subject: Car Accessories, Components And Spare Parts: Confusion Cleared [print this page] Car accessories, components and spare parts are all important constituents of a car. People who are not technologically inclined would often feel baffled by these three terms and could confuse one for the other. Well, technically and functionally speaking, there is difference between the three. Let us differentiate each.
Parts or Spares: a typical car consists over 14000 individual parts. A part is a piece of machine or structure and it could moving or fixed; for example engine parts such as piston, camshaft, crankshaft, valves etc are moving parts while cylinders, gaskets and oil seals are fixed parts. Parts such as batteries, fasteners, wires, clamp, clips and many such items are also fixed.
Components: its hard to distinguish between a part and a component as the meanings of both overlap. Simply put, a component is one of the several parts of which something is made. While every component is a part, every part is not a component. For example, the gearbox can be classified both as component or part, but individual gear wheels are always categorized as parts. Likewise, carburettors, water pumps and fuel pumps are all components made of separate parts.
Car Accessories: If you see a flashy car passing by, the first thing you notice will be its accessories. Car accessories are akin to garnishing sprinkled on a cooked dish an extra item that is useful but not essential or that has been added as a decoration. We know how garnishing makes a dish appealing. Likewise, car accessories, though not essential, are embellishments that can make your car safe, enjoyable and gorgeous. Examples include car bumpers, hub caps, mirrors, audio players and guards.
To make is simple, every individual piece of the car machine and body is called a part. When several parts combine to form a composite part, it is called a component. Accessories are parts that contribute to the look and feel and safety aspects of the car but are not strictly essential for running the car.
To sum up, a car can run without accessories but arguably not without its essential parts or components. To make the matter more confusing, some car parts such as steering wheels, exhaust pipes and suspensions can be categorized as car accessories in the sense that it is possible, depending on the car model, to customize your car by substituting such items according to personal preferences, with or without affecting the cars performance.
