Question Regarding Spare Parts

If you're lucky enough to have a "U-Pull it" type junkyard near you, that's a no-brainer. Here in Europe we don't really have these anymore for health and safety and pollution reasons, and junkyard operators aren't interested in responding to a call or email about a $20 part.

As you noticed, you can forget buying used parts off eBay...stuff doesn't work half the time, and returning for a refund is a pain in the @ss.

The only people I'd buy new parts from on eBay are Toyota dealers.

I find Amazon ok for third-party copies of trim pieces and other plastic bits, but generally speaking you need to revise your expectations downward in terms of quality

Auto parts stores like O'Reilly can be great, with the right staff, but it seems to me like prices have been going up a lot in the last few years

So in short, your guess is good as mine

That's awesome. Thanks for paying it forward and yes, I'd love to see more of these cars and the typical repairs you did!

 

I've had good experience with LKQonline.com. They are a national company with salvage yards in many places. Prices are reasonable and service is good.

 

Certain new parts should be OEM, unless someone can fix the issue of a failed aftermarket part on the side of the road. In the past I've liked using lifetime warranty parts, but sometimes the cost doesn't always make sense given the known wear schedule for some Prius parts (brakes, etc). Often you can find discounted new/oem parts at RockAuto , and for your used part needs, see below.

Though you need to read between the lines (part grades, mileage, VIN cross checking, etc) before making a purchase decision, the best search engine for finding used parts of various qualities is going to be: Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market - all of the big junkyards and wreckers will post there. Another source that you may find in the returned search results from the above link, will be PAM's Auto - they sell quality parts from MN, and some 50+ used mechanical parts come with a lifetime warranty.

Always consider shipping costs when purchasing new or used parts outside your local area.

Please let me know if you locate a rust free gen2 that I can return to the west, as I have a gen3 that needs "upgrading" and or a new home.

We do love seeing pics around these parts, please post away

 

lkq is great for major subassemblies.

car-part.com (this is not a single business, just a search engine shared by many individual auto recyclers)

 

This is a great topic... With your significant experience repairing Gen2 we could perhaps work together to make a post going through each part and recommending the best option of 1) Used OEM, 2) new after-market, 3) new OEM... Each part is different and there's lots of dummies that get ripped off in this regard.

For example most electronic parts are best as used OEM, but obviously an inverter cooling pump is gonna need to be new and spending $30 on a cheap aftermarket one in my opinion is way smarter than an OEM one for over $100.

As for ebay, that's where I purchase almost everything except what I get at the local wrecker because sellers on ebay will bend over backwards to avoid a negative review and even if they shut down their profile, Ebay will refund your money if you get ripped off.

 

Except for LKQ sold parts on eBay used hardware, I do not buy any new Toyota parts from anyone who does not identify themselved as a Toyota dealer. Too many counterfeit parts are sold on eBay.

A lot of dealers on line like McGeorge Toyota has started to charge high shipping fees for lightweight items,

I just bought a seat belt buckle from the dealer and was happy that they offered "economy shipping" by First Class Mail that was only about $5.

https://www.oemgenuineparts.com/

 

Each part is different... You need to stick to facts rather than assumptions. Counterfeit sparkplugs are a well documented fact, but many other parts need more research.

I do my best to buy the cheapest possible replacement part and almost every time there's zero difference between new OEM... But on rare occasion that's a mistake, though not an issue compared to how huge the amount of money saved is, especially when friends and family depend on me to keep total repair cost as low as possible.

Like the $15 O2 sensor I bought that sits on my parts rack... Someday I'll have a chance to find out if its junk or not. And if it is, no big deal, it only set me back $15 compared to $100 or more that most people pay.

We really need a way to track all parts because just something being counterfeit doesn't mean it's going to fail on you and if you always buy new OEM you can unnecessarily turn a cheap repair into a super expensive one.

 

This could just be a installation issue (or something else), but lets start by adding this SKP inverter coolant pump to the list : Coolant inverter pump stopped just replaced unplugged and plugged back in and runs again | PriusChat

 

Anyone buying Toyota parts should check out these rwo videos by "The Car Care Nut" on YouTube.

