Keeping Your Cost On Major Auto Repairs

By putting in a little extra effort you can make a little more cash. What used car dealers and car salvage companies do is to farm used and salvaged cars for parts. It is normally repaired and sold for a profit, or your car will be dismantled and the good parts be used to spruce up other cars that have damaged or defective parts. So why not do the deed yourself and make a little more cash with a little effort. Get a mechanic to check the car for parts and get an estimate of the value of the parts based on the condition.

Anotherplace he has found the right used tire is to look to an auto salvage yard. Many times you can find the right used tire that is just right for your car or truck. Its always best to simply call the auto salvage yard first to see if they have the right used tire for your ride in stock. If they don’t, ask the manager if they can phone other auto yards to order the right used tire for you.

As for the price of auto parts, aside from the age of the vehicle there is the make and model. In this case foreign car parts are much more expensive than domestically made cars. Most people who buy foreign cars don’t realize this or even think about it until it comes time to get their vehicle repaired. Then they get hit with the bill and their eyes pop out of their head. For example, an oil filer for a 2005 Buick Century is about $2.98. The same oil filter for a Honda CRV is $3.98. It’s basically the same filter for the Honda but it costs $1.00 more. That comes out to a 33% markup on a relatively cheap part. Imagine that same 33% markup on a part that costs $60 for the Buick. You’d be paying about $80 for the same part for the Honda.

Today more than ever, people are seeking used auto parts and not new parts. Therefore, it won’t be hard for you to find a high quality part in your city. Usually your local mechanic may not have everything that you need; but, you need not worry as there are special shops opening up across the country that focus on used parts.



Let us start with ease of obtaining. Obviously newer car parts will be easier to get than older ones. A friend of mine still has a 1975 Pontiac Lemans. To obtain parts for this car he has to literally go to junk yards and even online. No new car dealers keep parts beyond 10 years or so and even auto parts stores limit their inventory to cars under 20 years. A 30 year old vehicle is almost impossible to find parts for. Plus, if you can find the part, depending on where you get it, the cost could be anywhere from 20 to 100% over the original part cost. To say that late model car owners are taken advantage of would be a gross understatement.

Sometimes, when you buy more than one auto part, such discounts are offered. There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of this. There are certain parts, like air filters, which have to be replaced regularly. So if you are offered a discount for buying more than one air filter, why not take it?

Buy online. pull a part lebanon pike of the internet means that you no longer need to visit scrap yards to get hold of used or salvaged cheap auto parts. There are many online sources from eBay to specialist scrap yard sites that will submit your part request to numerous sites for free, you then just sit and wait for them to come to you.

Another thing to consider is the location of the used engine where you’ll be buying from. Does it really matters? It does. Imagine this, in the northern part of the U.S. where snow is abundant in the winter, most problems that could be encountered by car owners is the corrosion of their engines due to the salt used to put down the snow. Salt is not really a big deal if it cannot reach the moving parts, but it does. And it is really a big problem. So you better look for used engine down to Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi or in the states where snow is less so that you can be sure that salt is not the problem.

The first thing to do when you want to purchase a spare part from a junkyard is to call the junkyard and request for the part. Of course, you have to give details of the vehicle such as the brand, model, when it was manufactured and the spare part you need. A search would have to be conducted on the available parts and if they do have it, then they would let you know. Vehicles disposed in junkyard are assessed for the useful parts both inside and outside which are collected. When you arrive at the junkyard, you would be allowed to see the spare part and if you decide to purchase it, payment is made right there.

Toilets: Complete toilet sets — tank, bowl, seat, and hardware — can be had for as little as $79. Usually, the taller a toilet, the more expensive it is. Also, when you get into brand names, you, naturally, encounter more costs.