Hey everyone, I called our mechanic and asked a price on fixing our hood latch, the guy called back and said the parts shop he uses no longer carries the part and it’s been discontinued. He said I should go to a junk yard and get it myself. When I was a kid we had a old car and the mechanic always went and got the part himself. Our car can’t be the only car that has a discounted part. Maybe I will just go some where else.
Very good question. Your hood latch is undoubtable available somewhere. It’s just a question of where. If you offer to pay your mechanic $100 per hour to find it, I’m sure he’ll be willing to do the job in your behalf. His asking you to find it, I’m presuming he’s trying to make the process less expensive for you. You don’t have to necessary go to a junkyard and start looking at the cars they have strewn across the lot. You can probably go there – or even by phone – and just tell them the part you need. In a few days , weeks, or so they’ll call you and say they have it. Either they removed it from a junker, or they had it shipped to them from another junkyard.
Many car owners, once the car reaches this point, rather than dealing with discontinued parts, they just trade it in and buy another car. Somebody with more time on their hands will buy your car.
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Yeah I’m sure if it was a more expensive job he would find the part, he gave me the number of the junk yard he uses so I will call them, I think he goes to the junk yard a lot because they have a lot of old cars themselves. It would have been nice if he just picked it up next time he goes.
My first question is why is it un repairable?
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I typed your car into ebay and there were a whole bunch of them for less that $20.
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That’s a good question, when I get the oil changed I will ask the shop owner, it was loose last time I was there and they said they fixed it. The shop is always super busy and I took their word for it being fixed. Now another guy there said it needs to be replaced. The latch is very loose and you have to push It back in to get the hood to latch when you push it down. I would just leave it but I am afraid someday it won’t open or close any more.
Thanks for the help, the thing is it’s a 93 and the ones on ebay say it’s not for that year.
I doubt if he did that for free. Call a body shop they are more used to this type of repair .
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Just in the way of a coincidence, I was doing a repair on my Corolla a few weeks ago, same vintage as yours, woke up early to get started one day, all ready for the final task, and what do you know, the hood latch decides not to work. I can’t open the hood … lol …
To make a long story short, I discovered it’s a good idea to lube the hood latch once in a while. During my investigation into what was causing it not to work, I noted the way it is designed that it would be possible for the hood latch to malfunction in a way where it would be easier to replace than try to fix it. So you are probably better off $$-wise to follow the advice and replace it. Just be sure to keep it lubed going forward.
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I’ve had several cars where it became hard to find parts. You start searching the various lots and then stock up a little if you find one. At $100 an hour for a $20 part, I’m sure he would be happy to spend a half day getting it for you or just go get it yourself.
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lol, I’ve been there before, not with car stuff but trying to get things done around the house. I guess I will just get it replaced but will call one more shop and see if they have a better price but maybe I won’t have too, I plan on getting some powerball tickets and then it’s nothing but new cars for me.
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If you are lucky like me, Bill Gates will consider you a favorable charity and give you 5 million dollars. No need to play power ball. All I have to do is email my complete information and the money is mine. Check your junk email and he may have some money for you too.
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You will never get away from it, like the spare tire lowering mechanism on my trailblazer, plastic gear, turned into a 1 time use, $120 for a new mechanism, don’t need no 14 year old spare anyway, now the water controls in the bath are rundell, luckily I found a replacement or rip out the walls and replace all the fixins, sure an old furnace, new thermocouple, $10, New furnace grands, and our service guy is like keep this old beast, I had one and put in a new high efficiencey, did not save that much money and miss the blast of warm air, and it has a lifetime warranty on the heat exchanger, if it fails, service guy mine has a 10 year warranty on the heat exchanger and I already had to replace the brains for $800, I go up to Milwaukee and pick up a replacement if you need one, You have to find the fine line between repair or replace.
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lol Sounds good to me, that’s better than a message I got on FB, a lady wanted me to be her heir and take over her business, she said she needed to find someone with a big heart. I would have had to have a big heart and a small brain to fall for that.
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Isn’t that the truth.
Should be the same for 1992-1997 according to this. https://www.fordpartsgiant.com/parts/ford-latch-asy-hood_f4az-16700-a.html
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http://car-part.com/
You will find your latch starting at $15. Search for “Latches”.
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Rock Auto has new, aftermarket hood latch strikers for about $36. The is for the 2003 model.
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Time is valuable to a mechanic. I don’t know of many (if any…) mechanics who are going to make a special trip to the boneyard for a lowly hood latch.
If the mechanic billed shop rate for doing so the customer would be up in arms over that.