Second hand used car parts Dubai Sharjah

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Second hand used car parts Dubai Sharjah

A theoretically easy, but in reality sometimes difficult, mission in the UAE is to find a second hand or used car part for your vehicle in Dubai. First of all, there's actually little point in looking in Dubai, so jump in your car (if it's still working) and drive to Sharjah to find used car parts. But keep in mind the following.

Time spent searching for car parts could be time spent on more productive or enjoyable activities so even though the new car part from a dealer is much more expensive, more might be less in the end in this case.
Check the new price before starting your search, unless you have a pretty good idea of what it is. If or when you do eventually find the correct used part, you might find the price charged is higher than the new price.
If you look and/or sound like someone unfamiliar with second hand car parts in the UAE, or cars in general, you will probably be charged an outrageously high price. This group usually includes westerners, those looking or sounding like westerners, and women.
Buying new car parts from non-dealer sources is risky as there is a large market for fake goods in the UAE. Whilst in the case of a DVD the worst that can usually happen is that it won't work properly, with car parts the consequences might be more serious for example if you install fake brake pads or tyres that fail as soon as you use them in an emergency. The average layman cannot tell the difference between the fake and the genuine products. Keep in mind also that when a sales person or sign says something is "Genuine", there's a good chance they mean it's a genuine copy of the original.

If we still haven't put you off your search, then try the following. First of all, don't bother with the Yellow Pages or internet searches for companies to phone. You're better off going in person and looking in the general area where car accessories and parts shops are located in Sharjah.

Sharjah Industrial Area 3 and Maliha Road for Japanese cars, and maybe German cars. Lots of motors, engines, and other mechanical bits lined up on greasy floors - don't wear your high-heels for a shopping expedition there.
Sharjah Industrial Area 4 for American and any other brand cars. Pickings are pretty slim anyway.
Locations that have wrecked but mostly complete looking cars are unlikely to sell you just a part. You'll have to buy the whole machine (at a price that will make you wonder if there's a few kilos of gold hidden in the bashed up chassis somewhere).
The parts shops will have obviously dismantled cars and rows of engines and other bits.

Used car parts dealers in Sharjah

Houston Car Parts off Maliha Rd (on 9th street in Industrial Area / Sania 2 - one of the biggest, if not the biggest. If they don't have what you're looking for, seriously consider giving up. They're expensive though - try and find what you want at another dealer first.
Near Houston Car Parts are several other car wreckers. Much smaller but if you can be bothered putting in the legwork, they might have what you want.

Remember that most dealers will be closed from about 1300-1600, and on Friday mornings and afternoon until about 1600 or 1700.

New car parts

OE = Original Equipment. The original genuine car manufacturer part, although sometimes made by another company but put in a box with the car dealer's name on it.

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer. Slightly different from OE in that the part manufacturer leaves their name on the box, but parts should be the same specification as OE parts.

Keep in mind that getting a used car part from a dismantler or wrecker is sometimes false economy, especially if the price of the used part is comparable to the price of a new part. For example engine mounts for AED 100-150 used instead of AED 200 new seems to be a common realistic example (or if you appear to be very gullible you might be given a used part price of AED 250).
New (OE or Genuine) car parts are expensive directly from a dealer, but you should be able to rely on them being genuine parts.
OEM parts (OEM means near enough to the same as the original genuine parts) are sometimes available but you'll need to search a bit. A couple of places on Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Quoz in Dubai. More places in Deira near Shindagha Tunnel but mostly items like steering wheel covers and chrome wheels to pimp your ride. A mechanic or garage will often have a source for genuine manufacturer parts.
Aftermarket parts are new but not usually the same quality as OEM or OE parts. Occasionally this can mean they are better quality but assume not unless you have specific information. The difference in quality can be substantial enough that an aftermarket part is worse than finding a good used part. Country of manufacture is one guide but not 100% reliable. In order from best to worst: German or Scandinavian (Denmark, Sweden, Norway) > most other European or USA > Britain or USA > India or China. USA has such a large manufacturing base that it's difficult to generalize since the quality of their parts can range from best in the world to abysmal. However not usually so bad that they are potentially dangerous, as is the case with the worst parts from China or India.
In the UAE there are a large number of fake parts available. Cheap aftermarket parts are unlikely to be copied, but there are plenty of OE or OEM fakes and copies around. As a generalisation, buying from a dealer should be safe, or an OEM shop (for example the Bosch shop on SZR for Bosch parts), or a large reputable store (except there aren't any in the UAE with car parts - ACE Hardware has almost nothing). The EMARAT, EPPCO, and ENOC petrol station service centers should be ok for basic jobs, and items such as tyres and batteries. Anything or anywhere else, caveat emptor.

