How to find genuine OEM parts for your car with eBay

Think of the most durable cars ever made and without basic maintenance they're rendered immobile. Even the Toyota Hilux, Volvo 240 and Mercedes W123 aren't going too far with no sparkplugs or engine oil. Basic, consumable parts are an essential part of car ownership and finding the correct parts is essential for your car's health.

Before now you were faced with either leaving it to a mechanic and swallowing the cost for basic work or spending your time chasing down aftermarket suppliers with your fingers crossed the parts would be of good quality and fit your car. Happily, eBay is now the perfect source of OEM quality parts

Official parts on eBay

At current, six car manufacturers have official eBay stores selling a wide range of car parts including the essential non-serviceable parts that need changing periodically. They are:

BMW

Ford

Lexus

Mini

Suzuki

Toyota

Parts including lightbulbs, filters, wiper blades and spark plugs are all for sale here and are available for most modern cars. There are so many parts available in fact, that it's a good idea for desktop users to also make use of the My Garage feature on eBay to find the correct part for your car even quicker.

Here's just a taste of what's available from these six eBay stores:

It's more than the consumables too

More serious car parts are available too, the type you wouldn't risk changing yourself without proper training and at least a month of Sundays to get it done in. Items such as head gaskets, water pumps and clutches are essential to your car's health, and if anything, these parts are more important to get correct as poor quality or mismatched parts can cause serious damage. Buying from these stores will ensure the parts are up to scratch and will fit without putting up a fight.

Customise your car

Stepping away from the oily bits, there are a number of OEM extras you can add to your car including roof racks, boot liners and even official roof boxes. These are perfect for upgrading the functionality of your car, or adding parts that were never optioned when the car was new, all safe in the knowledge they're built to the highest standards and are guaranteed to fit your car.

Aesthetic pieces are also available if you want to customise how your cars look without resorting to aftermarket parts that you'll often need to file down to fit and won't be made to the same standard as the rest of the car.

Been there, got the t-shirt

While you're treating your car to a new look and a few upgrades, why not treat yourself too. Most of the manufacturers also stock merchandise ranging from clothing and pens to teddy bears and even luggage. And while they're in no way essential to keeping your car going, it's a nice additional feature offered on eBay.

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