November 25, 2003
Ordered the parts
Wow two updates in two days. Well I decided to order the parts after all. I ordered the tie-rod ends and the oxygen sensors.
Oxygen sensors. I looked at the rangerovers.net site and could not get any hits on the parts or part numbers they recommended there. I attempted to email one of the people there and I got a bounce so I went out on my own. I ended up on OXYGENSENSORS.COM It is actually automedicsupply.com. After seeing prices greater than $150US for the part I found it here for $79.90. Part number was 250-23880 it’s an NTK and I chose the universal one. I bought two. The online order process was good.
Then I went in search of tie-rod ends. I used the brand that was listed on Rangerovers.net.
I looked for Lemforder parts on a Google search. The search lead to this site Auto Parts OEM.
I looked for my truck’s parts through a sort of confusing menu system. The jist of it is this, after each selection it grays out until you click the “Search” button. With this discovery I continued to refine the search. I found the parts and that you need two of each for a complete replacement.
left hand thread M3010-43959 for 31.09 each. That’s 25 dollars off the list price.
right hand thread M3010-50620 for 30.21 each. That’s 26 dollars off the list price.
Those prices compared with the discounted prices that were on the Rangerovers.net site.
Well I was “pleased as Punch” to put it mildly with those prices. Then I actually tried to order them. Well that didn’t seem to be as easy as it looked. I tried a couple of different ways to register and gave up and called their help line (800) 661-8335. The young man registered me right on the phone asking the same questions as the form. I then went back to the site and “logged in” and completed my order.
Epilogue
What is up with the Rangerovers.net site. Well it’s been there quite a while and the information is hard to keep up to date. I will send them an email and let them know what I found. It’s the least I can do for relying on the site for so long.
Could I have gotten the parts cheaper?
Probably. I am kicking myself for not ordering the Oxygen Sensors when I first saw them listed for twenty something dollars a couple of years ago. It is supposedly the same part as a Nissan part with a bit of modification. There is still some modification but it seems to me that everyone got wise to the cheap price and adjusted their stocks. If you find them cheaper don’t gloat, but do send me an email and let me know. I would like to still know if those parts can be found cheaper and where.
A very good friend of mine had a wise saying recently when we were discussing the price of things. He is a doctor and works a crazy 60 plus hours a week. He has plenty of money but is still frugal which is a pleasant change from many and reflects well on his upbringing. The saying is this, “Whenever you can trade time for money, it is a good trade.” We are getting on to our 40s now and time is the only thing I can’t get more of. If I had researched a while longer and looked around a good bit better I may have found a cheaper part. But as you see I didn’t spend that much time on this and I still beat the “Dealer” price by a margin I am pleased with.
The next installment will be the installation of these parts. I’ll let you know how it goes.