When you’re conducting your own auto repairs, finding affordable parts is important to help keep those repair costs down. That’s why many DIY mechanics turn to salvage yards to find the parts that they need. If you’re willing to invest a little time and a little effort into finding and pulling the parts yourself, you can save a great deal of money and still get a quality part. However, there are a few auto parts that you’re always better off buying new. Keep reading to learn four auto parts you should never get from a salvage yard.
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Belts
Any kind of belt in a vehicle’s engine should be bought new, rather than pulled from a salvage yard. For one thing, you have no real way of knowing the miles already put on that belt, so you don’t know how much longer it will last. Additionally, these belts are often exposed to the elements in a salvage yard, where car hoods are frequently left open. This can cause them to wear out even more.
Most belts are relatively inexpensive to buy, so pulling one from a car in a salvage yard is simply not worth the effort, nor the risk of installing a worn-out belt that could compromise your safety.
Brake Pads
Brake pads are very difficult to inspect until you’ve pulled them off the vehicle. This means you could spend hours removing and inspecting brake pads to find a set that still has any significant amount of mileage left on them. But more importantly, brake pads are key to keeping you safe when you’re driving your vehicle. Don’t risk your safety to save a few bucks on salvaged brake pads.
Hoses
Even if you find a hose that seems to be in good condition on the outside, there could be issues on the inside. Liquid can sometimes accumulate in one area as the car sits on the lot, causing the rubber to deteriorate from the inside out. Hoses are another part that’s cheap to buy new, so it’s not worth buying one from a salvage yard when you have no real way of knowing the interior rubber’s condition.
Filters
Grabbing an oil filter, engine air filter, or cabin air filter might seem like a good idea, especially if you find one without noticeable dirt accumulation. But keep in mind that these filters are designed to sift out dirt, dust, debris, and filth. If a car’s been sitting in a salvage yard, you don’t know what microbes may have accumulated on that filter. Do yourself a favor and buy new ones that you know are clean instead of grabbing some from Florida salvage yards for auto parts.