"Used" Parts Can Be a Bargain
05-31-17, 06:38 PM
#1
Out of Warranty
Thread Starter
"Used" Parts Can Be a Bargain
Particularly if you own an older vehicle, a quick search of some wrecking yards online can provide some real deals in replacement parts. I've had to replace the rear glass in the minivan and a drive shaft in an ancient pickup in the past ten days, and here's what I found:
First, if it's a non-wear item, like replacement glass in an older car with a new product is a total waste of money. The rear glass in our 99 Caravan was shattered by a stone kicked up by our lawn maintenance crew . . . and it costs about $275 new - even from the cheapest glass shops. I found it in a wrecking yard for $54, out the door, including tax. All it needed was a five-minute cleanup (of both dust and old mastic clinging to the edges) and it was ready to go. In this case it also needed tinting to match the other windows, so I had it done by the company that did the original tint, and had them install it as well. Total cost, about $175. I saved nearly $225 for a undetectable perfect match.
My daughter's 25+ year old Dakota pickup lost a drive shaft this week. The truck had been a snowplow in Boston for several seasons, and driveline components at 150K are well worn. The bearings were shot and the yokes were seriously wallowed-out. A new rear drive shaft for a '93 Dakota automatic 4WD, SWB truck is about as common as a unicorn, and when you find one it will often be rusty and require new U-joints anyway thanks to lube failure over years of storage and cost an arm and a leg. Why put almost $500 worth of new driveshaft in a truck that we purchased for $500 about four years ago anyway?
With a couple hours on line and on the phone, I found a perfect match right here in town for $50. OK, the U-joints were rusty and crusty, with at least one bearing race missing, but a spin-up on a lathe proved it ran true and other than looks, could be salvaged with only replacement of the U-joints. I gathered up the parts and headed for my mechanic's shop who put it all together for a total expenditure of about $200. I suppose I could have sanded the shaft while it was on the lathe, and thrown in a coat of black paint from my collection of rattle cans, but I was interested in economy, not concourse quality restoration.
Both projects were completed with a little research time invested, and a drive of a few miles to pick up my parts. Savings: about $525 for a couple hours on the phone and a little time in a machine shop being sure I was buying a good part. So long as it is not a wear item, there's nothing wrong with used parts. If there are electrical parts or wear items in the project you're contemplating, you can usually get away with replacing the things that might be bad, and test the rest. There are a lot of savings to be had if you're careful shopping in a wrecking yard. Do your due diligence, get a 30-day warranty, and go spend your savings on a nice date night for you and the missus.
First, if it's a non-wear item, like replacement glass in an older car with a new product is a total waste of money. The rear glass in our 99 Caravan was shattered by a stone kicked up by our lawn maintenance crew . . . and it costs about $275 new - even from the cheapest glass shops. I found it in a wrecking yard for $54, out the door, including tax. All it needed was a five-minute cleanup (of both dust and old mastic clinging to the edges) and it was ready to go. In this case it also needed tinting to match the other windows, so I had it done by the company that did the original tint, and had them install it as well. Total cost, about $175. I saved nearly $225 for a undetectable perfect match.
My daughter's 25+ year old Dakota pickup lost a drive shaft this week. The truck had been a snowplow in Boston for several seasons, and driveline components at 150K are well worn. The bearings were shot and the yokes were seriously wallowed-out. A new rear drive shaft for a '93 Dakota automatic 4WD, SWB truck is about as common as a unicorn, and when you find one it will often be rusty and require new U-joints anyway thanks to lube failure over years of storage and cost an arm and a leg. Why put almost $500 worth of new driveshaft in a truck that we purchased for $500 about four years ago anyway?
With a couple hours on line and on the phone, I found a perfect match right here in town for $50. OK, the U-joints were rusty and crusty, with at least one bearing race missing, but a spin-up on a lathe proved it ran true and other than looks, could be salvaged with only replacement of the U-joints. I gathered up the parts and headed for my mechanic's shop who put it all together for a total expenditure of about $200. I suppose I could have sanded the shaft while it was on the lathe, and thrown in a coat of black paint from my collection of rattle cans, but I was interested in economy, not concourse quality restoration.
Both projects were completed with a little research time invested, and a drive of a few miles to pick up my parts. Savings: about $525 for a couple hours on the phone and a little time in a machine shop being sure I was buying a good part. So long as it is not a wear item, there's nothing wrong with used parts. If there are electrical parts or wear items in the project you're contemplating, you can usually get away with replacing the things that might be bad, and test the rest. There are a lot of savings to be had if you're careful shopping in a wrecking yard. Do your due diligence, get a 30-day warranty, and go spend your savings on a nice date night for you and the missus.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
ng123ray
CL of Southern California
2
07-01-08 07:58 PM