There comes a time when your used-to-be new Honda finally starts to show its age. This is a normal process that happens with every vehicle and we have to accept that. Once it gets older it will start to require a lot more from you. It will require more frequent oil changes, maintenance every six months and some parts will start to deteriorate and break down.
However, replacing them with official and brand-new parts from Honda can be very expensive. Just a simple repair for things like your brakes, the switch to roll down the windows, or whatever it is can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. We all know that purchasing official parts is a lot more reliable and there is some kind of warranty that they will last much longer. But, paying so much money every single time something breaks will amount to a lot.
Instead of spending so much cash on those repairs, you could even buy a new car. But, there is one thing you can do and that is buying used parts. Why should you opt for brand-new products when there are millions of used ones on the market? They provide the same function and cost only a fraction of the original price. Sure, they might not last as long, but you can just change them again for an even lower price.
Although, things are not so black and white when it comes to secondhand stuff. To help you make the right decision when it comes to your Honda, here are some of the pros and cons of buying used parts.
Pros
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Much more affordable
This is probably the most obvious advantage of why anyone would pick second-hand items. Everything is at least twice is cheaper, it is that simple. I know, you probably love your Honda a lot, but just because you have decided to use secondhand parts for the repairs, does not mean that they won’t be of high quality. The market for secondhand items is huge and you will get to pick the right one. If you follow the right steps, I am sure that you will be able to find high-quality pieces for your Honda.
Availability
Another great advantage of the second-hand market is the fact that they offer a lot more variety when it comes to car parts. I know, it may not make any sense that such a market would be the place with more options than an official Honda seller, but it’s true. The number of cars the scrapyards breaks down every single week is probably well over a hundred or who knows, maybe even a thousand.
However, just because a car has to be brought to the scrapyard to be scrapped, does not mean that there aren’t some parts that can be reused or some that are even in pristine shape. You have no idea just how many people take their almost brand-new vehicles to the scrapyard.
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For example, when a vehicle gets flooded it is usually almost immediately sold for a fraction of its real value or sent to the scrapyard to be sold for its engine, transmission, and other stuff that might be found useful. The vehicle itself cannot work in its current shape, but the stuff that can be found inside is in great shape which can be reused again and again.
What makes all of this even better is the fact that many scrapyards only work with genuine car parts. For example, a scrapyard that works with, let’s say, Mercedes, will not accept Hondas and vice versa as suggested by usedhondaparts.co.za. So, if you find a reliable place that sells genuine Honda products, you won’t have to worry about the authenticity of the things you will be buying.
It is convenient
Believe it or not, but working with a scrapyard is a much better experience than working directly with a car manufacturer such as Honda. It might not make sense to you, but once you consider all the documents that you will need to carry with you and the time you will need to process it, you will understand that a scrapyard is the better option.
Scrapyard staff won’t ask you for any kind of documents, you won’t have to wait in lines and they will probably have the product ready for you in less than a day. While a car saloon will take several weeks to bring the parts in that you need and then keep your car for the repairs another couple of days. It seems like the simpler option sometimes is much better than going through the original path.
Cons
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Not as reliable
When talking about second-hand parts I can’t ignore the fact that not everything is just sprinkles and maples. There are problems when working with second-hand items and those problems can be quite serious. The reality is that we cannot know the history of all of these used parts. On the outside, they may seem in pristine shape and high quality, but you can never be sure. Even a very experienced mechanic will not be able to determine the condition of the item.
If you want to make sure that the used items that you will purchase for your Honda are of higher quality, you will need to find a trustworthy and reliable scrapyard/business.
In the end, it is you who needs to decide whether taking this risk is worth it.
No warranty
While I can’t exactly say that all of the used parts for Hondas have no warranty, but most of them don’t. Scrapyard cannot afford to offer warranties because the chance of the part breaking down is higher than normal. While an OEM will always provide you with a repair warranty. If anything ever happens in the future, you can just take you back to the mechanic and they will fix it up for you for no charge.
Once you have read all of these pros and cons I mentioned above in the article, I believe that you can come to the conclusion whether buying second-hand parts for your Honda is the right thing to do.