Auto Parts, is a collective term that is used to describe the components of an automobile. These parts, can either be supplied by the original equipment manufacturer of a particular vehicle, or an entirely independent engineering firm that specializes in the manufacture of mechanical parts for various makes and models of autos.

Motor vehicles are so affordable these days that most auto owners trade their vehicles every two or maybe three years. The upside of this practice is that commuters have a modern, reliable mode of transport, they keep abreast of the latest technology and their vehicles seldom, if ever, require spare parts.

Auto parts are quite expensive, particularly genuine OEM parts, and there are other costs to consider such as, workshop charges as well as alternative transport costs while the auto is being repaired. Even if the repair work is be performed by the auto’s owner, there is still the cost of time and inconvenience that must be considered.

The advantages of having replacement auto parts fitted by a mechanic at a workshop, apart from the fact that you, the auto owner, won’t get dirty hands, is that the work is done by a professional, is fully guaranteed and your time can be spent more productively. The only disadvantage being the cost of auto parts, particularly if your repairer uses genuine OEM parts, then you will be paying top dollar for the parts.

Auto owners that are fortunate enough to have a degree of mechanical knowledge and a workshop equipped with the necessary tools to carry out repair work, can save quite a deal of money by purchasing auto parts at the many discount outlets that are available. Apart from auto accessory warehouses, there are other outlets to be found on the Internet such as the many private distributors to be found on Ebay.

There are also many wrecking yards that carry a huge range of second hand auto parts that are favorably priced. Some of these parts are near new, having been gleaned from auto wrecks involving late model autos. If you are a DIY enthusiast, then wrecking yards are the places to look for your replacement auto parts.

There are two trains of thought being presented here.

People that have little mechanical knowledge, or those, whose interests lie in other areas will, naturally, tend to replace their auto regularly in order to have a reliable means of transport, as well as be able to keep up with modern trends. These people will substantially reduce the risk of time consuming breakdowns, loss of income and the added expense of costly repairs.

On the other hand, those people who have the expertise and the facilities to carry out their own repair work at home, can maintain there current model auto for years to come which, will still possess the reliability of the latest model.

People of today are fortunate that auto parts are available.

In past days, when one’s auto broke down the availability of auto parts was limited, it was a case of manufacturing an alternative part or walking away from the vehicle.

In these times, the ultimate cost of parts and repairs, in the case of a breakdown, is minute compared to the spiraling costs of new vehicles.

Oze Parrot

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Are you missing the Vroom Vroom?

Since the invention of the automobile, the aim has been to reduce engine noise, for example with mufflers. Today the research is all for the opposite effect. Car makers want to boost the engine noise.

It turns out, car buyers want cars with engines that make noise. A car enthusiast or a true gear–head (a slang term for someone who is very into cars and who likes to tinker under the hood) can gauge the performance of his car by the sound of the engine. The newer fuel-efficient cars—electric cars or hybrids—are virtually noiseless.

A car that runs silently or emits barely a purr is disconcerting, so car makers are putting the roar back into cars by simulating the engine sounds. It is like lip-syncing, only for cars instead of singers. Engine noises give a sense of power and sexiness to the car—attributes which many drivers feel are magically transferred to them because they own and drive the car.

It turns out that drivers want all the benefits of new engine technology such as better fuel efficiencycars, but they still want the excitement of their old gas-guzzler.

How is the vroom produced?

Stomp on the gas pedal of your new Ford Mustang or your Toyota Prius and you hear the familiar roar, but it is a sham. The sound isn’t coming from the engine. It is coming from the speaker system or the special noise-boosting mechanisms that are designed to amplify the engine’s sound.

There are a variety of mechanisms by which different car manufacturers give the driver his vroom back. In some cases, the sound-generation system is simply a recording that is synced with the gas pedal; in others, actual engine noises are amplified.