What to buy? Used, aftermarket, OEM?

Our suggestions. There are many different opinions:

Good new for high wear or consumable parts.
OE or OEM new for safety items.
Anything you like for cosmetic items - glovebox liner, sunglass holder, floor mats, steering wheel cover, etc. But still check for safety issues (a loose steering wheel cover means you are not in control of a 2 ton missle).
Used for expensive or difficult to find parts which are non-wear and non-safety items (for example an exhaust pipe, an axle but not a differential), or for a part you intend to recondition or remanufacture. Check the price really is cheaper than OE or OEM. Be wary of getting aftermarket instead of used in some cases.
Never get used or aftermarket for safety items such as airbags and seatbelts. And be very wary about OEM items. Really your only choice in such cases should be direct from dealer.
Consider the labour cost also. It is a quick and easy job to change a window wiper so try a cheap part if you like. It is not a quick and easy job to change a control arm bushing even though the part itself is might only be AED 50 (or AED 10 for a cheap one), so get the OE or OEM part and do it once every 10-20 years, not the cheap one and have to do it again in 3-6 months.

Categories of car parts and what to buy (OE, OEM, aftermarket, or used)

Mechanical, engine, transmission, drivetrain, or similar: OE or OEM (unless you are rebuilding something and know what you are doing). Never used unless a non-moving part e.g. exhaust manifold. Aftermarket only if same as or better than original (in some cases aftermarket is preferred).
Suspension, wear items (bushings, balljoints): OE or OEM. Consider aftermarket if you know what you're doing.
Suspension, structural (control arms, wishbones, etc): Good used if you know what you're doing, as in can examine and determine if part is sound or damaged. Otherwise OE or OEM. Consider aftermarket if you know what you're doing. Remember that wear items (bushes etc) should be replaced on used parts anyway.
Structural (stuts, bars, rods, manifolds, axles, etc) - OE, OEM, or good used. Used parts generally much cheaper but be wary of damaged parts for example a bent axle is impossible to fix, and it's not easy to spot a very slightly bent axle on inspection. Only consider aftermarket if you know what you're doing. New parts from India or China are likely to be manufactured from weaker materials than specified by manufacturer, and be unsafe as a result.
Brake system: Brake pads - new OE or OEM, be certain they are genuine. Used - never unless you're a competitor broken down in the Paris-Dakar rally and have no other options. Aftermarket - avoid unless you are absolutely certain they are genuine and same as or better spec than OE. Brake discs - used if still obviously have sufficient life in them and not warped or damaged in any other way (if you don't know how to determine that then don't buy them), otherwise OE or OEM. Not aftermarket unless certain they are the same as or better spec than OE.
Pipes, hoses, gaskets, seals, joints, bushes, mounts, belts, chains, fuses, light bulbs, etc: Always buy new, generally always buy OE or OEM. Only consider aftermarket if same as or better than OE. Only buy used if an emergency.
Consumables: oil, petrol, filters, anti-freeze, battery, tyres. Never used, especially for tyres - cheap new ones are available at almost the same cost as any used tyre you might consider putting on your car. Almost always aftermarket (car manufacturers don't make their own tyres). Watch out for manufacturers making unnecessarily expensive recommendations, especially for tires and batteries. But also watch out for fake tires or batteries which can be dangerous (batteries can explode).
- UAE rules are that tires must be replaced after 3 years (can mean 4 years if you get the timing right between manufacturing date and vehicle registration date) so check the tire manufacturing date carefully.
- Battery life in the UAE is generally 2-4 years. More than 5 years consider yourself lucky. Less than 1 year, unlucky but check your warranty - they vary from 3-12 months for new batteries.

Note that there are a large number of aftermarket manufacturers of OE car parts (for example Dorman, Eurospare, URO, etc) with parts much cheaper than original. In some cases their parts can be almost as good as OE or OEM, in other cases so bad as to be worse (in terms of durability, safety, or both) than a damaged part you are removing.

Last update Wednesday 01-Apr-2015. Page development 1H 2T 3D 4L 5C.

Related websites (new window)

[Check before adding here ] - not used parts but possibly worth trying for new OEM or aftermarket parts cheaper than from the dealer (one of many similar companies).
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Second hand used car parts Dubai Sharjah