Do you keep your "old" parts after work is done?

I have 3 Toyotas with similar 4.7 motors. One (my 4Runner) has undergone, and the 2 nearly identical Tundras will be this month, the process of the timing belt and all the obvious other items (water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, etc.). About $500 in parts, another $800 or so labor.

I asked for my parts back. I like to first ensure they actually did swap them out so this is a measure to at least try to keep them honest. Next, out of curiosity I like to inspect for unusual wear or signs of trouble, or to see if the part was even near failure (often not). Third, I am the type that likes to keep useful parts on hand, even if used.

I have a box of these used parts that appear fine. The belts look nearly new. I understand there maybe is some stretching that occurred so a fine measurement would need to be taken. More importantly, with the amount of labor involved to replace things like the water pump, timing belt, etc. is it practical or even useful to store a box of relatively inexpensive old parts that have 100,000+ miles on them? Is there a scenario where one would go through the effort to replace a faulty water pump, with an old used one?? I'm only thinking of a total meltdown of supply chains but help me out here???

The cost to store a box of old parts is nearly zero. But is there any real practical use or is this just hoarding?

 

You are on track. Like you, I always want to see the parts replaced. Verify and consider causes of wear.
Discard the junk you would never use. Tuck things like that serpentine belt behind the seat. Those things might help you get home someday.

 

Ya know, that's an excellent point. These being foreign vehicles and not common in rural areas, it's probably a smart idea to have a small box of parts to replace anything that might fail in the middle of Ford or Chevy country where parts might be 5 days shipping away...

Very very smart suggestion! Thanks.

 

lol, I like the point of view! Actually, in my case, it wasn’t “Ford or Chevy country”. It is being 4 to 6 hours to a paved road, plus who knows how much further to the nearest garage!
Still, the same principle applies.

 

I do the same when I have repair work done on vehicles although none has been done on my Tundra except the TPMS when I replaced the tires.
On my wife's Honda Odyssey I always ask for the replaced parts back.
First, like you, to ensure the work was done.
Second, we homeschool our girls so I try to use it as an Auto Shop lesson of what the part does for the vehicle and where it goes.
Then I usually pitch the parts in the trash...

 

When I do a brake job, I alway keep the best two pads (the ones with the most wear material left on them), and stash them in my parts bin. I've had several times in the past where I had a brake problem -- something sticking or dragging. I pull the wheel to investigate, fix the problem, and notice that the sticking/dragging has caused excessive wear on one pad -- to the point where it really needs to be replaced before being put back in service. Because I kept the old ones, I have a spare to stick in there temporarily so I can order my parts online, which saves me money, allows me to get the exact parts I want (not whatever the parts store has in stock), and lets me make the repair on my schedule.

 

The Cubans still have plenty of their 57 Chevies on the road. They probably have the most extensive collection in the world amongst the world population. I’m sure saving your old parts may come in handy one day. I’d keep them stowed away if you have the room. At some point you’ll either need them again or you can repurpose some how like they do. Never thought we’d see the day to have to start thinking like this.

 

I’m a pack rat. I still have the transmission pan to the Chevy lumina my girls drove to high school. I replaced it with a pan with a drain plug. I got all kinds of things floating around the garage .

 

Pack rat here too. Once I got the tundra and traded in my older lifted xterra I repurposed the nerf bars i had taken off and laying around and used inside the chicken pen as a roost for them to hang out on lol....

 

I replaced my battery a few months ago. I still have the old one in my garage. No idea why or what I'll use it for, but there it is...

 

Not so much of a Pack Rat, more a matter of "Garage Wall Decoration". Old Timing and drive belts from my LS430s and the Tundra, various tensioners, pulleys and water pumps, a grill for my old G-Body Malibu, and a few other odds and ends..

 

If the part I replaced is in good working order I too throw it in the "spare parts" tote. Sensors, tensioners, belts, etc. If I get rid of the vehicle then the parts go as well.

 

I keep everything. Never know what may become useful down the line in a fabrication project.

 

Setting idle, it will eventually discharge and die without being recharged. It will become a regular maintenance item unless you have a float charger.

I would worry that sulfuric acid could gas-off into the closed space and increase corrosion of the vehicles sharing the space. Take it to a battery retailer or auto parts store. I got $30 store credit for my worthless Toyota battery core.

