Tips for Buying Car Parts Whether Online or Offline
If your car breaks down or something on it goes awry, like many people, you want to avoid the exorbitant prices that come from going to your dealership. You want to find the parts for yourself, at a more affordable cost. You may think to yourself that it’s not that hard, but then find out that maybe you don’t know as much as you thought about sourcing car parts. You likely need some tips on using online car part stores. With the right basic knowledge, you should be able to easily traverse the online world to find the parts you need at affordable prices without taking a big risk. Here are some tips to follow for your purchasing journey.
Know What You Need to Buy
Knowing exactly what you need to buy is a big step in purchasing car parts from online car part stores, more so than when purchasing from local parts stores. Purchasing from an online store might make you worry that you don’t know exactly what you are going to end up with, as it’ll take several days, or even weeks to get the part in your hands. If you aren’t car savvy and don’t know what it's supposed to look like to begin with, you might get the wrong part and not know it. It’ll be troublesome if you don’t find out it's the wrong part until your car is jacked up on a lift, and the mechanic breaks the news to you. Luckily, you can avoid this by sourcing parts from excellent online retailers and doing your research before you buy.
Your first step should be to check out your car’s manufacturer website, as they may have reference materials that can help you figure out the exact part number you need, and what it looks like. There are other mechanic-focused websites that could have similar resources to help you out. As well, if you found out about the issue when you were at the mechanic, you could ask them what part you need, and what it looks like. They may be able to print you out a spec sheet for it too. Youtube is also a great resource, as you can find repair videos for most makes and models of vehicles, and for most parts of those vehicles.
Use your Local Parts Store
Another way to ensure you are getting the right part is to consult your local parts store. Giant chain stores often don’t have staff that are as knowledgeable or experienced, but if your area has a small reliable parts store, you can surely ask them for help. One benefit of online car parts stores is that they provide excellent customer service. If you don’t have the confidence to be milling around a parts store, online car parts stores are an excellent resource for info too.
Warranty
Dealing with online car part stores shouldn’t mean that you have to sacrifice a good warranty. Always check the warranty policies before purchasing parts to ensure your part is covered for a reasonable amount of time. Also check on the return policy and exchange policies available.
Buy New
It always pays off to buy a new car part, but refurbished parts may be your only option if you are restoring a classic and want an original part, or if the part you need is hard-to-find. Remember, buying a new part doesn’t mean it has to be OEM. There are plenty of new, after market parts out there!
If you are in the market for car parts, consider online car part stores with great prices and customer service, like Partsmax. Our vast inventory of available parts is easy to browse and conveniently, right at your fingertips. Visit our website to know more.