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Mileage: This is how mileage affects used spare parts

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1. The mileage has an influence on these components

2. Mileage has little or no influence on these car parts

Used spare parts are recovered by car recyclers from a wide variety of vehicles. Some cars have already covered many kilometres when they are dismantled by the car recycler. Other vehicles only have a low mileage because they end up in the car recycling centre due to damage. For buyers of used spare parts, the question often arises: Does the mileage have an influence on the condition of the spare part? In our guide, we explain which parts of the car are affected by the mileage and which are not.

The mileage has an influence on these components

Mileage has a direct influence on many parts of the shaft system, braking system, suspension or engine. The wheels and tyres can also wear out as the car’s mileage increases, as can other components. With every kilometre driven, the wear and tear on these components increases.

Axle suspension, steering and chassis

Parts of the axle suspension, chassis and steering are stressed with every kilometre driven. The wear of these parts is directly related to the mileage.

Suspension struts, shock absorbers and leaf springs: Suspension elements such as the strut or a leaf spring are loaded with every bump in the road. Due to the compression and rebound, these components wear more with every kilometre driven. The same applies to the car’s shock absorbers.
Steering parts: Since the vehicle is steered with every kilometre travelled, all steering components wear out with increasing mileage. This includes parts such as the steering gear, the tie rod and tie rod end, or other steering parts such as the power stearing pump.
Axle suspension and chassis: All parts of the wheel suspension are stressed when driving the car and can wear out. This often affects bearing bushes and other elastic parts. But rust on chassis parts can also become a problem as the speedometer reading increases.

Wheels, tyres and brake system

The car is connected to the road via the wheels and the tread of the tyres. The brakes, on the other hand, ensure reliable deceleration in all driving situations. It is hardly surprising, then, that all of the above-mentioned components become increasingly worn with every kilometre driven.

Tyres: The car’s tyres are subjected to particular stresses when driving. Every time you make a turn, brake or accelerate, they are subjected to stress. Many times per kilometre driven, they roll over small obstacles or stones. Therefore, the tyres wear out with increasing mileage.
Rims: Rims are also exposed to numerous influences when driving. They often do not wear out directly, but rims often clearly show the kilometres they have travelled. Steel rims rust due to the effects of rainwater and deicing salt, aluminium rims are often damaged.
Brakes: Since the vehicle must be braked many times during driving, the wear of the brakes increases with every distance driven. Components such as brake pads and brake discs wear visibly, and drum brakes also reach their wear limit after a certain mileage.

Engine, auxiliaries, clutch and transmission

The engine and the gearbox are absolutely necessary to move the car. However, with every kilometre driven, their wear and tear also increases. The same applies to many of the engine’s auxiliary units. In addition to the distance travelled, it also depends on how the vehicle has been used and how often it has been serviced.

Internal combustion engine: Diesel and petrol engines have numerous moving parts inside that wear out with increasing operation. Since cars are seldom operated while stationary compared to working machines, the mileage can often be transferred well to the engine wear.
Auxiliary units: The engine’s add-on parts and auxiliary units also wear out with increasing mileage. This can affect, for example, the alternator, the water pump of the cooling system or the air conditioning compressor.
Gearbox and clutch: Manual and automatic gearboxes can wear out with increasing mileage. For example, the components inside wear out, as do the mechanics that operate the transmission. The clutch of manual transmissions also wears with each shift, and thus often with increasing speedometer reading.

Mileage has little or no influence on these car parts

Not all parts of the car wear out with increasing mileage. For some parts, mileage has no direct influence or only a minor influence on their condition. In this case, the type of use of the vehicle or the age of the respective parts is more important. Care and maintenance of the car can also play a role.

Body parts, car glass and mirrors

The state of preservation of components of the bodywork, the glazing or even the condition of the mirrors usually does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the speedometer reading of the car.

Body parts: Although body parts such as doors, bonnets or boot lids sometimes wear out due to rust, a direct connection with the mileage of the car cannot be established.
Car windows: The car’s glazing, such as the windscreen, rear window and side windows, can be damaged, but this has nothing to do with mileage.
Mirrors: The side mirrors or exterior mirrors of a vehicle often look unchanged even with high mileage. There is rarely a correlation between condition and mileage here.

Vehicle interior, lighting system and electronics

Interior components, the lighting system and electronic components do not usually wear out in direct relation to the mileage of the vehicle.

Interior: Parts such as the seats, interior trim or the car’s shelf for rear can wear out as the car is used, but not depending on the kilometres driven.
Headlights and lights: The kilometres travelled with the car have little influence on the condition of the vehicle’s headlights and lighting system. Even with high mileage, the appearance and function can be flawless.
Electronics: Electronic components such as control units or the radio do not wear out directly depending on mileage. Here, defects are more likely to occur due to the ageing of electronic components.

Mileage of car parts at Autoparts24

At Autoparts24 you get a transparent overview of the speedometer reading of the donor vehicle at which a car part was removed. For this purpose, the mileage is noted directly in the item description along with other information. This enables a convenient price comparison of car parts with different mileages for your vehicle.

The mileage does not always indicate how old or worn-out certain components may be. Some vehicles are used as long-distance vehicles, for example by businesspeople or travelling agents. They may have a high mileage but were almost exclusively driven gently over long distances.

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Mileage: This is how mileage affects used spare parts