Buy auto parts online
The internet makes things so much easier today with instant quotes and the ability to buy anything, including auto parts online, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. With many products it’s quite easy as there may only be one version of what you’re buying, but when it comes to auto parts it can be a totally different story. There is an assumption that when buying a particular car make and model, you will have the same set of parts that the entire model would have. The truth is that this is not true. First, the time your car is registered, which normally dictates the year of the car, may not be the time it was manufactured. Your car may very well have been sitting around for 6 months at an airfield somewhere, before it was finally sold and registered as new. It may be the same car, registered at the same time but manufactured 4 months later. Ultimately this means that there could be a difference in the parts that make up the car.
Of course, we are not talking about everything about the car, but about selected car parts that have been continually upgraded or purchased from a cheaper supplier in order to improve the car or build it cheaper. The results are that each part now requires a unique serial number or reference part number, which is sometimes very difficult to locate. Often the best way to match your car’s part ID is to remove the part and take it to the dealer to be matched with a new one. Unfortunately, you can’t do that if you choose to buy your auto part online.
One solution is to join one of the many online forums that dedicate members to the make and model of car you own. So ask the question first before buying anywhere. Does the part I need to purchase have different serial numbers or has it been supplied consistently at the time of manufacture might be a question?
It may be worth the trouble, as many people now choose to purchase auto parts from the many locator services, which put you in touch with national salvage shops. You do get a cheaper used auto part purchase, but the part is likely to be made to manufacturer’s specifications and not a cheap copy you often get through accessory stores. The problem here is that these used auto parts do not come in a box with written part numbers on them, which can be compared to the manufacturer’s manual.
Some manufacturers are worse than others, some may bring our various versions of the same car each year to help with their marketing program. Fortunately others only change parts with full research and a good reason to do so, of course there is the argument that they may be left behind with new technology.
At the end of the day, if you buy a new part from a store, you could argue that they sold you the wrong part. But if you buy online, the responsibility is likely to fall on you, not to mention shipping costs. So take your time and do some research first.