A mechanic has taken to TikTok to show himself ready to work on a 1999 Honda Civic, only to realize at the last second that he couldn’t get the parts for it. Mark Morales, owner of Mozalez Auto Repair (@mozalez_autorepair), posted the video on the repair shop’s account.
The repair was to the air conditioning system on the 1999 Honda. More specifically, he had to replace a tensioner pulley, a relatively minor repair. But as is the case with many older cars, finding spare parts isn’t the easiest thing in the world.
In the video, we can see the frustration on the mechanic’s face when he realizes he isn’t able to get the part he needed for the Honda. It is even more frustrating that the part isn’t a massive component for the Civic, but one that is needed for the air-con to work.
However, there is some good news towards the end of the video. In a lucky twist in the tale, the video shows the power of crowdsourcing, after PartsGeek commented on the video and appeared to have assisted the mechanic in being able to source the replacement part he needed.
What Was Wrong With the 1999 Honda Civic?
@mozalez_autorepair #mechanic #mechanicsoftiktok #mechaniclife ♬ original sound – Mozalez Auto Repair, LLC
In terms of what was wrong with the car, the problem, thankfully, wasn’t a big one. A tensioner pulley within the air conditioning system needed replacing. Without it, the air-con would not function correctly in the Honda. Morales explained that the pulley had worked itself loose and become separated from the engine while the Civic was on the move.
A spacer usually sat within the assembly, and it filled the distance between the pulley and the mounting point. That had gone, but the repair to that itself wouldn’t be too difficult. The issue that Morales had was that he could not find the spare part. The new part had to match the dimensions of the original as closely as possible so it would fit. That had turned the repair job on the car into more of a scavenger hunt.
So how do you sort a problem like this out? Well, in essence, you simply have to keep looking. One way to do this would be to find a similar car sat at a breakers yard. This is one way to get spare parts for older cars, and another is to ask on a Facebook group for Civic owners where someone might know how to get the spare bits. Some who watched the video even suggested that the mechanic fabricate the part himself.
The Video Showed the Power of Crowdsourcing
Incredibly, it looked like some assistance did pay off in this case. Someone commented PartsGeek on the video, with the mechanic posting a very happy response. “Yes @Parts Geek for the win!!!!” Morales said in a reply to PartGeeks’s comment. Attached to that was an image of the part required, with it in stock on PartsGeek and it being a genuine product that would fit on a 1999 Honda Civic.
Given how fruitless the search had been up to that point, it is almost a miracle that the mechanic was able to locate the part. Even more amazing was that the part was genuine and would fit the Honda Civic. What is also quite incredible is that, after possibly searching for the part for hours, a single comment on a TikTok video provided the answer. Parts Geek for the win indeed.