C3,4,5).

I have no stock in them or affiliated, although as much $$ as I have spent I should!  



Jim

I have used pretty much all of the larger suppliers, including most of our sponsoring/featured vendors here at C4VR. While I have yet to have any dealings with Bair's, they have an excellent reputation with the C3VR group.
Mid America has taken a TON of my $$$ on both my '74 and the '85, as has Eckler's.

I have, however, not had very good luck in dealing with Eckler's customer service when there have been problems. Don't know if that is a common deal, or just me, so I can't say anything bad about them other than my experiences.

Most of our sponsoring vendors DO offer some sort of "discount", or other incentives to the Registry members, so it might be worth checking with any of them if you're in the market for parts.
 
Adams' Apple2009-05-04 19:47:06

i have used ecklers alot and midamerica. had no real problems with either one. have also gotten items thru other suppliers on ebay like corvette central, wilcox. only one i really don't peticularly like is wilcox. they don't answer email (at least mine they didn't) and they owe me a credit which i will probably never see. have to check around for prices sometimes. i ordered electric fans for my 75 thru mid america and they were actually cheaper then if i went to the source for them. go figure. mostly all of them are good and sometimes it doesn't pay to stick to just one supplier.

Well; I used Summit racing for a long time until I needed specific parts....so...I used Ecklers and Wilcox...all of a sudden I started getting junk mail at my house for corvette clubs, junk mail for corvette clothing, parts, trinkets, ect...

So that means one of them sold (or gave) my home address to other people.

After that; I started using corvette south...had great service, I even returned a part I didnt need...no re-stocking fee or anything, though I did pay shipping, and, it was my fault for the wrong part in the first place.
I use them exclusively...I have no reason to use any other vendor...they get anything I need.

I have already (a month or so ago) approached Kevin about becoming a supporting vendor here and the other  "vette registry" sites...he said he will do it as soon as he can increase his staff.
His idea (and is perfect) is that he does not want to become a supporting vendor in a forum if he does not have the staff to address a problem....meaning...if there was to be a problem, and it was written about in a public forum (such as here) he would like to have the staff to address the problem and be able to give a resolution to it...

Customer service, on the phone, email, snail mail, or even in a public forum,  he wants to be able to  make his customers happy and that takes manpower...which he is lacking at the moment.

But, be prepared to see him in the future.





Jim

Over time I have dropped some dollars at most of the major vendors.  The best experiences though have been with Bair's and Corvette Specialties.  Both are smaller operations with very knowledgeable folks and customer service has been aces.

i have used corvette central and mid america they were both pretty good and i got my goods when they said i would  i just wish i had some more money to spend with them but i have to get tires first

I just purchased my C4 last summer, but for my C3 I had the best service, rebuilt parts, advice and prices from Bairs.  They are a Corvette shop out of Pennsylvania that I originally met down in Bloomington.  I see they advertise on this website so they must handle C4's too.  I highly recommend them. 

I've used MidAmerica, Ecklers and Corvette Central with no problems, yet.  At last years Corvettes at Carlisle I purchased a bunch of parts from Bairs for the first time.  I'm rebuilding the suspension on my '72 and they had everything I was looking for; ball joints (US made), U-joints (US made), bearings (US made) and a lot of nuts, bolts, clips, bushings, etc.  I'm particular about purchasing US made items, did you notice?  And Dave, the guy behind the counter, was very helpful also.  I'll deffinately be getting parts from them again, as long as the continue to have the good stuff (made in USA).  But, I will be looking up CorvetteSouth too.  I like having more than one place to shop and not everyone covers ALL the parts.  Hey, variety's the spice of life, so they say.

I have had very good experiences (prices, communication, shipping) with Wilcox, Corvette Rubber Company, Partsladi on Ebay.  I was very disappointed with the customer service that I received from Zip.  I ordered 2 small items (a spec plate for the console and 1 centre cap) and I trusted them to package and ship in the most economical way so I (foolishly) did not confirm shipping costs - well, I was not impressed when the parts totalling about $45 cost an additional $40 to ship!  I called and got the run around and no effort or interest in trying to make the customer happy.