Don't Overspend on These Car Parts
Cars come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, but most of them are made up of the same basic yet crucial components. Naturally, repairs typically aren’t cheap, but you’d be surprised by what car parts you’ll commonly find at many discount stores, like Autozone or CarParts.com.
Brake Pads
Unless you’re a racer or simply cavalier with your own safety and the safety of those around you, your driving experience will mostly favor braking over accelerating. For that, brake pads are essential, creating friction to slow down your vehicle. You can typically find a variety of brands suitable for different models at discount stores.
Air Filters
Think of your car’s engine as being made up of a series of vital organs. Air filters are kind of like the lungs of your car; they allow it to “breathe” optimally by preventing all manner of dirt and debris from choking it. Pretty important, right? Fortunately, though they require regular maintenance (and, sometimes, replacement), air filters aren’t too difficult to come by at discount stores.
Oil Filters
If air filters are the lungs of your car, then oil filters are… also the lungs. We may have written ourselves into a corner here with this metaphor. In any case, oil filters remove contaminants from your oil, thus preventing premature engine wear. They’re a pretty common sight at discount stores.
Wiper Blades
Finally free from the clutches of our very poorly thought-out metaphor, the function of wiper blades shouldn’t be difficult to discern. They help ensure visibility on the road by keeping your windscreen clear of dirt, debris, rain, and several other less charming bits of matter like bird droppings. They’re also not difficult to come by when perusing your local discount store.
Spark Plugs
Spark plugs are what get your engine running when you switch it on. In metaphorical terms, they’re your engine’s own onboard set of defibrillators, and in technical terms, they’re responsible for igniting the air-fuel mixture in your engine’s combustion chamber. Consequently, they require regular maintenance or replacement but are fortunately common at discount stores.
Headlights
Driving at night is so much more fun and so much less lethal with a pair of functioning headlights. They help to illuminate your surroundings while also alerting other drivers to your vehicle’s presence. They come in a few different varieties, from LED to halogen, all of which are mercifully almost always available at discount stores.
Tail Lights
Following on from the previous entry, the function of tail lights shouldn’t require much illumination. They’re more of a safety feature than anything else, really, since they signal actions like braking and turning to other drivers. And, like headlights, they’re easy to come by at discount stores.
Batteries
Unfortunately, you probably won’t be able to get your car running with a handful of double or even triple-A’s. Indeed, car batteries are often highly specialized but can sometimes be interchanged between different vehicles. Fortunately, if yours is giving you trouble, you can probably find a suitable replacement at your nearest discount store.
Fuses
Though typically small and nondescript, fuses have the important task of breaking the connections in electrical circuits in an effort to protect them should the amount of charge exceed safe levels. That said, they’re totally inexpensive, and you can easily find them at discount stores.
Alternators
Alternators are yet another “crucial-yet-common” piece of automotive gadgetry. They’re responsible for charging your car’s battery while also powering its electrical systems. And luckily, they’re commonly found at discount stores.
Timing Belts
Timing belts are difficult to describe in metaphorical terms - so we just won’t. On a technical level, they help to ensure that your engine’s crankshaft and camshaft alternate at the correct intervals. Manufacturers typically recommend when they should be replaced, a task that is made much easier by their ready availability at many discount stores.
Serpentine Belts
Similarly to timing belts, serpentine belts are responsible for regulating certain parts of your vehicle, usually more peripheral devices such as your alternators and air conditioning compressor. They’re a common sight at many discount stores.
Radiators
Like the inside of the human body, engines are impressive because everything that goes on in there happens in complete darkness. As you can imagine, your engine generates a significant amount of heat - which is where functions like your radiators come in. Though they require fairly regular maintenance or replacement, they’re easy to get hold of at many discount stores.
Thermostats
Like radiators, thermostats play an important role in regulating the amount of heat that gets generated under the hood, controlling the flow of coolant. If your engine’s overheating, it’s likely that its thermostat is faulty. Lucky for you, they’re easy to come by at discount stores.
Water Pumps
Water pumps are yet another crucial element of your engine’s heating system. They dictate and control the flow of coolant through the engine and radiator, regulating the temperature overall. They’re integral for preventing engine damage - and are fortunately easy to come by.
