Reconditioned parts.

[Loz]

Just before Christmas my starter motor packed up. Because I needed the car & couldn't wait, a friend recommended a firm that reconditions starters & as it turned out, also fitted them. Which was great because there was loads of snow at the time & I couldn't be bothered to do it on the drive! :embarrest: In the time it took me to walk into town & have a coffee the car was ready, the new unit even came with a 12 month warranty.

Now I was talking to a chap yesterday who said he wouldn't touch recon' stuff with a barge pole, his reason was he had also bought a starter reconditioned from elsewhere in the country & it had fallen to pieces on him & now he would rather cough up the full price for parts.

I wouldn't buy everything reconditioned but I certainly wouldn't discount it as an option & you could say it count's as recycling too! But what do you think? If you needed a new gearbox for example, would you buy a new one or exchange your tired box for a recon' if was built by an established & reputable firm?

 

[turbonutter69]

Alot of parts from wholesalers are recons anyway. Thats why with some things you have to trade in your old item.

 

[MasterAuron]

Don't see the problem if there's warranty, most recon parts are as good as new these days and you can get the odd bits changed and upgraded in the process with some things :amuse:

I think only people with money to burn would buy a brand new gearbox, engine etc rather than a recon unit.

 

[HDi fun]

A warranty is fine but if it's 30 hours work to remove the faulty one then it gets a bit costly. Especially if you need to borrow a car to get the faulty item back to the motor factors for exchange.

 

[Skullion]

Nothing Wrong with them lol ...... Used a Recon Starter in a Taxi, Still startsSmooth to this day

 

[HDi fun]

Nothing Wrong with them lol ...... Used a Recon Starter in a Taxi, Still startsSmooth to this day

Totally agree, provided that they work correctly. Starters and alternators are frequently rebuilt parts anyway. PAS pumps as well. Main dealers use them as well. So what we're discussing is not whether or not to use remanufactured parts but whether there is a difference in quality compared to a new part.

I suppose this depends entirely upon the refurbisher.

 

[obi_waynne]

OEM units are often mass produced and knocked together, most reconditioned units are hand built and if the builder knows what he is doing it will outperform a standard unit. (This applies to most things in life - not just cars!)

 

[pgarner]

dont see anything wrong with them in the main, alot of recon stuff is built back up to as new anyway

 

[wyze]

I'd rather have recon stuff that the cruddy replacements offered by some cheapo part companies.

I had no trouble with a recon gearbox, alternator and starter motor. All of them seemed much better after they were reconditioned that they ever were.

 

[dpsubaru]

often use reconditioned starters and alternators and have so far had no issues, although, as said above, depends who is doing it and also where they come from as some places will charge almost the same price for a new unit as a recond one.

 

[indiaman]

A reconditioned part, if properly reconditioned, will often outlast a new part, all depends on the guy who does the work

 

[HDi fun]

A reconditioned part, if properly reconditioned, will often outlast a new part, all depends on the guy who does the work

Totally agree. It's much like a refurbished camera, let's say. The factory one has been mass produced to a set of tolerances.

Whereas a manufacturer refurbished one (perhaps a rep. demo model) is rebuilt by one (hopefully diligent guy or lady) to a very exacting standard.

As such it's likely to be better than a new item.