Replacing Discontinued Automotive Parts

Replacing Discontinued Automotive Parts

Discontinued automotive parts are ones that are no longer being manufactured. There are many vehicles on the road today that will have some parts which have become discontinued.  This can happen because the demand has become so low that the manufacturing process is no longer profitable.  Many parts will also become outdated because newer vehicles will use different parts.  When a part becomes discontinued, dealerships consider it the product’s “end of life”.  However, this does not mean that it’s impossible to replace discontinued parts that have become faulty. Local dealers and online businesses may have excess inventory automotive parts.  Furthermore, some companies now specialize in fabricating new parts as replacements.

Check Local Dealerships

You will be surprised at the amount of stock that can be found in the inventories of local dealerships. There is little point in discarding discontinued automotive parts because there is always a chance that they might still be required.  Furthermore, the local dealers have already paid for the part so throwing it away would literally be throwing money away.  Of course, local dealers will try to estimate exactly how many parts will be in demand but that is not an easy thing to calculate.  For this reason, local dealers will often have surplus automotive parts. They will be overjoyed to find customers because it frees up space in their inventories and makes them money that probably hadn’t been accounted for.  If you do find the part, you want in a local dealership then you’ll certainly get a reasonable price for it.

Search the Internet

Probably the most likely way of finding discontinued automotive parts is browsing online. The best online businesses to check are those that specialize in collecting surplus automotive parts.  Just using a search engine like google can help you to find websites that sell excess inventory automotive parts.When using search engines make sure that you are specific.  Typing in the exact name of the part is extremely important. One disadvantage of using the internet to find what you need is that many websites will not have been updated recently. This means that they might advertise the part that you’re looking for without actually knowing that it has become discontinued.  In turn, when they go to order the part from a manufacturer they will, at this point, realize that it is not available.  This will leave in the situation of needing a refund and still being without the part you need.  So, if you are checking websites that do not specialize in excess inventory automotive parts then it’s definitely worth emailing the supplier directly before placing your order.

ENQUIRE ABOUT FABRICATING YOUR PART

If your search online and at local dealers has proved fruitless then your last option is to try and get a fabricated replica of the discontinued part.  There are some online companies that specialize in this but creative mechanics at local garages might also be up for the challenge.  Just take the part that needs to be replaced and check.

Conclusion

After exhausting all 3 of these options then there is nothing left to do but sell all the accompanying equipment and start over again.  It is very unlikely to be unable to find surplus automotive parts but if you do find yourself in this situation then don’t get too disheartened. By starting over you’ll have the opportunity to invest in new equipment that will probably be of better quality and a lot easier to replace in the future. Good luck!