There are often many junk yards in any town that will offer “you pull it” service. This means you can get a better price on 2nd hand car parts if you bring your own tools and remove the part yourself. You will also have a better chance to inspect and decide whether or not the part is in good enough condition for your use.
Despite the age of your car your search will inevitably be the same. You therefore should start by calling or visiting the auto parts stores in our area. To narrow your search, only go to those stores that sell parts for your make vehicle. Many stores do advertise in some way the make and model vehicles they cater to. Make sure when you make contact with the store that you know exactly the part you need by name or part number.
This is true for both new and used parts, but I would highly recommend only buying used auto parts online if it is your only recourse. Used parts can be very difficult to determine quality even with the product in hand, much less through someone’s web page who is trying to sell it to you.
There are many other components and systems that suffer wear and tear, and eventually need to be repaired or replaced. For example, your car’s engine should operate smoothly for over 100,000 miles, but that will depend on your driving habits and diligence in changing the oil. Your catalytic converter should last over 150,000 miles, but a rich fuel blend in the engine can shorten its life.
So, how do you get good spare parts for your automobile at discounted prices? This requires doing some homework of your own. But let’s do it together.
Buy from the right car costs. If you aren’t in the know it’s quite difficult to spot a good store from a bad one. A good auto parts store will clearly display their contact details as well as displaying details about their stock. They should display which models they supply stock for and everything should be priced. The typical worker should know the stock inside and out and should know exactly what you need.
Today, everything is computerized with each item stored within a database. Every radiator, passenger seat, water pump, and stereo knob can be accounted for with a few clicks of a button. If you need to find a specific item, you won’t be forced to spend hours digging through a dirty lot. Just ask an attendant to check the database. What’s more, a lot of salvage yards are now connected through a network. If one location cannot find a component in their database, they can check the databases of other locations.
Well Known Auto Stores: Almost every single one of the major players in the auto parts industry has a website from which shoppers can order parts. A lot of these stores also have the regular “brick and mortar” stores and will let you return internet-ordered parts to those stores (in the event that the part that got delivered to you was not what you ordered or turned out to be the wrong part). Some of the major “brick and mortar” auto parts stores that will also let you order your car parts online are Napa, Carquest, Auto Zone, Pep Boys, Advance Auto Parts and Schucks Auto (known in some areas as CSK Auto).
Car dealer – your first stop could be your very own car dealer. He was the one who got you all the information and details when you were making the purchase. He is also well qualified and equipped to provide you information or even the product itself. He may not have it ready right then, but can easily fetch it for you. The downside is the high price which is mostly because of the middlemen involved in the process.