The car manufacturing process involves assembling many different parts to make up a car. In a car’s lifetime, some of these parts will need to be replaced as they undergo wear and tear.
What parts will most often require replacement? The parts that may require replacement in your vehicle will to a large extent depend on your car make, model, and year of manufacture, but also how you use and where you use the vehicle (city or highway), the distance you cover with your vehicle annually, the climate, and the terrain.
Like any machine/material wear and tear is a common process, the same applies to car parts, they do wear out with time and use, with factors such as how you drive and where you drive your vehicle determining the frequency at which certain parts will wear out and need to be replaced.
In this article, we will take a look at 10 of the most commonly replaced car parts in trying to create awareness and share some knowledge. Please read on.
Headlights and Taillights
Car headlights are located at the front and taillights at the rear of vehicles to enable drivers to see at night or under foggy conditions but to also notify other drivers of the presence of your car. After prolonged use car lights do wane, fade, or stop working and need replacement. Nighttime driving and rough roads do reduce the lifespan of the lights.
It is advisable to replace headlights in 5 to 7 years, but if you have non-functioning or broken headlights or taillights you don’t have to wait all this time to replace them.
Driving mostly during nighttime and driving on bumpy, rough, roads can shorten the life of bulbs with filaments, but for cars that Xenon bulbs or LED taillights this is not a problem
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Battery
The car battery is a very important part of the car as it’s what powers the starter that starts the engine. Depending on the battery brand, and your car’s charging status, most batteries have a lifespan of two to six years. When a battery is about to die, starting the car might become difficult, and some cars will have the check engine light flashing on and off. If any of these symptoms are prevalent in your car, consider taking the battery for a test to find out whether it’s about time you replace it.
Tires
Car tires are the parts that transfer a car’s power to the road to enable the car to move. These tires are exerted to constant friction during normal use, but it’s more so while plying on rough surfaces, which causes the tires to wear. Driving with worn-out tires is very dangerous.
Tires, therefore, should always be checked for wear as their daily use takes a toll on them and will require to be replaced at a certain time. Some of the factors to consider before replacing a tire are the wear rating of the tire, age (if it’s 5-7 years consider replacing it), driving style, and mileage.
Wiper Blades
Wiper blades are made of a rubber material that breaks down due to their exposure to different weather conditions so it’s advisable to change within a year or two. In hot climates, you can replace them every six months.
But some wiper blades can be of poor quality and show signs of wear, then in such conditions do not wait for the specified time just replace them.
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Oil Filter
The oil filter has the function of ensuring the oil is filtered free of dirt and other contaminants as it cycles within the engine. Depending on the specified distance to the next oil change, with most falling within 5000 km and 10000 km. Whenever an oil change is performed, the oil filter should be replaced as well.
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Belts
The timing belt and power transmission belts need to be replaced after 6 years (120000 km) and 8 years (160000 km) whichever comes first respectively. But these belts are made of rubber and fiber and are constantly exposed to heat and oil which wears them out. It’s important to check them now and then before they break and cause unnecessary inconveniences and damage.
Spark Plugs
The ignition of the mixture of air and petrol in the engine’s combustion chamber is made possible by spark plugs. These spark plugs do wear with time, with the most long-lasting plugs being platinum and iridium plugs which have a lifespan of 8 years or 160000 km.
One of the problems that can tell that spark plugs are faulty is when the car suffers from misfires and poor fuel consumption.
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Suspension
Car suspension systems come in many forms, but their primary parts include shocks and struts. The function of the suspension system is to maintain an even ride and keep the vehicle under control. Like other parts of the car, the shocks and struts do wear with time and use, hence you should consider replacing them at about 80,000 to 120,000 km.
A faulty suspension system may result in uneven tire wear, dips and nose dives when hitting potholes, driving over bumps, or stopping quickly. A good suspension enables a car to drive smoothly and safely.
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Water Pump
One of the important parts of the cooling system of water-cooled engines is the water pump whose function is to circulate coolant around the system. After prolonged use, the water pump will eventually wear out in six to eight years, or 100000 to 150000 km.
One of the signs of a faulty water pump is the car failing to start due to heat, frequent overheating, or coolant leakage.
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Clutch
The clutch (clutch plate) is a part of the car that is exposed to so much friction while being used and as a result, it keeps wearing out and will eventually tear. The clutch will need to be replaced after 160000 km, but for rough drivers, it might be less.
Conclusion
As we have learned in this article there will come a time that some of the mentioned parts above or any other will fail in your car, and you’ll need to replace them.
Some of these car parts are easy to replace and some will require the attention of a trained mechanic. For those that can be performed as a DIY all you need is a guide, basic skills, and the necessary tools, then you can just replace them by yourself. However, for those failures that are not within your abilities then it is advisable to take the car to a repair for the failed parts to be replaced by a qualified mechanic.
In case you are wondering about where you can buy cheap and genuine replacement parts, then wonder no more as we at BE FORWARD AUTO PARTS can sort you out.
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I am a Telecom & ICT specialist with a career spanning over 15 years in the demanding Tanzanian telecom industry.
I am also an avid DIYer with a good knack for everything technical and a wealth of vocational skills, with automotive being the top, and here I am writing about cars.
In 2017 a guy created a WhatsApp group called MyCar for the sole purpose of members helping each other with all matters regarding cars. I joined this group in 2018, and with my enormous wealth of knowledge regarding cars, and my readiness to share the knowledge with others, I became a top contributor, and that didn’t go unnoticed, as one member thought I was a potential writer and had contacts with Be Forward Japan who were looking for writers then. Fast forward to January 2020, I began writing for the Be Forward blog with 2024 being my fourth year.
As far as I can remember, I love cars, and growing up in the farming and tourist city of Arusha Tanzania in the ’80s and ’90s, I ended up being drawn to the Ranger Rover Classic for leisure and Land Cruiser 70 pickup as a workhorse. These were tough cars then, cars that could take you anywhere any time no matter the weather.
