If you’re looking for parts for a car that was made within the last 10 years, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding them. Even if your specific car is no longer in production, there’s still a good chance that parts for it should be easy to come by.
But if you’re searching for parts for a car that hasn’t been manufactured in well over a decade, it might not be easy to track parts down. It won’t be as simple as running down to your local auto parts supply store and picking them up.
You can replace car parts for almost any discontinued vehicle as long as you’re willing to work for them, though. There are lots of different places you can look to locate the auto parts you need.
Check out some of the ways in which you can replace car parts for discontinued vehicles below.
Call a Dealership That Specializes in Selling Your Car Brand
When you need to replace car parts for a discontinued vehicle, you might not think it’s worth your time to call on a dealership that used to specialize in selling your specific car. They don’t sell the car anymore, so why would they bother to help you?
But the truth is that they probably can help you in a big way. Even if a dealership no longer sells your car, there is still a decent chance that they either have the parts you need for it or know where to get them.
Call a dealership that sells cars made by your car brand and ask to speak to someone in the service department. Explain which parts you’re looking for and ask them if they happen to know where you can find them.
Best-case scenario, they’ll have the parts in stock and can sell them to you directly. But even if they can’t do that, they might be able to put you in touch with someone who can help you locate the car parts you need.
Touch Base With a Junkyard in Your Area
If you call on a local car dealership for help and they aren’t able to offer up any assistance, you might not know where to turn next. How about looking up the nearest junkyard and taking a trip down to it?
Most junkyards are overflowing with used auto parts that they’re willing to sell to those who need them. Many of these junkyards pull parts from older cars and keep them categorized so that they can sell them to whoever needs them.
You can look at the websites for junkyards to see if they have the parts you need. Many junkyards list their inventories online to make finding parts more convenient for customers.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also drive down to a junkyard and try to go out and find parts on your own. Some junkyards will permit people to pull parts from cars themselves if they’re willing to do the work to get the job done.
Searching for used auto parts in a junkyard can, at times, feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. But you would be surprised by how many times people find exactly what they’re looking for in a junkyard.
Poke Around on the Internet to See What You Can Find
The automaker that manufactured your discontinued car might not make the parts that you need for your vehicle anymore. But there are other companies that also create aftermarket parts for cars that could work for you.
You need to be very careful when buying car parts from some of these companies. There are lots of companies located outside of the U.S. that manufacture parts that aren’t of the highest quality.
But there are also lots of well-known companies that do parts manufacturing that might have just what you’ve been trying to find. Don’t be afraid to scour the internet to see if you can uncover the auto parts you need.
See If You Can Locate Any Car Enthusiasts Online
Just about every vehicle that has ever been produced has a loyal online following to some degree. Even the worst cars ever made have fan bases who rave about how much they loved those cars.
You might be able to find a message board out there dedicated to the discontinued car that you own. Sign up to be a part of the message board and connect with other car enthusiasts online.
If there is a way to find the parts that you need, the car enthusiasts on one of these message boards will be able to help you. Or at the very least, they’ll be able to tell you that you’re wasting your time searching for parts that are going to prove to be almost impossible to track down.
Put Out an Open Call for Car Parts on Social Media
If you’ve tried every other option listed here and come up empty, there is one last thing you can try. You can jump on Facebook or Instagram and post a photo of your discontinued car along with a note about how you’re trying to find parts for it.
You might not think that there are any car buffs who have connected with you online. But you might have one or two people who respond and tell you where to look for the parts you need.
It’s a good idea to turn to social media for help whenever you’re looking for anything. People are usually willing to try and help you out if they can.
Replace Car Parts for Discontinued Vehicles by Knowing Where to Look
No matter how much you’re willing to pay for auto parts, there will be times when you’ll struggle mightily to track them down. It’ll make it difficult to replace car parts in a discontinued vehicle.
Use the tips listed here to look around for parts for your car. One of them is bound to lead you in the right direction and help you obtain the parts that have been elluding you for so long.
Want more advice on where to find parts for discontinued cars? Read our blog for additional suggestions.