El Cheapo Parts On eBay
#1
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El Cheapo Parts On eBay
Got a hole in my AC condenser, and my speed sensor decided to go off its meds--so I'm going to be replacing both of these soon. Autozone wants a hundred seventy bucks for a condenser and around 80-90 for a speed sensor.
But on eBay, they're much cheaper. Condensers are on there for as low as sixty, and speed sensors can be had for forty or fifty. My questions is...what gives? In your experience, are these el cheapo parts of such an inferior quality that I'm better off going with Autozone? This is going to be, if I ever finish it, a backup car and not something I intend to keep for the next twenty years. My beautiful CFO is getting a little tired of my new hobby, so price is important. But sometimes going to cheap ends up being more expensive in the long run. I don't know what to do here.
I was thinking about the salvage yard route, but the only LS I've been able to find at a place that doesn't require me to pick the part myself (all these places are only open during work hours!) was wrecked from the front and therefore the condenser is useless. Also, I made the mistake of installing a junkyard PS pump which turned out to be a leaker, which in turn required me to pull it out and get a new one.
What would you do?
But on eBay, they're much cheaper. Condensers are on there for as low as sixty, and speed sensors can be had for forty or fifty. My questions is...what gives? In your experience, are these el cheapo parts of such an inferior quality that I'm better off going with Autozone? This is going to be, if I ever finish it, a backup car and not something I intend to keep for the next twenty years. My beautiful CFO is getting a little tired of my new hobby, so price is important. But sometimes going to cheap ends up being more expensive in the long run. I don't know what to do here.
I was thinking about the salvage yard route, but the only LS I've been able to find at a place that doesn't require me to pick the part myself (all these places are only open during work hours!) was wrecked from the front and therefore the condenser is useless. Also, I made the mistake of installing a junkyard PS pump which turned out to be a leaker, which in turn required me to pull it out and get a new one.
What would you do?
#4
eBay parts are hit and miss kinda like Harbor Freight Tools. If the part you're replacing is labor intensive i recommend going with a known brand name -- trust me it will be cheaper in the long run. I have you also checked RockAuto?
#5
BahHumBug
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brand name matters more than the seller. If it's a denso/bosch part, and the seller is authorized you'll be fine. If not, good luck with warranty support, but at least with the known brand it's less likely to prematurely fail.
Rockauto has similar pricing to ebay a lot of the time. If you have amazon prime, that' a great place to look too.
Rockauto has similar pricing to ebay a lot of the time. If you have amazon prime, that' a great place to look too.
#7
Lexus Champion
iTrader: (19)
We sell a lot of TYC / Vision branded AC condensors etc here at the shop, which are the ones you normally see on ebay. We don't have many returns on any of the products from these companies (We also do OEM lamps, radiators, etc from these companies) and have run their parts in our shop cars / personals. Never had any issues!
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#8
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Ordered one from Radiator Classic on eBay. Can't imagine it's that good, but The Emperor still needs new tires and a windshield, so budget matters right now. Also, this is my backup car I bought for $500 on Craigslist in July.
$55 bucks for this thing. If this were my only ride, I would have run screaming from an item like that. But I figure under the circumstances--nonessential system, not expensive, DIY repair so no labor cost, can afford to have it out of commission while I replace it again--I can go ahead with the experiment. I'll let you guys know.
$55 bucks for this thing. If this were my only ride, I would have run screaming from an item like that. But I figure under the circumstances--nonessential system, not expensive, DIY repair so no labor cost, can afford to have it out of commission while I replace it again--I can go ahead with the experiment. I'll let you guys know.
#10
This day and age you get junk parts no matter where you buy them. Most all after market automotive parts are made in either China, Mexico, Taiwan. There are a few from Japan, and Us.
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