Got a clock spring for my Dodge Magnum. Turn signal doesn’t auto shut off. I have the clock spring and a new multi switch ( directional and wipers) been 3 months and I haven’t had a chance to do it. I’ve been canceling the signals manually, like on my motorcycle. I’ll get to it one of these days.
How long do you keep parts before actually installing them and doing the work?
- Thread starter slacktide_bitog
- Start date
I really got dinged by not installing parts before the return date expired. Ordered two front quick struts for our car. I got down sick and spent some time in the hospital and some time at home unable to do physical work. When I got able I started to install the pieces only to find they would not fit. The return window had closed. They are stored in my garage until I find some way to dispose of them.
Almost 2 years ago I bought a set of rotors and brake pads for my wife's old '11 Equinox. I plan on putting the rear brakes in the spring and long as nothing goes south till then. I see no reason anything would go wrong with them after 2 years sitting in a box.,,
I have rotors and pads and hardware for the Mazda that I've had since the summer. I thought I'd see how far I could take brakes that are 2mm and try and reach least the same mileage I got on the first set of pads. I also have motor mounts and a valve cover gasket to go along with it.
There's a fuel pump and door hinges for my truck that have been here at least a year. I sold the truck this last week so I sent them with the truck. Got a fuel pump for the new truck on the way. Shall see how long that sits before I install it.
There's a fuel pump and door hinges for my truck that have been here at least a year. I sold the truck this last week so I sent them with the truck. Got a fuel pump for the new truck on the way. Shall see how long that sits before I install it.
If it's brakes, plugs, belt or so for scheduled work - I may order a couple months in advance or longer if running into a sale; oil and air filters - I get a bunch to last me 2-3 years.
I have complete brake calipers, ( minus the pads ), brake pads and rotors, used but still working alts & starters, wipers, and a few other odds and ends. Need that stockpile due to being in the Salt Belt. You never know when something decides to seize up or short out due to that road salt.
CleanSump
Site Donor 2026
A pair of BMW rear control arms have been sitting for 3 or 4 months. Otherwise, no. I usually do things right away. There are consumables like oil and fuel filters, air inlet and CCV seals for when I do MB air or diesel fuel filters. I always change the rubber seals. And a set of BMW cam cover and oil filter housing gaskets, just in case I develop a leak. Never have, but you never know with them.
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I actually need to start buying parts before I need them. I found that out last week when I needed an alternator and the only thing available locally was overpriced junk. I had to wait 3 days for a good one to come in the mail.
If I see things that will eventually need replacement, I buy it and hang onto it until I need it. Because I don’t want junk parts in a pinch… I forgot I also have Toyota OEM lower ball joints on hand too. Got them on sale so I ordered them early before I actually needed them.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2026
I do it all the time. I say I’ll do something then it never happens because I don’t want to work on anything once I get home or on the weekends. So stuff sits for months. In the case of the Beetle it’s been 6 years and haven’t installed a single thing on it other than a new glovebox. The rest of the parts just are chilling in my closet because every time I think of working on it I usually back out because I just don’t feel like doing it or we are busy. Only thing that regularly gets used in my parts collection is oil filters and drain plug gaskets.
Three years no. I do the job when my arthritic hands tell me it's ok.I have a few things that I've had for 3 years waiting to be installed
Other times, I installed parts a year or two after buying them.
Does anyone else do this?
Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, injectors, fuel pressure regulator, and hydroboost for my gmc has been sitting on my shelf for a year. Can’t get away from my job long enough to do it.
Finally did a new clutch system on my 7.3 idi and got rid of the dual mass flywheel and I sat on those parts for over a year.
It gets hard for me to fix my own vehicles sometimes simply because when I’m not at work, I’m either doing side work or (trying) to spend time with my children and significant other.
Finally did a new clutch system on my 7.3 idi and got rid of the dual mass flywheel and I sat on those parts for over a year.
It gets hard for me to fix my own vehicles sometimes simply because when I’m not at work, I’m either doing side work or (trying) to spend time with my children and significant other.
Procrastinators unite!
The annual meeting of the Procrastinator Club has been cancelled until further notice.
That's what a well organized storage system is for. Call it an insurance policy.I have a few things that I've had for 3 years waiting to be installed
Other times, I installed parts a year or two after buying them.
Does anyone else do this?
This is what I've tried to adopt, but have not been all that successful.
Still, in a perfect world this would be my approach. You'll regularly see parts on FB MP where people say "no longer have the car" and you know exactly what happened....
The annual meeting of the Procrastinator Club has been cancelled until further notice due to lack interest.
I'll be honest, if its a repair, its usually quick. But if its a modification, it could take a while. Longest one: I had a 2012 Silverado. I bought some airbags for towing shortly after I bought the truck. I sold the truck in 2022. I still have the airbags in the original box. I have some gauges for my F450 that are approaching a similar age.
Does oil hoarding count? I feel like it should. I mean buying five years worth of oil is kind of the same thing right.
I've bought a lot of stuff for my Impala that wound up sitting on a shelf before I got around to installing them. Spark plugs and wires? About five years. Oxygen sensor? Maybe six months. Serpentine belt? Been hanging on a hook in the garage for a couple years by now. I have a replacement taillight lens that's been on a shelf in the garage for about a decade; someday I'll use it to replace the one my dad cracked many years ago.
The flipside to this question is the stuff you have to install right now, like TODAY, in order the keep driving the car. Those items go in the car as soon as they get taken out of the parts store bag.
The flipside to this question is the stuff you have to install right now, like TODAY, in order the keep driving the car. Those items go in the car as soon as they get taken out of the parts store bag.
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