Used Car Parts News

The iconic Volkswagen Beetle was first produced in 1938 and was still being turned out of factories until the back end of 2003.  Over 21 million of these classics were made, making them one of the most mass-produced cars in the World.

Replacement parts and customisation are both easy and popular due to the availability and cheap prices of parts. Like classic Mini Coopers you can pick up official parts for a fraction of the costs compared to other vehicles.

One of the popular modifications within the Beetle community is to change the wheels and lower the suspension but there are other, more complex alterations that people have made. An example of this would be the Dune Buggy and Baja Bug modifications which originated in California in the late 1960’s and involved converting the classic Beetle into an off-road vehicle.

But its not only modifications that parts are needed for. As Beetles have not been produced for nearly seven years then its likely that every owner has either needed or will be needing spare parts. A fully rebuilt engine for a Volkswagen Beetle can cost as little as £50. Compare this to a Ford Fiesta engine which will set you back £100 at the very least, and that’s on Ebay.

The Beetle has become one of the most iconic vehicles of all time thanks to it unique shape and reliability, just because production has ceased there is no reason why you can’t buy one of these and expect to get a long life out of it.

An investigation into the accidents involving subsequently recalled Toyota’s has revealed that the Japanese companies electronic were not to blame.

The announcement also showed that in “virtually all” cases where the driver had said they pushed the brake they had actually touched the accelerator.

The announcement will come as a relief to Toyota as since the incidents came to light they have had to recall over eight million vehicles world wide.

A spokesperson for the investigators said that factors for the accidents included “pedal entrapment, sticky pedal and foreign objects in the car”, the panel also highlighted “pedal misapplication” as a major cause of the accidents.

But many have criticised the findings describing them as “biased” and “wrong.” Car-safety advocate Joan Clybrook formerly of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) said:

"That is totally ludicrous,they should be looking at the electronics in their cars and everyone knows it."

Toyota will still face up to 325 lawsuits as a result of the incidents, one of which caused the deaths of four people. In one US case a man driving a Toyota in an accident was freed from jail after suggestion that it was not his fault and the car had malfunctioned.

Officials in Northern Ireland confirmed that they have seized a batch of brake pads that had been falsely labelled as Renault.

The parts which were found after a tip off were examined and discovered to be held together with glue making them highly dangerous.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment commented that there was “no way” the parts would ever have passed the required braking friction level that would make the roadworthy.

Damien Doherty from the Trading Standards Service said:

"In the past, counterfeit car parts were mainly non-safety items such as window wipers, mud flaps and car interior accessories. Now, counterfeit items such as brake pads, brake shoes, suspension components and steering linkages are readily available on the market.”

Brake pads are crucial to the braking system and any faults or wear in them could have disastrous consequences.

Buyers have been warned to take care when buying parts and to only use reputable dealers such as CarSpareFinder or Car Part Buyer who can search dealer and breakers nationwide to find you the best deal whatever part you need.

Whether it’s Renault parts that you need or any other make the site will search legitimate and carefully chosen dealers without you having to leave your computer screen.

A starter motor, is a high toque electric motor, which starts your car.  It does this by turning the gear on the engine fly wheel.  Before the invention of starter motors, cars were started with a hand crank. 

A video explaining the workings of a starter motor and some repair tips.

A working starter motor is essential in modern cars.   With out one, you won’t be able to start your car.  In older cars, you can jump start them but a lot of modern vehicles aren’t capable of being started that way.  If your looking for a replacement starter motor you could consider using used parts.  They are considerably lower in cost and by recycling a part you are doing a service to the environment.  Finding used parts is easy too, it’s as easy as filing in a form.

Note:  This article is meant as guidance only, consult your manufacturers guide or a professional before performing any maintenance. 

Ferrari continue to improve them already mighty performance by test new exhaust system. 

Although the Ferrari team has been performing well in the recent grand prix they have still been outclassed by Red Bull on most tracks.  This is believed to be down to there engine management system which enables gases flowing through the diffuser even when not on the throttle.  

Ferrari have began to experiment with a similar system in order to catch with their rivals.  The car at German was fitted with a device that kept the pressure constant to feed through the blown diffuser

One of Ferrari’s developments for its car this weekend is a constant exhaust-gas pressure system to feed the blown diffuser.

Alonso in speaking to a Spanish newspaper said:

“We know that red bull are the ones to beat on Saturday, we hope that this Saturday we can make it harder for them”

Although the team is fighting hard many believe the title race is out of there grasp. 

Ferrari won the German Grand prix on Sunday by a clear mile however the win was marred in controversy after the team were penalised for interfering with race results. 

Source: ESPN

As a child, who was eager to help during the shopping run i would put bags of shopping in the boot of the car.  But there was always on bag that my father insisted on loading himself.   The mystery package almost looked like a pass the parcel present with it being wrapped up in at least three carrier bags.  Then carefully secured with bungees in a special shelf at the side of the boot.  All this attention and care, what was this lethal substance that could cause such a fuss:  the answer was Milk. 

Milk if split in your car will result in a odour so strong that you may well be incapable of completing any journeys in it.  However if you do spill milk in you car, what can you do about it? 

You can try and clean it:  Some people recommend using a bicarbonate solution to scrub the offending surface clean.  This can take time and doesn’t always work but is a pretty sure bet.  Another recommendation is to use odour eaters as they contain charcoal.  Which is a pretty reliable odour absorber. 