 

I've had a bunch of trouble with the 28 to $40 inverter pumps they seem to make 6 months then they're out of warranty and of course the people that are selling them they don't give a shit they won't talk to you I also don't believe paying $140 is necessary this is a very simple part with a very simple isolated impeller working through plastic almost no moving parts just a circuit board behind silicone a beading plastic seal or plastic plate my motorcycle water pump is made exactly like this just a tad smaller and it never fails and it's made by some crappy Asian company I'm sure it is not a high-end item it is relatively cheap for a motorcycle scooter part it looks almost identical matter of fact I'm thinking about taking one of my scooter pumps and using it for the inverter pump it takes the same plug and everything exactly and my scooter pumps never die but these inverter pumps seem to croak every time I'm turned around going down the road and I know Toyotas aren't made by Toyota. Sooo

 

That's what it really comes down to... Even the OEM pumps are incredibly cheaply made because the required flow rate is so low and if the ignition is on the pump is on, so there's never anything complicated with how they run. Catch is who makes the highest quality cheap pump for this job?

 

Although not relating to any Prius, here's what can happen with counterfeit eBay parts.

 

Give me a break... Ebay does far more than Amazon has ever done to stop counterfeit parts being sold. Amazon will actually make their own counterfeit products if their data shows someone's product is a top seller. They're currently facing major lawsuits for this type of criminal activity.

In this video, this guy is making up excuses for a lousy mechanic who worked on the car before him and he's not even following through with taking apart the the part in question to confirm his anti-ebay dogma. He's just ranting without thoroughly inspecting because the person who owns this car isn't interested in paying him hugely inflated prices to repair it.

If you want to avoid counterfeit parts don't trust "your gut" or the "low price" like the dummy in this video does. Trust a thorough inspections of the quality of material in the part you buy as well as testing that part and requesting a full refund if you have any concerns. The evidence for fake spark plugs for example is very clearly defined online and if you study what's available you'd know five different indications of fake spark plugs just by looking at them. This isn't some kind of design flaw in counterfeit parts that will make it impossible to know and thus millions of parts of ebay are suspect. It doesn't work that way!

For this guy to tell people to buy local and not online is not much different than telling people to be totally blind to local price gouging at auto parts stores and associating anyone trying to rip you off with high prices as a sign of higher quality parts. It's just plain dumb to see it the way he sees it. Be way smarter than him!

 

Camp. Do you sell knock-off parts made in China on eBay?

I've followed Eric of Sout Main Auto for some time now. He can obviously see that the injectors are leaking.

He is quite well regarded in the auto repair industry. He has to use a lot of Made in China Dorman parts. Some are good quality; some are not.

While I trust most noncritical parts like plastic clips off of eBay, I would not trust a no name inverter pump. I'll stick with Toyota or Asin.

 

Just editorial: do you mean South Main Auto? Good channel, but don’t think his name’s Eric. Maybe Mr O?

There’s also Eric the Car Guy, another good channel.

 

Amazon making their own counterfeits? Is this a "there will be no links" kind of deal? Any of those lawsuits been filed? (And those civil actions are in addition to something on the criminal front, I take it?)

 

I have been in contact with Eric Ochota of South Main Auto. He uses Eric "O" on YouTube because most English only speakers do not understand ethnic names.

 

Amazon does not make counterfeits which means that they are selling fakes under registered trademarks.

They are selling copies of unregistered design under their own trade name, which is perfectly legal.

Snap on sued Harbor Freight for their Daytona branded knock-off of their high end floor jack. Snap On lost.

Public opinion is not the same as legal standing. Amazon will likely win.

The problem with patents and trademarks is that the patent or trademark holder bears the total expense of defending their rights.

Basically. the party with the deep pockets, wins.

Much better protection are trade secrets. These are great and unlimited in the protection of recepes like KFC and Coca Cola.

Patents expire. Trademarks maybe no. Kept trade secrets are like forever.

 

Thanks for that. Polish familial name.