 

I've had it on a trickle charger for now. I'll just drop it off somewhere when I get a chance.

 

I still have parts from/for my T100 that I sold 15 years ago.

 

I used to keep everything from left-over nuts and bolts to replaced engine parts. Then I realized that I have a garage full of stuff I will never use, so now I am in purge mode - I am going through the garage and throwing everything out that (1.) I don't own the vehicle anymore, then (2.) I still own the vehicle but there would be no reason to re-install a used part (there was a reason why it was replaced the first time). Then I will have to get into the nuts & bolts bin and scrap wood bin and PVC fittings bin and electrical hardware bin and broken drill bits bin.....

 

Purge mode is good.

 

Amen that, brother.l

I just can't bring myself to throw away wood scraps. Conversation with myself: "Don't throw that away. That's perfectly good wood. You'll just be wishing you had a piece of wood just that size/shape/thickness someday". Ten years later, it's still setting there in a pile of similar pieces. Then there's left-over electrical, like Romex..."Yeah, but it's only five feet in length. Still, I might need a piece just that short someday".

Nuts and bolts, now that's sacred...nothing gets thrown away, not even a half-stripped thread.

 

I pretty much horde all my parts... and buy others too...

No one prepares you for the Adulting problem of throwing away stuff... like boxes, ever have to buy them... so when you get a nice one, you're like "wow, that's a really good box..."
SMH... Yeah, I have a problem with things like that.

I have 2 spare engines, transfer cases, tranny, all my parts from my timing/ suspension job, and so on...

 

Working on selling all old parts to offset costs of new mods. Besides if I replaced it, it must have been bad or going bad , and if new one breaks ,I'll carry a spare but it will be new also. Why put on old to just replace it again after I get it out from where ever I'm at. New belts and hoses are cheap to carry as spares. I will do as one said earlier ,and keep some pads if in good shape, but most are traded in with lifetime warranty. Same with batteries , always a core charge. HA HA , Also still have a lot of pcs of different sizes of wood , hard to part with.

 

I do for a little while, not long term though. I like to inspect the old parts in detail after the repair is done. I did strut assemblies and shocks last week on my Tundra, and just threw the rear shocks in the bin last trash day and put one of the front strut assemblies in the bin yesterday, for next week. I'll bin the other one after that, I don't want to overload the can. They are pretty heavy. I do save spark plugs for reference backwards on how as engine was running and comparing to now. I don't save old parts for spares, well because they are old and used and have done their job.

 

I collect boxes....

 

My wife and I try to live a minimilist lifestyle. Highly recommend the show on Netflix if you are having trouble letting go. We purge regularly.

 

Removed aftermarket parts usually sell pretty quick on here to fund new parts. Removed factory parts either go in the storage bin in case I ever want to revert back to sell or next owner may want to, selling feature - hey I have the stock parts. Removed engine steering and suspension longer interval wear/service items are also kept, maybe as a spare in pinch but moreso for proof in case I ever have to sell a vehicle quickly and the next owner finds some comfort in seeing those old parts back just like you from the shop after a timing belt job. Removed fluids/filters/brakes/batteries shorter interval wear/service items get junked.

 

Down hurr in the states, some local auto parts stores will give cash or store credit for old batteries. Maybe your local shops will have something similar.

Advance Auto has Battery Bounty Lol - $10 AA gift card for old battery. https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/o/batterybounty

 

LOL!!

 

This is the way.

 

This is the sad part of both the auto industry, and maintaining a pristine truck---there's lots of waste. When you replace barely-used or low-mileage parts, obviously the "old" ones either become part of a landfill. Even if you hoard them, they'll be thrown away later. The only in-between is if you're willing to go through the hassle of selling, rebuilding, or recycling those parts (say, an old water pump from a timing belt install). Not many would/should buy it used, most parts are not worth rebuilding (aside from things with a core charge like starters, batteries, alternators), and I would guess not many of us find the scrap weight worth our time to recycle, either. I wish there was a way to waste less and take care of this planet more while still driving a Tundra.

Haha I think I'm going to need to do a lot more than selling an occasional part and recycling my old oil if I want to make a real difference.