Sourcing Your Own Spare Parts Could Save You Money
If your car is getting old, or already in need of replacement parts, then you might need to consider sourcing spare parts before it becomes an issue of having to incur the expense of taking it to a garage to be repaired. You may be able to source spare parts cheaper than a garage can, but it all depends on the make and model of your car.
Since car components are designed to be unique to the brand and model of the car, there are very few generic parts that are mass manufactured and picked up cheaper than brand parts. This means if you have a BMW car, you will need BMW parts specific to the model you own.
The good news is that sourcing spare parts for cars is easier now than ever before. This means not having to accept the quotation given by garages for spares; however you may still have a pay for the cost of fitting the spare part if you do not have the necessary expertise to fit the necessary part by yourself. This may still work out cheaper than having a garage source the spare parts as well as fitting them. However, this method is even more helpful if you have some expertise in car maintenance, and can fit some components, such as spark plugs. Then you can enjoy double saving of discounted sourcing and the added expense of having them fitted by a garage.
Online websites can be used to source spare parts for every make and model from various spare part suppliers. By searching for the part you require and the make, model, age and condition of your car, you should be able to create a comparable list of all the suppliers and prices available for the part you need.
Lower quality parts are usually the cheapest; however you may still be able to get a second hand part of decent quality for a cheaper tariff than the manufacturer’s price.
This method may not be useful for finding certain parts that may not be easily available. This could be parts for cars older than 20 years old, or models that have been discontinued for more than 5 years. The parts may not be able to be sourced locally, so the extra expense of having them shipped may be more than using a dealer’s garage.
Some simple DIY maintenance, such as looking after the bodywork and a driving style that keeps your brakes from fading could keep the components on your car working for longer.