Volkswagen uses a “Soundakator” in cars like the GTI, GLI, and Beetle Turbo. It looks like a hockey puck and it plays engine sounds. It plays sound from an audio file that is triggered by the car’s actual engine performance.

The Sounds of the Soundakator

Porsche has a “Sound Symposer” for its GTS car series. It consists of a tube housing a diaphragm and a valve to amplify the mechanical sounds made while the car is being driven.

Lexus went to Yamaha’s Center for Advanced Sound Technologies to give drivers the full experience of the LFA’s V-10 engines. They treated the engine as a sound generator and played the “music” back into the car’s cabin. They call their system “Advanced Sound Control.”

The BMW F5 records the car noises from outside of the car and amplifies them for playback through the car’s stereo system. It’s like a back-up track. It samples the exterior noise based upon engine load and rpm enabling the driver to “drive by ear.” BMW calls their system “Active Sound Design.”

With the best systems, the vroom is synchronized to the car’s actual performance. The fake noises should mimic the sounds that an engine naturally makes in the same circumstances.

Is the enhanced vroom something new?

Enhanced engine sounds aren’t entirely new.

Popular Mechanics reported in 2012 that many automobiles included noise-amplifying components, the forerunners of the more sophisticated systems being used in today’s cars.

The Corvette had a system of valves that opened under full throttle, bypassing the muffler.

The Ford Mustang had “noise pipes” that linked the vehicles intake system with the cabin.

Is faked vroom cheating?

When a musician lip-syncs, you think you are hearing him performing the song live, but what you are actually hearing is a playback of a pre-recorded rendition of the song. When the deception is exposed, the audience feels cheated. (Remember the Milli Vanilli scandal back in 1990—the band was stripped of their Grammy when it was discovered that they were lip-syncing to someone else’s vocals.

For a while, the practice of enhancing the sound of a car’s engine was the auto-industry’s “dirty-little secret.” Car-makers have been reluctant to talk about how they are electronically souping-up the sound of the engines because, for many, the sound of an engine revving is part of the driving experience. If the driver knows the sound is a sham, he might feel deceived or tricked.

Some people feel that it doesn’t matter if the engine sounds are fake. If the driver doesn’t know the difference, he is still getting the same experience. He can enjoy the sound of thundering horse-power while at the same time getting the benefits of a better engine.

Others feel that car-makers should not be lying to their customers. They are purists. If you want the sexy rumble of a V-8 engine, then you should have the real thing—even if you have to have higher gas costs and live with the knowledge that you are polluting the planet. It is about being authentic.

I don’t buy that argument. Maybe I don’t care about enhancing a car’s sexiness by amping up the sound because I’m a woman. I enhance my sexiness all the time with cosmetics, push-up bras, and perfume. And there is nothing wrong with that!

Besides the fake Vroom is important for safety.

How is the vroom important for safety?

Adding a roar to an engine that purrs is not all about catering to vanity, ego, and nostalgia. Adding engine noise is done for safety.

Other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians need to be able to hear a car approaching and need to be able to discern from what direction the vehicle is coming. This is particularly important to the blind who might otherwise step off the curb into the path of a car.

The U.S. government is working on finalizing rules that will require all hybrid and electric cars to play fake engine sounds. In Europe, the European Parliament passed legislation that mandates the use of “Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems” for all new hybrid and electric vehicles.

It is estimated that this could prevent thousands of fatalities on the roads. So like it or not, if you buy a hybrid or all electric car, you will have to put up with the fake engine sounds.

Are there any other benefits to sham vroom?

Some automakers are trying to sell sham engine noises as a benefit instead of a deception.

They claim that a totally silent car could be unnerving to a driver used to the vroom. Additionally, the fake vroom masks unwanted road noise like coming from bumps in the road or the whoosh of the wind.

Additionally, those of us who drive like the proverbial “little old lady in tennis shoes” can now sound like dare-devil race car driver. Vroom. Vroom. Eat my dust.

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.