Every day we are bombarded by hundreds of ads. The sales are everywhere and on everything. But, the story is different when it comes to auto parts. Unlike food, clothes, and furniture auto parts are rarely on sale. This is simply because not so many customers are interested in doing the job on their own. Most of us will take our vehicle to a professional place.
However, with this being said there is a big benefit doing the job yourself. Price is for one. One can save tremendous amount of money by replacing the parts yourself. For example, on average an auto body repair shop will charge a customer 50 dollars per hour to replace a part, and this does not even include the price of an auto part itself. In fact the price one pays charged by a professional shop is usually double of a price one pays at the store. So where do you look for if you decides to undertake the project? And, better yet how do you know you are getting the best price.
There are different places one can look for auto parts such as local specialty stores, online stores or auto parts auctions, and last but not least junk or salvage yards. Every place has its pros and cons.
Specialty stores will always guarantee delivery, satisfaction, and better yet quality. The down side is the price. There are no such things as sales or discounts or are there? Well, the good news is you can always ask for one – you will be amazed. In many cases the store will grant you a discount based on the purchase price. You can even go further and try to negotiate a better deal but don’t go over board or you can lose it all together. The idea is to act within reasonable parameters. But, don’t rush to buy that part yet. Do some price comparisons by checking the Internet.
Internet has a wealth of information, provides a myriad of helpful resources, and enables to save more money compared to the local auto parts stores. The downside is the time it takes to find these stores, and not mentioning the additional time for the parts to arrive. A good recommendation is to check online auto parts directories such dmoz.org. The organization is highly selective to who gets in. This allows you to save valuable time and find credible sources.
Another option is to purchase auto parts via the bidding process held by auto parts auctions. Auctions are best known for great bargains. For one is the price control. You pay what you think the part is worth. The downside is the time it can take to for the auction to end. There are different types of auctions and many have the “Buy It Now” option to speed up the process.
In addition there are many local junk or salvage yards at your disposal. The great part is that the price is almost always lower, and it is delivered to you the same day. The downside is there are no guarantees on used parts.
Although many reputable yards do provide a replacement or refund in case the part doesn’t perform satisfactory, the time replacing it again is lost.
Finding the best price is a matter of one’s personal circumstances, time and budget. With this being said one thing remains the same, and that is price check. It is prudent to check different places to ensure you are getting the best deal, and value.
Irina and Vladimir Saveliev are the owners of ZonPart – online auto parts auction that helps sellers and buyers save on auto parts.