Should you buy car spare parts online?

Online shopping is the best thing that happened to shopaholics. These days, you can buy almost anything you need or want online with a few taps on your smartphone's screen. Receiving the package is yet another enjoyable process - unwrapping these 'presents' that you bought for yourself sure is a therapeutic experience!

Unsurprisingly, online shopping is also an excellent way for car owners to buy parts to repair or spruce up their rides! Here are some parts that we feel are excellent online purchases and we'll also check out some of the things to look out for, so you don't waste your money!

Car lighting

Lights are one of the most popular parts to zhng your ride. Some choose to go for fancy coloured ones, while others look for better illumination of the road or the brightest head lights possible. Whether you are looking to get LTA-approved upgrades for your halogen head light bulbs, or to retrofit HID or LED bulbs (these are illegal on cars that don't come equipped with such bulbs), you can find them all online.

What you can get online: Halogen bulbs, LED bulbs, HID bulbs, bulbs for interior lighting

Pros: A large variety of bulbs are available online, each offering different brightness and colours. You are likely to be able to find something that fit your needs, at a much lower price.

Cons: As different countries have their own regulations, overseas online shops are unlikely to be able to advise you on the legality of the bulbs. Buying bulbs online also means you won't be able to test them out before purchase - trying to find the perfect bulb might not be easy (I've gone through six sets of fog light bulbs to get the shade of yellow I wanted!)

                                                                                                                                                              
Interior parts

Flip open car magazines from yesteryears, and you'll see plenty of advertisements for car interior parts such as gear knobs, steering wheels and other accessories. Till today, interior pieces remain as some of the favourite modification parts for drivers. After all, we get to see and touch them while we drive. These days, carbon fibre parts are all the rage, and guess where you can find them for a great price? Yup, online! In fact, not only are modification parts available, replacement pieces such as air-con vents, which tend to disintegrate after some time (European cars, I'm looking at you), can also be easily found online!

What you can get online: Steering wheel, gear knob, interior trim pieces, air-con vents, paddle shifter add-ons, aftermarket car seats

Pros: Small trim pieces might be costly and difficult to find. By turning to online sources for these parts, there are huge savings to be found (as these parts do not affect the mechanical function of the car, safety issues aren't much of a concern).

Cons: Some parts might not be easy to replace by yourself, and you might still have to approach workshops for installation, driving up the costs. If you did not do proper research, you might also end up purchasing an unsuitable part.

Exterior parts

How do you make an impact with your car? The answer lies in its bodywork. Like how the lines of a sleek supercar attract our attention, a nicely modified car with some add-ons can have a similar effect. Parts such as bodykits, lips, diffusers and spoilers come to mind when one mention car modification. In the past, these parts were only available from specialised workshops, but these days, with the power of the internet, you can order them from the comfort of your room!

What you can get online: Bodykits, carbon fibre parts (bonnet, boot, fenders), grilles, spoilers, canards, diffusers, splitters, lips, stickers

Pros: Competitive pricing, and a wider variety to choose from.

Cons: Shipping costs of large parts might negate the savings from the parts. Installation likely requires a professional workshop's assistance. Also, if it's too cheap, it might be fake.


In-Car Entertainment

Have you seen those fancy large Android head units? These days, with the technological prowess of China's manufacturers, In-Car Entertainment systems with a plethora of functions as well as a large touchscreen can be had for the price of what a barebones branded head unit used to cost. By going online, you can snag yourself some of the most feature-packed In-Car Entertainment systems at a low price.

What you can get online: Radio receivers (head unit), Android head unit, speakers, amplifiers, LCD display headrests, LCD displays for passengers

Pros: Competitive pricing, many brands to choose from. Many feature-packed head units come specially designed to work with popular car models online.

Cons: You will have to be careful if buying branded products as there might be counterfeits from some online sources. Warranty process for online purchases is also less-than straightforward, you will have to be prepared for the hassle should your item arrive spoilt.


Miscellaneous accessories

Online is undoubtedly the best place to shop for assorted accessories for your car. Need a fast car charger for your smartphone? Need a hanger expander to hang your dabao-ed food? Or do you need some window shades to block out the heat? All kinds of accessories that you can think of can be found online, and often at a much lower price point!

What you can get online: Most car accessories that you can find in local shops are also available. The sky's the limit, so you might even find something interesting while browsing online!

Pros: Get your car accessories at a lower price.

Cons: Some might find it troublesome to wait for the items to arrive from overseas when you can purchase them for a slight premium locally - it ultimately depends on your urgency for the item.

Engine and other mechanical parts

Yes, we are serious about this. While it might seem like a scary notion to purchase such vital car components from online sources, it is actually a sound proposition (provided you know what you are doing).

From the correct websites, you can actually find original replacement parts for your car, and in certain cases, it can be cheaper and easier than sourcing locally. When it comes to aftermarket parts, you will also have a much wider choice, ranging from cheaper parts to high end branded components. At the end of the day, it all depends on what you are looking for.

What you can get online: All sorts of mechanical car parts, from engine components such as pistons, conrods, crankshafts, camshafts, to undercarriage parts such as lower control arms, tie-rods, bushings and others.

Pros: Whether you are looking for cheap alternatives to keep the car going before its COE ends in a few months, or a high-quality original replacement part to keep the car going for its next COE renewal cycle, you can find it online.

Cons: You have to be cautious of subpar, fake parts that might cause a catastrophic (and dangerous) failure (if it's way too cheap, watch out!) Leave it to a professional workshop if you are unsure!


Want to go online shopping but don’t know where to start?

Here’s a list of websites for your reference. Know of other excellent websites for car parts? Share with us in the comments below!

Website	Type of parts
AliExpress	All sorts of car-related accessories and parts from China
Amayama	Original replacement parts for Japanese Cars
Amazon	All sorts of car-related accessories and parts
Ebay	All sorts of car-related accessories and parts
Lazada	All sorts of car-related accessories and parts (some from local stores)
Nengun	Genuine aftermarket parts from Japan
RHDJapan	Genuine aftermarket parts from Japan
RockAuto	Original replacement parts
Taobao	All sorts of car-related accessories and parts from China

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