Your wiper motor on your 40 year old car slows to nothing. What do you do first and why?
Order a new part to replace the old one.
Take out the old part to clean lubricate and attempt a repair.
Find another old working part from your huge cache of old parts.
Leave it and drive only in sunshine.
Spray oil all over it and hope some sinks into it.
Take it to a specialty shop and mortgage your first born.
Cheers Ron
Beat on it for awhile with a hammer just to show it who's boss.
With British electrics, sometimes that works.
rconlon wrote: Take out the old part to clean lubricate and attempt a repair.
I'm a cheap bastard. If I don't have to buy a new part, I won't. I'll try to fix it first. Once I have exhausted all possible repair routes, I will finally just go buy another one.
I'm a replacer. Time is definitely at a premium for me, so I prefer to remove and replace a defective part with a new or rebuilt one and be done with it. And parts for Spitfires aren't too expensive.
First I find out why it doesn't work and attempt to fix if possible. If that doesn't work or I deem it un-repairable, then I purchase a new one. It does make a difference what the part is. Some parts I know I don't have the tooling or the knowledge to fix and others I deem too important for safety reasons get replaced, no thinking about it.
I tend to attempt a repair first.
My buddy thinks that I would remove, disassemble, clean and lubricate everything from a broken snap to a flat tire.
cheers Ron
I have found many "new" replacement parts for LBC don't fit as well as the original. I rebuild first, and replace as a last resort. I do agree time is at a premium for me these days so it really depends on the item. I do like to tinker though and the LBC allows for plenty of that.
I attempt to make it look like I have exhausted all the possibilities of resurrecting the old part while being sure to make it obvious to my wife through bitching and complaining about my struggles until she gives in and tells me that I have her permission to spend the money on the part. Sometimes I don't go through the trouble of the first part just the second. :)
I call Carl.
I pull a replacement from my used parts stash. 
I like repairing, but things like master cylinders I simply replace. I've just found that sometimes my time is worth more than the potential dollars saved. Messing with brake fluid, seals, hones and crap for a couple hours just isn't worth it to me.
I once owned a '73 Capri that had a couple of electrical faults when I bought it. With a Hayne's manual, I troubleshot it down to what I thought was the most likely problem....having switched almost all the other parts around (as a sort of "proof" to myself). Anyway, I ordered the part new, even tho I got the name for the part wrong, and when I was on the 'phone ordering it, the guy I talked to asked me if I was sure it was the cause of the problem. It turned out the mystery "unit" was a master relay of sorts, and "hidden" on it's bottom side was a series of 5 or 6 FUSES. The parts guy thought I should have checked the fuses. NOPE, it really was the relay unit.
I go the "string and spit" route when it's a small part and I don't think it will affect my ability to get somewhere and back home again. Like the wiper switch on my Integra, or the window winder on my old PV544. I don't scrimp on brakes, tires, or ignition...usually.
I'd fall into the fixer category, but I'm also a parts hoarder, so I've got a large supply of replacements.
As much as I like to fix, there are plenty of times I just replace. I'm not going to go through the time and expense of rebuilding a worn out wiper blade, I'll just replace it. The motor on the other hand, I'd be likely to clean the contact.
I think it is the hobbiest in us that has us tinkering and testing our patience on even low cost parts. The other aspect of a fixer is to do it right and make the part better in some way than it came from the factory.
Cheers Ron
I'm with dougie" (above).
If you've owned a Brit car in recent times, some of the replacement parts quality is pathetic. I bought a new stop light switch for my Spridget. It was so badly constructed, I took the old one apart and fixed it (should have done that in the first place). I like a lot of the truly improved "upgrade replacements" for Brit-cars like one-wire alternators, reduction gear starters, Pertronix, solid state fuel pumps, etc.
Do an engineering analysis of the problem, why the part failed, evaluate the original part as designed and used in the car. If the part meets my reliability, durability and quality requirements, then an OE parts will be used. If not, another part will be substituted or re-designed and built as required to meet my requirements. The number of poorly designed, low quality, un-reliable, poor durability parts are one of the ways I judge any car. It's what is not seen or easily visible and all the tiny details and how well they are done that counts.
Speaking of poor replacement parts for British cars, that's part of why the British Motor Trade Association was created. There's now more communication between the suppliers, shops and retailers. I know they're looking at solutions for some common problems.
Extreme fixer here!! While I have discovered that several items are cheaper for others to do, I still try. Since I drive mostly resurrected beaters I see this as a nessesity and its fun too!
Rebuilt my bros starter on his Datsun Roadster, rear end on my 60 Bugeye, oil pump was one that I failed at, but I tried1
Currently carving an internal bushing for my 91 escorts manual steering rack. I could buy a rebuilt for $200...?
My brother got on board with this when I bought an 89 Ranger with a bad tranny. While I did do many other things while I was in the transmission, the main problem was a broken shift finger that the Pick-N-Pull guy gave to me.
Learned to fix Ford power window units ($7.00) when I discovered that the parts store option was to replace the entire unit for $249.00!!
Plus this gives me an excuse to buy new tools!!
Currently looking at lathes!
Bruce
I wish there was a IMTA like the BMTA. Italian car replacement parts can suck to the point of being dangerous.
With old cars, at least my TR's, especially for electrics, OEM is nearly always better than aftermarket.
Jack
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