What You Need To Know When Shopping For Used Auto Parts
Used car parts are an excellent option for making repairs to your car, truck, or SUV. It is essential that you know what you are buying, but if you take some time to evaluate what you are getting, the cost savings can be helpful in keeping your vehicle on the road.
Locating Parts
Shopping for used car parts can be challenging if you are unfamiliar with the local salvage operations and used parts dealers. Start with the salvage yards you can find, and call each of them to see if they have the car parts you need.
If you have multiple salvage yards near you, the pricing for the parts you need may vary, so shopping around may help reduce the cost. The price often changes with the condition of the used car parts you are considering, but some salvage operators have less overhead and are able to sell the auto parts for less.
Purchasing Parts
Some salvage operations pull the good parts off of vehicles and inventory them, then sell them over the counter, but others require you to remove the necessary parts from the donor vehicle and bring the auto parts to the counter. If you are unable to remove the parts yourself, you may want to avoid the yards that require that or have a friend pull the auto parts for you.
When you arrive at the salvage yard to pick up your used car parts, take the time to look them over carefully. If you have the old part removed from your car or truck, take it with you so you can compare the new and the old part before purchasing them.
Mounting points, electrical connections, hose connections, and pulleys need to match, or the part may not fit your car correctly. The brackets and pulleys on your original part may work, but since most salvage yards do not take returns, it is critical that you check them carefully before you commit to the purchase.
Private Sales
You may find a part that you need for sale through an auto classified website or at a local flea market, yard sale, or swap meet. Typically these used car parts are rare parts that are harder to find, and in some cases, new parts are not still available to use in their place.
If you are considering purchasing parts from another car enthusiast, make sure that the parts fit your needs. Many times, specialty used car parts are not used as direct replacements, but for a car where the parts are beginning to become rare, they offer the ability to get something you can't find anywhere else.
Contact a local used car parts service to learn more.