I used to just throw junkyard parts on my Civic without checking any fitment numbers

Now I always measure twice and compare part numbers on RockAuto before I buy, all because I wasted a whole weekend last summer trying to make a 2002 Accord alternator fit my 99 Civic.

2 comments

2 Comments

kellyg1410d ago

Wasted a whole weekend" is exactly right. I did the same thing with a set of brake calipers from a 2005 Accord, thought I was being smart saving money. Ended up having to grind down the mounting brackets and still couldn't get the pads to seat right. After that I bought a cheap digital caliper from Harbor Freight and now I measure every single bolt hole and rotor diameter before I even think about buying anything. It's annoying at first but it beats bleeding brakes three times in one day because you can't get the air out.

fiona_johnson8210d ago

Hold on, are we gonna pretend that a cheap Harbor Freight caliper is actually accurate enough to trust with something like brake work? I've had three of those things die on me or read .010 off from one measurement to the next. You might be measuring things wrong from the start and not even know it. At some point you've gotta ask if the time spent measuring and the risk of a bad reading is really worse than just buying the parts listed for your specific car from a known brand.