Where to buy OEM parts

[King Peetis]

I am a previous owner (20 years ago) of an 86 LXI hatch and I just picked up an 88 LXI hatch last week. I want to rebuild it but don’t want to pay the ridiculous prices for parts that Honda wants. Do any of you guys have recommendations for parts suppliers?

By the way Im a newbie and Im open to ANY suggestions too.

[MessyHonda]

depends on what parts your looking for but like majestichonda.com comes to mind ...i be there are like 3-4 more sites like that were all they sale is OEM parts for half the price.

[2drSE-i]

majestic is cool but they charge an assload for shipping....but really they all do. www.hondaautomotiveparts.com

[2oodoor]

scrap yards are the number one resource for parts

[w261w261]

Majestic Honda is a Honda dealer in RI. They sell at 25% off Honda list prices, and charge a reasonable amount for shipping. However, they also have a one-time fee per order of a few dollars.

To me, paying more for a Honda brand part is well worth the peace of mind that comes with knowing the labor in the job won't be flushed or repeated too soon because the part failed. If you look at what's been happening with stuff made in China recently, you have to know the same situation exists with auto parts. The resellers are squeezing the manufacturers for every last penny of cuts, and those cuts are coming right out of the quality of what you buy. The materials are suspect, the tolerances can be bad, and generally it's much more of a crap shoot than buying from Honda itself. Admittedly, some Honda brand parts are just to the moon (new distributor: $600+) but I think generally you get what you pay for.

I had a situation a few years ago where my mechanic had to drop my tranny twice (3 times total) after doing a clutch job, because he used an aftermarket main engine seal which leaked. He was an idiot, because he did it *again* before wising up. Another time, I bought an aftermarket valve cover gasket which did not seat correctly. Many people here have complained about half shafts which failed after a short time...which I guess isn't so bad if you're doing your own labor, but sucks if you're paying someone else to do it. Honda shafts don't have that happen.

I just don't like to repeat work. My theory is: you fish on the bottom, you eat what lives there. Better to go to a yard, get something off a wreck, and clean it up yourself than buy what could be junk off of eBay. Or if you want nice your cheap junk shiney, you can always buy Cardone's crap.

End of rant.

[King Peetis]

I plan on using Pull-A-Part for body parts and mechanical components, but my primary need is for new plastic. I want to start with the exterior by replacing all of the lights, reflectors, turn signals etc and brand new seals (all exterior rubber). Pull a part may have a few plastic items but everything I’ve seen so far is in the same condition as my car; cracked, hazed, crazing, you know. Honda wanted 175.00 for the driver door seal, that’s crazy... I found a couple of sites selling front grills, bumpers and such but I’m a little apprehensive about possible fit as "w261w261" suggested. My main objectives are to return it to showroom condition, unlike the '86 I owned in '90 I hacked that thing up. My first "real" car, you know how that goes, but it was the S***T!! Keep the suggestions coming. I like a sponge now, absorbing everything you throw at me.

[russiankid]

I would recommend going with Honda seals for the exterior because i have heard aftermarket ones leak and aftermarket ones are hard to get.Replacing the lights etc.will cost a good bit of money when you can just use different polishes to restore them back to new condition.

[w261w261]

If you're diligent on eBay you can get good stuff inexpensively, but you have to know what questions to ask and have some sense if the seller is able or willing to give you a straight answer. The tail lights, for instance. I don't know about the hatches, but the sedan has a problem with leaking. Consequently, many of the tail lights out there have a watermark on the lenses, or worse. By being diligent, I've bought almost perfect tail lights for $10 ea + shipping. I have a nice inventory of headlight motors, sunroof motor, 86k instrument panel, and so forth. It is somewhat time-consuming.

It would be great for someone to make the molds for the weatherstripping if a bunch of us would agree to buy a set. Probably a dream at this point.

[King Peetis]

Thanks for the feedback--I will definitely use Majestic for some stuff; very cheap for Honda parts. I didnt look at the shipping--That always makes a difference. I got plans to pull parts next weekend at the yard. I'll get some pics uploaded soon--Thanks again guys

If you have any suggestions that are pertinent during my rebuild, let me know

[w261w261]

While you're at the yard, you should get:

1. A main relay. When the car starts stalling out when you try to start it that's usually the culprit. Accessible through the change drawer opening on the dash...do a search for "main relay." It's a pain to get out and in, but a ratchet wrench with a rotating handle works well.
2. Power window controller. Located inside driver's door. Contains a small relay which controls the auto-drop feature of driver's window. Sooner or later you'll need both of these.
3. Possibly a new CPU. Located under driver's seat. Year and model (f.i.) specific.

Other suggestions:
If you're bringing your car back, it probably involves new hoses. Don't ignore the little ones that go to the IACV and fast-idle valve. There's about 8 of them in total. There's another hose off the pipe in the back of the engine that's connected to the water pump. You have to buy them from Honda, although some are regular-sized and can be gotten at any auto store, others have pre-formed bends in them. You don't want to take a regular hose and make it go around a corner, as it may crimp. They're not that expensive anyway.

Our cars have lots of bushings in the suspension. Things start banging around when they get worn. When you put new ones in, make sure they are coated with silicon grease, particularly on the control arm bushings.

Take out the battery and the battery tray, then remove the coolant bottle and clean it out well. You can get rid of the rusty crud on the inside with a phosphoric acid solution (milkstone remover, "The Must for Rust," etc). Use Peak antifreeze or some other green-colored coolant because it's easiest to see through the bottle to check the level. I think too many people don't check their coolant level because it's difficult with the bottle being way down there and dirtied-up to boot. Next stop...overheating and warped head. Incidentally, if the idle starts moving around on you that can be a sign of low coolant....what is happening is that the level in the bottle has finally gotten too low and air has gotten introduced into the system. The air bubble reaches the fast-idle valve and makes it malfunction. I assume you know how to bleed air out of the cooling system...if not do a search on here.

Buy a new radiator cap and thermostat, and probably a new coolant sensor, which is in the area of the thermostat and the bleed valve. If you let the coolant sensor get too far gone,
you won't be able to start the car.

Check out the driveshaft boots. If they're split but the grease hasn't washed out yet, you might be able to replace them and save the CV joint. I replace the whole halfshaft when that happens, but I guess there's a cheaper way.

Whether you have an auto or manual, change the tranny fluid with Honda brand. You don't know how long it's been since it was done.

Good luck.