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Where do you get your auto parts from?


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Where do you get your auto parts from?
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2016-06-05, 17:21

So my little truck is tired. I don't want to send it to a junk yard to be parted out yet though. It has plenty of life left in it. It needs to have some work done to it and I'd like to do the work myself again. I used to be a mechanic but stopped working on cars much after getting rid of my '68 Mustang. (I'm still pouting about that choice.) Since that's bee around 20 years ago or so I'm really out of the loop.

Where is the best place to buy parts these days? I'm talking brake cylinders, shoes, fan clutch... that kind of thing. I have a ball joint that is bad too, but I'm going to pay to have that replaced.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
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addison
Formerly “AWM”
 
Join Date: May 2009
 
2016-06-05, 18:03

It can be a crap shoot today no matter where you buy. You can try a place like Rock Auto. They'll sell you cheap ass China parts or OEM stuff depending on what you want to spend. Same goes for the chain stores I assume.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2016-06-05, 19:24

Are end consumers doing their own auto repairs just not as common as it once was? I mean, you expect to with a '68 but I never really needed to with my 1998 or newer cars/trucks I've own. Now I just want to for the enjoyment and to scratch the old mechanic itch again.

I have Auto Zone and Advanced Auto near me. Maybe some others too that I can't think of right now. I guess it would be a "standard" place to buy, I just didn't know if online beat them out or if it just isn't worth the hassle for something like car parts.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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addison
Formerly “AWM”
 
Join Date: May 2009
 
2016-06-06, 09:06

I think cars have just become so complex that a lot of people just gave up. Most even gave up doing their own oil change which considering what type of oil you use can save you a lot of money doing it yourself.
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alcimedes
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2016-06-06, 10:31

Auto parts stores are starting to go the way of Radio Shack. Used to be a lot of hobby electronics stuff, but as electronics changed it morphed into doodads and misc. electronic crap with a few bits and pieces of old school electronics around.

Auto shops are heading the same way. Lots of silly ways to make your car look flashy, less and less real parts to work with.

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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2016-06-06, 21:44

That is sad and yet I'm one of those guys that's helped it get that way. I don't change my own oil because for $20 (with coupon) I can have it done in about 30 minutes from a reputable shop and not have to deal with the waste oil or filter. Most of the minor repairs were handled the same way, I let the shop do it instead of me.

I have more time on my hands now and I miss working on cars. So now I'm going to start doing those things again. I guess for now I'll just hit the Auto Zone/Advanced Auto near me for the brake parts I need now.

Now I'm still debating on replacing the fan clutch or putting in an electric fan...

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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Ebby
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2016-06-06, 22:18

California laws gum up the works a lot over here. A lot of aftermarket companies have to certify their parts which is prohibitively expensive. Not only do they have certification costs of the part, but re-certify each part/engine/make/manufacturer combo. I know someone who made a aftermarket turbo for a popular engine but could not get it past the certification process. It wasn't that it ran dirty, it was all the bells and whistles he had to jump through and the astronomical cost testing/certifying every available engine combination. It simply wasn't profitable to market those parts. (But I can't confirm or deny any pre-production units snuck into the public)

This sort of makes us reliant on OEM inventory and prices. Parts like intake/exhaust headers have to get CARB approved for gobs of money. (They are frigg'n hollow pipes)

When it comes to electronically controlled parts, lots of manufacturers have special tests and service modes not available to us general folk. I "can't" do a compression test on my Honda because the ECU must be told to turn off the fuel injectors. Basically our options in car customization is tacky bling.

I still do my own oil changes, recently replaced rear shocks, a clutch line & master cylinder, and radiator. I just finished a complete engine rebuild (GM 231) and just put it back in the car so I'm not your average noob.

Side note: I bought a $27 bolt from Mazda. Turned out it was wrong and replaced it with a quick $3 hardened bolt from my local hardware store. Perfect fit. Markup sucks.

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Last edited by Ebby : 2016-06-06 at 22:35.
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alcimedes
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2016-06-07, 08:22

The hardware store near us carried a full line of stainless steel bolts. I think that's where we got all of our replacement bolts from.
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PB PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
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2016-06-08, 20:01

Quote:
Originally Posted by addison View Post
I think cars have just become so complex that a lot of people just gave up. Most even gave up doing their own oil change which considering what type of oil you use can save you a lot of money doing it yourself.
In many ways this is true. I follow some car guys (all who used to work for dealers) on Youtube and many of them feels the car manufactures will move more and more towards the Apple model, whereby there will be a set of modules in a car, many of which will be sealed off from own access. The end result will be that when something goes wrong entire sections will have to be replaced rather than individual parts. Great for OEM's, because they can make it so nobody else can make the modules, and force everyone to pay full price for things that don't even need to be replaced.

As for oil changes, I don't change the oil in my car, because it's actually cheaper to get the dealer to do it!
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2016-06-08, 20:58

So I stopped by a parts store today while I was out to find out how much the parts would be for wheel cylinders. It is about $50 in parts vs the $240 quoted by the shop. Seems worth it to me to do this myself.

Cars being modular is going to be really hard. There are to many parts that that just wouldn't work for. The wheel/axle area is a great example. Preventing end users from changing brakes is not realistic. Nor would trying to say we couldn't work on the engine. I could only imagine the nightmare a "certified tech" would have if they tried putting security screws on it.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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PB PM
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2016-06-08, 21:05

I believe the modular parts would be more for stuff in under the hood, rather than the suspension and such. So it might be something weird like, the AC compressor unit and the radiator being a "part". The ABS pump and the master cylinder might be another example. All they have to do is design the parts in such a way that it is impossible to separate them.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2016-06-08, 21:34

Yeah, that would make sense. Though it would also make it easier to get a module and do the install yourself. The part would cost more, but installation would likely be easier.

I dealt with the switch from component repairs to module swaps while I was in the Navy. Component repairs were fast and easy to do when only one cap or resistor was bad. In stead of replacing a massive part, I would replace the failed component. With modular parts, it was way faster for me as a tech, but it also meant a lot of money spend on the module rather than a single part.

For an enduser on a car I would had the "blackbox" approach to car repair. It will cost everyone more in the long run. It will also make it easier for those people who just don't car to put the work into it and just let a massive part be swapped out. I think of an automatic transmission like that.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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addison
Formerly “AWM”
 
Join Date: May 2009
 
2016-06-09, 09:05

There has been some of this happening already. Probably not good for the owner a lot of the times. Things like AC compressor clutches that aren't replaceable so you have to buy the entire compressor setup. That adds a lot to the cost of the repair. Also some cars if a wheel bearing goes you have to buy the entire hub assembly. That at least saves on labor.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2016-06-09, 22:22

That's true. Last time I packed a bearing was 1997 or so on my '68 Mustang. It's a lost art for sure.
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