Replacing parts on your heavy duty truck can come at a great expense. When something breaks, you might consider purchasing used parts to make the repairs, but is that always the best choice for you to make? Here, you will learn a few tips that can help you decide whether the parts you buy can be used or if they should be new.

Rubber Fails

Parts that are made up of rubber or have rubber parts should be purchased new. Time causes rubber to harden and then crack and fail. If you were to go through all of the work of replacing a worn out part, you want to be sure that the new part will hold up for quite a while. A good rule of thumb – if there's rubber in it – buy new.

Suspension

Suspension parts don't fail often. The only true exception is if the part is damaged in an accident. If you take the time to maintain the bushings, your suspension parts should last for several years. If you find the need to replace suspension parts on your heavy duty truck, you can likely get away with finding used parts and replacing the bushings before installing them on your truck. Just make sure that the truck that they are coming off of wasn't in an accident and damaged in a way that would compromise the parts you need.

Rebuilds

Some parts can be rebuilt and save you a lot of money on a repair. If you are considering rebuilding a part, whether it is the one on your truck now or one out of a salvage yard, take a minute and inspect the rest of the parts. You don't want to spend the time rebuilding a part just to have another element of the part fail the minute you get it installed.

Airbags

Airbags are a tricky subject. If a truck is in an accident and the airbag didn't deploy, it is possible that it could be removed from that truck and installed in another. If the airbag is removed properly and hasn't been exposed to fire or water, it is possible that after a thorough inspection, it could be reused in another truck.

If you are unsure of whether to buy new or used parts for your heavy duty truck, talk with your local parts expert, like those at King George Truck & Tire Center, to find out what would be the best and most affordable long-term solution to the troubles that you are having.

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