Your Corner Wrench: Buying your own parts — smart shopping or folly?

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Tested auto DIY veterans have known about the benefits of shopping around for vehicle parts for decades. But now it seems that a whole new demographic of consumers are following that path, armed with increased ability to source components thanks to plenty of online competition and cheap or free freight. It’s getting common enough that most repair shops have now developed policies on dealing with customers who bring their own parts in for installation.

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But there are a few things to consider before letting your mouse start clicking on auto-parts website shopping carts. Many of those repair shop policies include higher labour rates for jobs involving customer-sourced parts. This compensates for the loss of part margins (which average around 40% markup). In addition, almost no shop will offer any warranty on the repair, especially if the part isn’t from a well-known or trusted brand.

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Your Corner Wrench: Buying your own parts — smart shopping or folly? Back to video

When independent shops source new parts from aftermarket suppliers, they are always covered by a manufacturer’s warranty. In many cases this includes some type of replacement labour fee coverage in addition to the part. So, for example, if a shop replaces an alternator and it fails within the warranty period, credible suppliers will cover labour as well as supplying a replacement part, so the end user doesn’t face any charges. So even if you saved yourself $200 in buying an alternator online, and it fails, you’re faced with returning it for an exchange and paying the labour fees twice, including any diagnosis charges.

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It can get worse when dealing with anything electronic and you decide that free advice on the internet is better than what you might get from a professional who’s actually examined your vehicle. Shop stories abound with tales of customers who purchased modules, actuators, sensors, and such, only to find out they didn’t have a clue on how to install them. And techs love work order instructions that simply say ‘replace component with customer-supplied part.’ It takes all the pressure off them to properly diagnose the problem or to even verify if the concern was still present.

Some of the most common customer-purchased parts are chipped anti-theft vehicle keys. For most vehicles that use them, the vehicle, not the key, must be programmed to recognize a new replacement. For those fob-type keys with push-buttons that have the metal key blade attached, the blade must cut to fit the ignition cylinder first. If these aftermarket units are built with used circuit boards, they likely won’t be able to be used on another vehicle. By the time you and your tech find this out, you’re faced with the programming fee plus a key you can’t return because it’s now cut.

So consider the entire cost of a repair before shopping for a cheaper part.

If you’re risking having to redo a $1200 job just to save a few bucks in the short term, the decision should be an easy one.