by glenn » Fri Oct 19, 2018 9:48 pm
Be wary of that 'car parts finder' on Ebay. Even though it may say that a part is suitable for your car, that may not actually be the case.
Recently for my 01 4 litre Jeep I ordered a particular spec oil for the front and rear differentials, along with the additive that is required. I also ordered a gasket for the front and rear diff as changing the oils requires you to remove the diff cover plate- there is no drain plug on the diffs. The oils were okay but the gaskets weren't the correct ones.
At the same time I ordered an exhaust system and because the catalytic converter was looking 'rough' I ordered one of those as well, along with two new Lambda sensors. Change the cat .. change the Lambda sensors..
The car parts finder said that the cat fitted my Jeep (obviously..). It didn't. It was completely the wrong type altogether. To get a refund via Ebay you have to send the item back via tracked post - which cost £15 to return the cat.
I ordered another cat from a different seller and yes, the car parts finder had said .. The second cat to roll up was identical to the first - completely wrong. That cost another £15 to return. I ordered one from the USA, which fitted ..
On fitting the exhaust system and cat I found that despite what the car parts finder said, the Lambda sensors didn't fit. They had the wrong electrical connector. £10 to send them back via tracked mail. I didn't bother sending the diff gaskets back ..
Thing is, some of the sellers ask you to supply your Reg No and VIN so they can double check what the parts finder has identified as being correct .. and the wrong part is still sent. That happened to me twice. And have you ever noticed - some of the car parts sellers on Ebay actually say in their advert that even though it says the part fits your car, it may not ..
Reminiscent of that old song by Johnny Cash who sang about getting bits to build a car ..
I got it one piece at a time
And it wouldn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style…
Life without a 4 litre Jeep would be terrible