Hooniverse Asks: What aftermarket part do you refuse to cheap out on?

Jeff Glucker

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Comments

I’m on the hunt for a pair of light bars for my Montero. There are two openings just below the grille, which are begging for extra off-road illumination. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet though, because the handful of brands with product I like are rather expensive. On the flip side, there’s a wealth of options on Amazon. All cheap. All available with quick shipping through Prime. And yet I can’t hit “Buy” on any of those options.

I fear the cheap light bars will have crap wiring, weak light housings, and poor mounting brackets. But do I really need to spend the dough on the fancier stuff? I’m not wheeling every weekend. I don’t live out in a poorly lit corner of the world. And yes, I can admit that part of the appeal of the addition of a pair of light bars is for the overall look of the vehicle. That’s almost enough reason to just get the cheap stuff and move on.

What aftermarket parts have you been shopping for, where you find yourself gravitating to the more expensive options? I think you should always spend money on good tires. I believe a well-sorted sound system makes for a more pleasing driving experience. There are certainly other areas to both save and spend money.

Let us hear all about it below.

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

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20 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What aftermarket part do you refuse to cheap out on?”

  1. I_Borgward Avatar
    I_Borgward

    I go with the best ignition parts I can find. For my ancient herd, that would include distributor caps with brass contacts and good silicone plug wires. Cheapo ignition parts are a false economy in the long run.

    And tires, to be sure. No more off-brand donuts for me, thanks.

    Reply
  2. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    What I personally like best about the Montero is its genericness, only beaten by the Isuzu Trooper. Slabby sides, very much down-to-business functionality. So I like that you intend to hide the light bars well. But what happened to old school dish-sized extra lights? Always liked them, too, but it seems they are definitely on the way out of the marked?

    I have been trying a fair bit of generic parts. But it’s only the best tires that I put on my cars, and that often. Never used a set that was older than 6 years, and never used any tires to below 4-5 mm thread left. Most important parts on any vehicle. Of course, my tire guy knows me by name (and I get decent discounts, too).

    Reply
  3. GTXcellent Avatar
    GTXcellent

    Batteries

    Reply
  4. Kamil K Avatar
    Kamil K

    As many as possible, really. Non-OEM tires are usually an upgrade. Air filters I go with cheap ones and replace often. Wipers are almost always an upgrade. But brakes, especially pads, I go with OEM. Shocks… those are not good enough, either.

    Reply
    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      I’d expect you can get better brake pads aftermarket. I’d go for good/trusted brands for all service parts, because there isn’t that much saving to be had versus the downside. Coolant is a good one to stay with OEM to avoid corrosion or issues with mixing/compatibility.

      Reply
      1. salguod Avatar
        salguod

        My engineer friend who works for Honda argues against buying aftermarket brake pads because he knows that the OEM parts, for Honda anyway, are designed and spec’d to work well together and on that vehicle. He knows the diligence that goes into getting that right. He doesn’t trust the aftermarket to do so.

        Reply
        1. outback_ute Avatar
          outback_ute

          No doubt, but there is a balance of cost/performance/noise/life/etc involved and depending on your priorities. I was lucky my brother-in-law used to work for a tier 1 supplier, so I have an idea of what you are talking about – eg one manufacturer had an amazingly low noise requirement for the handbrake being used at road speed.

          They also sold their own parts, as I expect most suppliers would do.

          Reply
        2. Scoutdude Avatar
          Scoutdude

          That’s funny because Honda has produced a lot of cars with brake pads that have a very very short life. They also used to engineer their brakes to be just big enough for the application. So for example there were different pads and shoes for the Civic sedan and wagon.

          Reply
          1. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            I can second that. Never ever have I had so many issues with brakes as with my Honda Stream. They wore quickly and they were extremely susceptible to getting stuck on our salty winter roads. Only issue with the entire car, but an annoying one.

  5. neight428 Avatar
    neight428

    I did cheap tires once, and while sliding around was fun and all. it wasn’t exactly the safest thing what with the whole Fox chassis snap oversteer under imprudent operations. That said, I don’t find that really expensive tires get you much performance advantage, though for quiet ride they might be worth it.

    Aftermarket wheels are kind of tough value wise. The best looking versions to my eye are the most expensive, I’m thinking of Forgeline wheels in particular on muscle cars, my own personal thing. The cheapest aftermarket wheels are typically a poorly executed version of whatever awful trend inflicted the bottom rungs of the enthusiast culture two years prior.

    If it has to do with how the car goes, stops and turns, cheaping out is a risk that will grate on you every time you go out.

    Reply
  6. I_Borgward Avatar
    I_Borgward

    I go with the best ignition parts I can find. For my ancient herd, that would include distributor caps with brass contacts and good silicone plug wires. Cheapo ignition parts are a false economy in the long run.

    And tires, to be sure. No more off-brand donuts for me, thanks.

    Reply
  7. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    What I personally like best about the Montero is its genericness, only beaten by the Isuzu Trooper. Slabby sides, very much down-to-business functionality. So I like that you intend to hide the light bars well. But what happened to old school dish-sized extra lights? Always liked them, too, but it seems they are definitely on the way out of the marked?

    I have been trying a fair bit of generic parts. But it’s only the best tires that I put on my cars, and that often. Never used a set that was older than 6 years, and never used any tires to below 4-5 mm thread left. Most important parts on any vehicle. Of course, my tire guy knows me by name (and I get decent discounts, too).

    Reply
    1. Smaglik Avatar
      Smaglik

      I have a similar relationship with my tire guy here…

      Reply
  8. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    Rubber items, such as floor mats and the bed mat in our pickup.

    Reply
  9. mdharrell Avatar
    mdharrell

    One advantage with my vehicles is that I seldom need to worry about choosing between several options for parts.

    Reply
  10. salguod Avatar
    salguod

    Wipers. I’m a huge fan of PIAA silicone and have in the past put them on immediately after acquiring a vehicle. But they’re $50 a pair or so and I’ve bought a lot of vehicles in the past few years so I’ve lived with lesser blades.

    Reply
  11. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    Drive axles

    Reply
  12. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
    SlowJoeCrow

    Tires, especially winter tires. I get name brand studless tires (Blizzak Toyo Observe or similar) because it makes a real difference in the land of black ice. Also stuff like silicone plug wires, OE or Blue Streak distributor caps and rotors. I rarely buy cheap anything, the mid grade is usually not much more.

    Cheap stuff is often a false economy, I see that the most with bicycle chains where a $20 SRAM will last one season of commuting or cyclocross where a $40 Shimano or Wipperman goes several years.

    Reply
  13. imaragtopman Avatar
    imaragtopman

    Mats. Go for the Weathertechs. After regretting buying cheaper sets, I finally got a slightly used pair on craigslist for less than half price.

    Reply
  14. Elwin Hing Avatar
    Elwin Hing

    Check out quality auto parts at fair price https://ecco.com.my/

    Reply