How you Should Buy Aftermarket Items for Your Car
Aftermarket items refer to those car parts that aren’t included in the vehicle when you buy them and are meant to be purchased and installed separately. It can be a muffler, spoiler, fender, or anything else that will be added to the car, either to improve its performance or for repair or decorative purposes.
Usually, aftermarket parts are made by the car manufacturers themselves, but you can also find third-party parts and components that you can install in your car. Let’s have a look at how you should buy aftermarket items for your car.
Look for the Best Price
One of the key things to do is to check out the prices of the same aftermarket part from different vendors and, if applicable, from different manufacturers as well. This would give you an idea of where you can get it at the lowest price. Usually, third-party aftermarket parts, which are also known as white-box parts, are considerably cheaper than original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts.
Know the Part
If you are looking for a replacement part for something that has broken or malfunctioned inside your cars, such as a water pump, gasket, or radiator cap, make sure you know the name of the part, so that you know what to ask for. Additionally, some parts inside the engine come from a specific manufacturer, such as a Sanden compressor for the air conditioner. So, if you want the aftermarket part to be from the same brand, make sure you also mention the brand while shopping for it.
Verify the Vendor
If you are shopping online for aftermarket parts, and you find a vendor that provides excellent prices but isn’t heard of, or doesn’t have any online reviews, then there is cause for concern. To be safe, you should always choose ‘cash on delivery’ on your orders, with a note that you won’t make the payment unless the order has been checked by you. Another thing you can do is to call up the contact number given on the website and inquire about the company’s address, as well as its shipping and return policy.
Check Customer Reviews
In most cases, people end up ordering the wrong parts online, and since they haven’t inquired about the return policy in the first place, they end up losing money. To avoid this, you can look up customer reviews regarding the part that you want, and see if it is suitable for the make and model that you have. Some of the things you should look out for in reviews is the seller’s delivery time, order accuracy, and customer service.
Sometimes, a seller only has one or two reviews, which might discourage them from buying the product. However, this is still better than sellers who don’t even have a single review.
By following the above tips and guidelines, you will be able to find a suitable and high-quality aftermarket car part in no time. Just make sure you know which part you need and have some basic knowledge about cars, so that nobody can trap you into buying a fake or faulty part.