If you need to replace you carpets, seats or something alike, then finding spare parts isn’t difficult.  You try used parts too as they will be cheaper and better for the environment,

Oil Cooler Parts:  Know your stuff

An Oil cooler  is a device that cool down the oil in your car.   It is a separate and smaller radiator from the engines main radiator.   The supply of oil is maintained at a constant level at optimal temperature.    The reason this is done is that maintaining the temperature of the oil at an optimum level will prolong the life of the engine or transmission.   The oil cooler also transports oil from the moving parts of the engine/transmission to the oil pan. 

Hot stuff:  A typical oil cooler radiator.    

Typically the optimum temperature for oil is around 80 to 95c.   Problems occur when the oil rises above this level due to the changing properties of oil at this temperature.  Oil at this temperature begins to lose its abilities to lubricate, break down and has an inability to cool.  

There’s a large parts market for this part.  Including spares.  car spare finder  greats a great number of requests for  these parts.  With a plethora of suppliers, often the request for a part is acquiesced.

UK car production figures sharply up compared with previous year.

The number of cars produced in the UK rocketed in June compared with previous figures.  Almost 118, cars rolled off the production line. 

Compared with the figures for the same period last year, production had risen 28.6%.

This is a continuing trend of production increase.  The last eight months have seen increases  in production with the month of May showing the largest increase at 54%(compared with the same period last year). 

Some put the trend and good figure down to investment and technologies.   Paul Everitt, The SMMT’s Chief executive said:

“Continued investment in new products and technology is helping us sustain growth for the sector”

In addition, Other figures show that UK new car sales had risen in June by 10.8% compared with the same period  in the previous year.   

This is welcome news after the automotive industry suffered during the global downturn.    The industry was hit with sales figures which were the lowest seen for 25 years in 2009.  The Government introduced the scrappage scheme in order to boosts sales.  The scheme ended in march this year and the fact that sales figures have continued to rise is seen as encouraging by the industry.

Quote Source:  BBC

Thieves are on a rampage around the country stealing catalytic converters.

Since late May, there has been a spate of thefts of the essential exhaust part.  The crooks, which the police believe to be operating as a gang are cutting the devices off vehicle around the country.  

When speaking to the Oxford Mail, PC Marstin of the West Oxfordshire Auto crime team said:

“Having 23 Stolen in the past seven weeks is a massive percentage increase in terms of catalytic converter thefts.  Someone has the idea and is maximising the opportunity.”   

The Police believe the devices are being exported and sold for the valuable material contained within them. 

What are Catalytic Converters?

Catalytic converters are essentially in simple terms a box in your exhaust system.  Their purpose is to reduce the the toxicity of emissions from you engine.   Inside the ‘box is an environment in which chemical reactions take place.  The result of these reactions is that substances from your engine are converted in to much less toxic substances.  Their job essentially is to make the air a little bit cleaner.   They quite valuable because they contain materials like Platinum. 

brief history:

Catalytic converters have been in use since 1975 where they were fitted to American automobiles in the U.S. market.   They are also used on other types of engines including, trucks, buses, trains and generator sets. 

Tyres are one of the most important factors in the safety of your vehicle.  After all, they are what connects your car to the road.  You can have a car which is really great, however if the tyres aren’t up to scratch, it’s completely irrelevant . 

Tyres can seem inexorably difficult subject to cover for the uninitiated.  However, they are one of the most simple parts of a vehicle to keep an eye on.   It is incredibly important to keep an eye on your tyres conditions too.  Not only is it illegal to have your tyres in bad shape but it’s unsafe.  

Tyre Tread Depth – What you need to know. 

It is a legal requirement in the UK that your tyre tread is a minimum depth.   The current legal limit in the UK is 1.6 millimetres, across the central 3/4 of the tread around the complete circumference of the tyre. 

Although this is the legal limit, most experts would recommend that you change your tyres earlier than this.  According to Autoexpress the best time to change your tyres is when your tread wares to 3 millimetres.  Tests show that it takes an extra 8 metres to stop when your tread is at the legal limit  compared to 3 millimetres.  According Tim Bailey of Continential Tyres:

“The Best balance between safety and economy is to consider changing at 3 millimetres”

Sobering: The difference in stopping distance between the two different tread depths

Under Pressure:  Keeping things inflated. 

Maintaining the correct tyre pressure for your vehicle is important.  According to the tyre experts kwickfit, there are 3 main reasons why you should maintain then correct tyre pressure for your vehicle. 

• The first and most important is safety.  Under inflated tyres can overheat and overinflated tyres lead to poor road handling. 
• The second is economy.  Under inflated tyres have increased rolling resistance and require more fuel to maintain momentum and they suffer more damage. 
• The third reason is that it’s better for the environment.  By maintaining the correct pressure you will reduce the CO2 emissions of your car. 

You can simply check your tyre pressure at the majority of garages and fuel stations.  It’s usually free or costs next too nothing. 

When checking your tyres you should look for any budges and objects imbedded in the tyre surface or tyre wall.  These cab cause a puncture or a blow out; nether are good. 

Note:  This article is meant as guidance only.  You should consult a qualified relevant professional before attempting any repairs or servicing.  You should also refer to your operators manual.