| Secondhand parts |
|
|
Could I use secondhand parts? Yes, occasionally. Very occasionally secondhand aircon parts are a viable option. For example both the Skoda Fabia and the VW Polo use the same poorly designed pipe (and don't forget that I am very pro-VW, their reliability and their safety are such that I prefer my wife to drive a VW and she has had a succession of these for over 25 years). However this particular pipe must have been designed by a robot or perhaps was meant as a nice moneyspinner as it gradually wears through by rubbing against another component. For a comparable piece of pipe on, say a Ford, a Peugeot or an Alfa Romeo I would expect to pay £40 to £50 from a main dealer. The price from Skoda or VW is about £140 - it is grossly overpriced for such a short, simple pipe. In these circumstances a pipe from a breakers,as long as it also hasn't worn through, could be a very acceptable alternative to new and if suitably protected from the other component should last forever. It would be fair to say that if any pipe has been rubbing and has worn through that a secondhand one would be acceptable but always check with an AC professional first as some pipes are repairable, sometimes very economically. If a pipe fails for another reason be wary, some are known to professionals as weakspots and a secondhand one could easily have the same weakness (the two pipes going to the compressor on the Peugeot 306 are a case in point). I would always suggest that you check the price of new or possibly reconditioned parts with the main dealers and also alternative suppliers such as AC professionals before buying secondhand, sometimes they are surprisingly inexpensive but then again sometimes impossibly overpriced. Buying a secondhand receiver/drier would in 99.9% of cases be very bad practice. Apart from a mere handful of models, they are still available or a suitable substitute can be found. I had to make up pipework a few months ago in order to replace a drier on a Ford Probe as the original is no longer available from Ford or anywhere else it seems. If a secondhand drier had been available it might have been acceptable in this case. Buying secondhand condensers would normally represent a poor bargain but there are still a few occasions when it might be acceptable. Secondhand compressors are probably the most commonly traded component in the AC system. If properly looked after a compressor has a very long life (one of our vehicles, with a very ordinary AC compressor, has now completed over three quarter of a million kilometers and is still operating faultlessly). If the aircon system is neglected or the owner is unlucky to have a fault develop and the compressor fails then in some cases a secondhand compressor might be a suitable replacement. Always check the new price first, I have supplied a brand new compressor for a Ferrari for under £200 but I have also had to supply a compressor for a Mitsubishi for over £650. How to find secondhand parts? Try the internet first, Autotrader is a good first stop, possibly Ebay, try the forum pages of your particular make or model or just try a search engine. Local papers usually have ads for general car breakers but there are also breakers who specialise in just Japanese cars or French cars or only Volvos or even just one particular model. Friday-Ads is not only a paper but is also available on-line and could be useful. Check the next page about nasty smell.
|
