A parts reminder

I don't live near a dealer, so when my car died I had it towed to a local
garage that I know. Turned out that the car ('98 SL2) needed a new
ignition control module. Holy shmokes, the garage said the part would
cost $500. Well, a call to the Autozone down the block saved me $300.
The garage said they wouldn't give me a warranty on the work, but the
Autozone part has a lifetime warranty and I figure if I saved $300, I can
pay to have it redone later on if I need to for some reason. It all seems
to work beautifully now. So, just a reminder that if your garage is
asking a lot of money for a part, call around and do some pricing, and see
if the garage will install a part that you bring in.

 

cost $500. Well, a call to the Autozone down the block saved me $300.

FWIW, I have found that the lifetime warranty on parts is worth it. Before
I converted my Jeep to fuel injection, the old ignition module would die
every two or three years. I got three under warranty. This year I got two
sets of brake pads and a front axle for my wife's acura also for free.
Never an argument, never a question. I just put the part and reciept down
on the counter, the guy goes and gets a new one. Done.

-David

 

FWIW, I have found that the lifetime warranty on parts is worth it. Before

While this is true, I find that many times the lifetime warranty parts are
cheap junk. Sure its nice to get a free replacement but it gets real old
changing them all the time - especially things like a front axle. I went
through this exact thing with NAPA and alternators for my Saturn. Piece of
crap's would die every few months. Sure, I could just get a new one and replace
it, but I got awful sick and tired of crawling under there after about the
third time. Now I generally buy the next model up, that often doesn't come with
the lifetime warranty.

I don't get how they can find it financially beneficial to give you a lifetime
warranty on a wear item such as brake pads; but I guess it's good for the
consumer.

 

As it was explained to me at a NAPA store, they aren't warranted to
not wear out, they are warranted to not fail, i.e., crack. If you
want to keep up on it, you have to get them before they have warn the
pad off, but after they have cracked (if they do).

Ken (MI)

 

The business model is that they get the consumer to buy the cheap
lifetime warranty part, and then the consumer forgets about the
lifetime warranty by the time the part wears out. Since they keep
offering lifetime warranties, there must be enough forgetful consumers
out there.

John