Is It Better To Buy Car Parts Online?

Venus Zoleta

Venus Zoleta

Last updated May 19, 2016

Is It Better To Buy Car Parts Online?

Car repairs can take a big chunk off one’s budget. Some people tend to forego routine maintenance checks and wait until the car breaks down before they send it to the  repair shop. Maintaining and repairing a car is costly, so people take the corrective and not the preventive approach when it’s supposed to be the other way around; however, with a few hacks, you can save money. One way to decrease expenses on car servicing is to buy the car parts yourself to avoid markups.

Read more: 11 Car Care Tips to Protect Your Vehicle During Typhoon Season

Even more and with the surge of technological innovation, you can even shop for car parts online. This further trims down your expenses and comes with additional benefits. Is it really better to buy car parts online? As with anything, online shopping comes with both pros and cons, so it is really all up to you. Before you decide, here are the pros and cons of buying car parts online:

Pros

You save money

Aside from avoiding markups on parts, buying car parts online can save you money by waiving shipping fees and avoiding fuel expenses from leaving your house and taking your car out. You can do everything with just a click of a button and within the comfort of your home.

Related: 7 Surprising Ways to Save on Car Insurance

You can choose from a variety of car parts

One of the main perks of shopping online is having the option to choose. You have a variety of parts to choose from, and usually, different sites may offer different prices. Not only will you have the option to choose according to price points, but you have the option to choose according to the make and quality of the part. The same goes with MoneyMax.ph’s car insurance comparison portal, using the MoneyMax.ph comparison website gives you the power of choice.

You can shop anytime

Unlike brick and mortar stores with operating hours, online shops never close. Be it the middle of the night or the early morning, you can shop car parts anytime. This is definitely more convenient that shopping in physical stores or going straight to the shop because there is no need to leave your house.

Cons

It takes time

Because of shipping, it may take some time before your parts get to you. In addition, when you order online, it’s best to make sure that all the parts you ordered (specifications included) are correct and accurate. This will avoid having to ship the items back and prolonging the servicing time of your car repair.

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A specification mismatch is highly probable

In relation to the above, it’s important to get the specifications of your car parts correctly. You have to ensure that the parts you buy will fit your car. This proves to be a disadvantage for those who are not well-versed on car parts because they wouldn’t really know if the part fits until they or the mechanic try it.

Parts may be susceptible to damage during transport

Another disadvantage of buying car parts online is that they become more susceptible to damage during shipping. You don’t want to receive your shipped box only to open it and find that your parts have been damaged, no matter how minor the damages. To avoid this, ensure that you buy from trusted online shops. Even more, you can read customer reviews and feedback to check whether the online shop has a history of delivering damaged parts. If not, then go ahead and buy online.

Related: Step-by-Step Guide to Car Insurance Renewal in the Philippines

Yay or nay?

There are many hacks to reduce expenses when it comes to car repairs, one of which is to shop for car parts online. As you’ve read, buying car parts online has numerous benefits, but it is not without its disadvantages. Each person, car, and situation is different, so buying car parts online should be done when the benefits outweigh the cons in your case.

Venus has almost 20 years of combined experience in content marketing, SEO, corporate communications, and public relations. Most of her career was spent creating informative articles on personal finance and digital marketing. She also invests in stocks, mutual funds, VUL, and Pag-IBIG MP2. Venus graduated cum laude with a Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman. A hardcore Hallyu Tita, she loves bingeing Korean shows on Netflix while bonding with her cats. Follow Venus on LinkedIn.

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