Finding Your Exact Lincoln Car Parts
For any “do it yourself” with a Towncar or a Grand Marquis, finding good Lincoln car parts is an important part of saving money on repairs. You could save some serious money if you learn to handle some of the maintenance at home instead of relying on the dealership. Here is a guide to find quality Lincoln car parts for your repairs.
If you look closely, the Lincoln Towncar is awfully similar to Ford's Crown Victoria. This is not an accident. Ford, as a parent company, puts Ford car parts into their Lincoln cars. This is done to save money by reducing the time it takes to design new parts. Many Cadillac car parts would also work, as well as Mercury car parts. Unfortunately, it would be difficult to provide a comprehensive list of similar parts. Just do your research and make sure the Lincoln car parts you are looking for are, in fact, the same for other brands. If you do this, it definitely increases the chance that you will find the part you need at a great price.
Purchasing Lincoln used car parts is another way to save some money on repairs. Buying a brand new window regulator from a dealership for a Lincoln can cost $300. If you purchase this used on eBay, the same part will go for about $35. If you are good enough to install these Lincoln car parts yourself, used car parts provide a huge discount from their new counterparts. Craigslist is also a great place to find used car parts. Obviously, there will be more results for the larger metropolitan areas.
To really find the cheapest used Lincoln Mercury car parts, take a look at your nearest junkyard. Some parts get picked pretty quickly, so you need to get lucky sometimes, but if you find what you are looking for, you can save a bundle.
Also, many junkyards have a search function built into their website. For instance, Fernandez Auto in Chicago allows you to take a visual tour through a car to choose what part you need on their website. Not everybody knows the name of the part they need, so this is a good way to find what you are looking for. If they don't have what you want, you can email them to find further information. Many auto yards will do something similar.
If you insist on going to a repair shop or a dealership to get Lincoln car parts installed, please make sure to get estimates before you agree to anything. Dealerships have a reputation of overcharging compared to generic “mom and pop” shops, and you want to understand what the value of the repair is before you pay for it. Once you have prices, visit a review site like yelp.com to read up on the garage's ratings. If they get good reviews, and their price is reasonable, go for it. Otherwise, take your car to a few more places to get a second opinion.
Owning a car can be expensive. If you drive a Ford subsidiary like a Lincoln, make sure you use these tips to get the most value out of your Lincoln car parts purchase. Otherwise, you will be paying so much in parts that you won't be able to afford gas!