I have a broken tail light on my 2003 Honda Civic. I was contemplating trying to replace it myself and was wondering if it is worth the extra money to buy a “Honda” manufactured light cover, or just go with a knock off. It’s only a piece of plastic, after all, right??
go to the junk yard. a “take out” will be half (or less) than a honda new part.
good luck finding an aftermarket light lens that fits. there may be some. somewhere. but i doubt it.
the aftermarket light covers, and shapes fit OVER the existing lens, so you may be thinking about those.
I did a Google search on “2003 honda civic taillight lens” and found your item for prices ranging from $39.95 to $223.24, but these items clearly were not all for the same model Civic. You will have to check their illustrations yourself. Have you any idea what the dealership would charge you?
I would definitely order this item online. I buy all my simple auto parts at any place except the dealership and have never gone wrong. Buy from Honda when the item is “dealership only.”
I picked up a front side / signal light for my wife’s Mitsubishi last year on EBay from a rice parts specialist, I can’t remember the name of the supplier but I can dig it up if you need it.
The part was 25% of the Mitsubishi price (including shipping), shipped in 2 days, fitted perfectly and was undistinguishable from the OEM part, even down to the correct safety standard markings.
These guys can’t get away with selling garbage, otherwise they’d be out of businss in a few days.
It depends on which parts, for cosmetic stuff you can probably get away with anything that looks correct. Personally, I buy OEM parts for anything critical. If you have a car you are not going to keep forever, or the part isn’t critical you can buy junk yard parts too.
Sometimes the replacement parts from the dealer are not the same as the original. I would say it depends on the price difference. Salvage yard first, then I would try aftermarket.
call a salvage yard for an “LKQ” part. (like kind and quality".
they may also have a “New Take Off”. surplus bought from the manufacturer.
also try Keystone for a new aftermarket. call 309-698-0700 and ask for the phone # closest to your location.
There’s plastic and there’s plastic. Generally, on body parts, there will be a noticeable difference between the really cheap knockoff parts and an original-equipment style parts. It’s generally a cosmetic issue-- on tail lights, for example, the tint often won’t be as dark or the patterned lens will be a generic pattern. I agree with the other posters that if it’s at all convenient for you, a junkyard tail light will be better because it will be of OE-quality, plus it will match the other one better because it will also have seen some use and will be a little bit faded, giving it more of that “never touched” look.
Someone hit my 2005 4runner when I was in a parking lot…broke the passenger side rear tail light assembly. Pieces all over the ground.
Checked with dealer…they wanted $450. I googled and was able to find a place that sells after-market lights…Cost me $140.
When I got it…it was the EXACT SAME LIGHT MADE BY THE EXACT SAME MANUFACTURER as the dealer. Part number and stock number were identical.
Yup, sometimes the after-market stuff is identical to OEM, the trick is knowing when. Also, I usually replace light covers in pairs on older cars because they tend to fade and and having one new one looks a little funny.
Some years back I got a replacement piece from Autozone for my old pickup and it was truely pathetic. It didn’t even fit nicely. Or look right.
A few years ago I got one from VIP through their crash catalog for my daughter’s Honda and it was a perfect replacement.
I’d go back to VIP. I would not go back to Autozone.
I would simply look on ebay.com for one. Many kids like to change tail lights on these cars so they are leftover with perfectly good taillights they need to see typically at cheap prices since the market(ebay) gets flooded.