What To Do With Old Bits...

[trufflehunt]

In the just under 2 years I've owned the 406, I've replaced the alternator, and starter motor.
After reading the various comments on here about the dubious quality of Chinese made bits, I made sure
to buy good second hand items from the original manufacturers of 406 parts. So my car now has Valeo starter and alternator,
to replace the original Mitsubishi and Valeo ones.

I've had the originals kicking around my kitchen for a while. I'm reluctant to just chuck them. Just wondered what
other people did with these kind of bits. I don't see any ads locally when I search online for 'wanted starters alternators for reconditioning'.

I was also thinking about , for example, interior upholstery that comes up for sale here . Often, the sellers seem
to have a hard job just about giving it away. And yet, from experience, as years go by, it's often interior trim
that becomes unobtainable.

[Welly]

Just wondered what other people did with these kind of bits.

I don't leave them in the Kitchen Mrs Welly would go bonkers

Most places do 'service exchange' alternators and starters i.e. one in one out but I guess they wouldn't mind having a few extras on the shelf, maybe call a few up?

The trouble with car interiors is that they take up so much storage space so having a 'spare interior' is often out of the question.

I've kept some strange things from the Volvo; 15 spark plugs (used), 4 x old tensioners, 1 x old cambelt, 1 x warty pump, 1 x anti-roll bar etc. all of which is no use whatsoever

[steve_earwig]

Be prepared to be offered sod all for them They must have some value, otherwise the repairers wouldn't want them

The trouble with car interiors is that they take up so much storage space so having a 'spare interior' is often out of the question.

My thoughts exactly, and it's not like you can stick them out in the garden under a tarp, they'd have to be stored carefully which is not something anyone wants to do just in case 20 years down the line they'll be worth a few bob. Things deteriorate in the loft too I've found.

I've kept some strange things from the Volvo; 15 spark plugs (used), 4 x old tensioners, 1 x old cambelt, 1 x warty pump, 1 x anti-roll bar etc. all of which is no use whatsoever

Got any used windscreen wipers? I'm just as bad, maybe worse even, I tend to keep stuff on the off-chance I need something from them. You should've seen the amount of toot I had to get rid of when I moved out here And it's all building up again (anyone wanna see my dead HDD collection?)

My brother is the complete opposite, anything that isn't used for a while goes in the bin. He was looking after a load of my dad's stuff (he's a hoarder too but he's had substantially more time to do it) and I think he started sneaking stuff off down the tip - a while back he and my dad were looking round a motoring museum (Beaulieu probably) and they came across a Kismet wheel balancer machine like his one, it was rather battered and my dad said maybe they should give the museum his one- At which point my bother turned to him and said "Err, dad..." Rather like this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVwTlY0db-I in fact, a hell of a lot like this one

I think you can probably appreciate that (heaven forbid) if anything happens to my dad I'll be heading straight back to GB in the biggest van I can get my hands on

[Welly]

Wow, you have one of them there machines? how cool is that! the amount of time I've wasted sitting around in tyre shops only for them to get the balancing 'near enough'.......

[steve_earwig]

Er no, we had one - my brother binned it My dad got pretty good with it, after a lot of experimentation he knew just where to put the weights to use the smallest amount possible and never had any balancing issues with any of the cars that he sold, which were quite a few in those days. He got a mass of weights with it too, I wonder what happened to them

[Welly]

He got a mass of weights with it too, I wonder what happened to them

Probably got 'weighed in'.........Be-dum...Tsshh!

[Rolebama]

Why not recon them yourself? Most parts are available if you have the patience to source them.

[FarmerPug]

Having broke 2 406s in the past few years a clio and two suzuki vitaras it doesn't help that i have inherited the hoarding genes from my dad, the attic above the garage is crammed full of car bits and bobs, especially 406 stuff i can't trow any parts out., today that became a bit of a problem as i had to move an engine and gearbox out of the way down to the farm to get the 305 into the garage.