So this guy at the U-Pull-It near Portland told me to just use a long pipe on my ratchet for the lower control arm bolts, said a breaker bar was a waste of money. I figured he knew his stuff, he had grease under his nails and everything. Two hours later I snapped my 3/8ths Craftsman and ended up buying a $40 breaker bar from AutoZone anyway. Did his advice work for anyone else, or did I just get bad luck with a cheap ratchet?
Was always skeptical of those eBay coilovers. Figured they'd blow out in a month. Found a set on a 2006 Civic Si at Pull-A-Part near Tulsa for $40 total. Cleaned them up, swapped the springs for some $20 Monroes from RockAuto. Been 8 months now and the ride is actually decent. No leaking or clunking. Anyone else had good luck with frankensteined junkyard suspension parts?
Dude straight up said 'your car is fast enough, it just handles like a boat' while I was pulling a turbo off a wrecked Saab. Spent $60 on poly bushings for my civic instead and it drives better than the $400 coffee can exhaust I was gonna buy. Anyone else had to learn the hard way that handling matters more than a few extra hp lol
Pulled a set of used headers off a wrecked Civic at Pull-A-Part for $40 last Saturday. Got them bolted up to my 95 Miata, fired it up, and suddenly my car sounded like a dying trumpet mixed with a coffee grinder. Turns out the previous owner had stuffed a bunch of mesh wire inside the collector to fake a cat delete, and it all came loose on the first drive. Spent Sunday with a coat hanger and a shop vac trying to fish out that metal spaghetti. Anyone else ever get burned by a junkyard part that had hidden surprises inside?
I got a set of ceramic pads for $22 on Prime day. Seemed like a steal. Bolted them onto my 2002 Civic last Friday. Drove fine for a few days around town. Then on I-75 near Atlanta, I hit the brakes hard for a stalled car. Pedal went straight to the floor. No stopping at all. I had to swerve onto the shoulder. The pads had delaminated from the backing plate. All that was left was the metal tab riding on the rotor. I limped home at 25 mph with the e-brake. Now I'm stuck buying real pads from Autozone for $45. Anyone else trust cheap online brake parts and regret it?
Used to swear by buying remanufactured transmissions online, figured junkyard ones were just a gamble. Then my buddy in Phoenix pulled a 2003 Civic transmission with 80k miles for $150 from a Pick-n-Pull, bolted it in, and it's been solid for 2 years now. What convinced me was watching him inspect the fluid color and do a quick spin test before pulling it - way more upfront work but saved $600 over a rebuild. Anyone else had luck with a specific yard or model year that's known for reliable junkyard parts?
Which is worse, rolling the dice on used factory parts from a pick-n-pull or gambling on no-name cheap stuff from China and hoping it holds up? Anyone else been burned by one or the other?
Picked up a used alternator from Pull-A-Part in Phoenix for 30 bucks last month. Got it home, bolted it on my 97 Civic, and it worked for exactly 4 miles before the bearings started screaming like a banshee. Turns out I didn't spin it by hand at the yard to check for roughness, just grabbed the first one I saw. Ever have a cheap part cost you more in labor and towing than just buying new?
Pulled a 4L60E from a 2002 Silverado at Pick-N-Pull for $180, cleaned it up and swapped it into my '99 Chevy. Now it's making this awful whine in 3rd gear, anyone know if those junkyard cores are even worth rebuilding on a budget?