What are the most commonly replaced car parts? With the huge forces created in your combustion engine and by travelling at speed, it is no wonder that the components of today’s cars wear out. Certain parts wear out faster than others and there can be extenuating factors such as environmental considerations that can lead to a reduced lifespan. Our list takes a look at which parts are most prone to wear and likely to need swapping out.
Air Filter
This part generally needs replacing around every 40,000 miles or possibly sooner if your vehicle is driven on dirty or gritty roads where large amounts of particles can be kicked up.
Brake Components
All of the parts that are associated with the brake fluid system will succumb to internal corrosion over their lifetime. You will need to replace the callipers, wheel cylinders and master cylinder once every 100,000 miles.
Clutch
The friction involved in changing gear will eventually wear down your clutch, and will therefore require you change this part once every 100,000 miles. This could be sooner if you are an aggressive driver or if you ride the clutch.
Shocks and Struts
In some vehicles it may be the case that you never have to replace the shocks, however a slight unbalance in the car can cause the shocks to wear prematurely, as can travel on poor and degraded road surfaces. It is recommended that you change all your shocks at once to keep the ride quality consistently good.
Alternator
This part can suffer fatigue if it is used to run too many high power applications in the car. However it is always recommended to test the wiring and connections before replacing the entire unit.
Brake Pads
The process of braking will eventually wear down your brake pads to the point where they will need replacing once every 60,000 miles. Driving in urban areas considerably shortens the lifespan of these parts, due to the stopping and starting of urban driving.
Oil and Oil Filter
One of the most commonly changed car parts, your oil needs checking and replacing around every 4,000 miles to ensure the good, smooth running of your vehicle.
Tyres
Constant pressure from the road quickly wears out your tyres. The better quality your tyre, the longer it will last, but the lifespan is usually around 70,000 miles before you will need to replace all tyres.
Fuel Pump
Due to continuous usage the fuel pump is one of the car parts that is under the most pressure from wear and tear. It usually requires replacement every five to six years. However often fuel problems are wrongly attributed to the pump when problems are more likely to be caused by blockages in the system.
When one of your parts fails in your vehicle, it need not be a major disaster. With a little ingenuity, the right manuals and tools, you can change out many of these parts yourself with very little effort. Bigger jobs like mechanical overhauls of the engine are best left to the experts, but there is no reason why you can’t save yourself a little money by finding a good spare on the second hand market and replacing it yourself.
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