CV Joints
In all-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles, CV joints are essential as they transfer torque to your wheels while still affording them some movement and flexibility. They’re easy to find at discount stores.
Ball Joints
Ball joints directly affect your vehicle’s handling. They allow for smooth steering and easy suspension by connecting the steering knuckles to the control arms. So, if your ride’s felt a little choppy, you may consider having a look at your ball joints - and replacing them at a discount store if needs be.
Control Arms
Speaking of control arms, these doohickeys are responsible for connecting your car’s wheels to its chassis and are extremely important for ensuring the right amounts of suspension and stability are maintained.
Shocks and Struts
Does your car jitter and jolt whenever it passes over the tiniest of pebbles? It could be that its shocks and struts are too worn - these things are responsible for absorbing road impacts while driving and are thus crucial for ensuring a smooth, comfortable ride.
Tie Rod Ends
Precision is key when driving, and the key to ensuring precision (while steering, at least) is tie rod ends, which connect the steering rack to the wheels. They are - luckily - not difficult to come by in the slightest when perusing discount stores.
Fuel Pumps
You may have noticed that your car’s tank is way over here while its engine is way over there. That’s where fuel pumps come in - these tubes transport fuel from tank to engine, from one side of the car to the other. Naturally, they’re an essential component and are easy to come by.
Fuel Injectors
Fuel injectors take over fuel duties from the pumps once the fuel arrives. They spray the stuff into your engine’s combustion chamber, ensuring efficient combustion. They’re another essential component, in other words, and are luckily not difficult to find.
Fuel Filters
Finally, before the fuel ever reaches the engine, it must pass through the fuel filters first. These are responsible for removing all contaminants from the fuel, preventing damage to the engine.
Exhaust Systems
Exhaust systems and components are responsible for directing harmful gasses away from the engine while also reducing emissions. These parts are fortunately a common sight at many discount stores.
Mufflers
Mufflers are an appropriately-named bit of car gadgetry, helping to reduce engine noise while also directing gasses away. They’re prone to damage and corrosion, however, but are luckily easy to replace.
Catalytic Converters
Another aptly-named car component, catalytic converters, well, convert exhausting gasses into “less harmful” emissions, whatever that means. They’re essential for meeting environmental standards but are easy to replace if necessary.
Oxygen Sensors
Oxygen sensors, quite literally, sense the amount of oxygen in your car’s exhaust gasses, essentially helping to ensure that your engine is operating optimally. Faulty sensors can lead to increased fuel consumption, but they aren’t too difficult to find or replace.
Mass Air Flow Sensors
Similarly to oxygen sensors, mass air flow sensors instead monitor the amount of air that enters your car’s engine, thus enabling the engine control unit to adjust its fuel delivery accordingly. Faulty sensors can affect performance, but replacements are easy to come by.
Ignition Coils
Ignition coils work hand in hand with your car’s battery by converting its battery voltage into the high voltage necessary to ignite the air-fuel mixture in your engine. They, therefore, directly affect your engine’s start-up and overall performance.
Ignition Switches
Like ignition coils, ignition switches play a crucial role in your engine’s start-up, one that is much simpler to understand. They quite literally switch on the electrical flow into your engine’s ignition system.
Window Regulators
Finally, taking a break from all the nitty-gritty components inside of your vehicle that allow it to run, the function of window regulators is simple: they allow your windows to move up and down.
Door Handles
Speaking of simple, three guesses as to what door handles are and what they do. Indeed, though not nearly as complex as the kind of stuff that goes on under the hood, most will agree that door handles are just as essential for your driving experience as anything.
Mirrors
Mirrors are another safety and visibility feature. They allow you to perceive what’s going on behind you, allowing you to make the right choices at the right time. Being made of glass, they’re easy to damage - and easy to replace.
Fenders
Fenders are responsible for protecting your car’s wheel wells and protecting your vehicle from debris in general. They’re mercifully inexpensive and easy to replace if necessary.
Bumpers
Bumpers aren’t technically necessary for your car to run, but most drivers wouldn’t get behind the wheel without them. They’re responsible for absorbing the impact in the event of a collision. In that sense, they may just be the thing keeping many drivers this side of the afterlife.
