Source: unsplash.com
Many of us would love to give our car a boost in performance and power or modify it with custom tuning to make it look and sound awesome. As vehicle owners, though, we understand that all this comes with a price tag and trying to meet those costs is not always easy. If you want to make your vehicle budget go a little farther, take a look at the used parts market. For hard parts, this isn’t overly complicated but if you are looking for something like an Accessport, you need to be cautious if buying used. Here are some tips on identifying quality used tuning parts.
Quality Used Tuning Accessories
If you are looking to purchase a used Cobb Accessport, make sure you get the OBD2 cord with it. If you don’t, you will have to purchase one afterward. A second cord you should get is the cable that is used to connect the tuner to your computer. Again, this one can be replaced with a separate micro USB-USB cable. A quality used one won’t have just these two cords but also the start-up guide, various faceplates, a protective case, mount for the dash, and the holster as well. While all these extras (other than the cords) aren’t critical to the Cobb Accessport working, having them shows that the product has been taken care of. These extras can also end up costing you a fair amount of money if you need to purchase them separately from the used product.
Check the Part Number
Buying quality used parts means you need to verify that they are original parts and work for your vehicle. Every tuner is only compatible with specific vehicles and may even be limited to certain model years. If you have the part number but don’t know if it will work for you then check on cobbtuning.com to make sure. Look for Cobb AP as the parts start with AP3. When you find the number on the site, take off the faceplate of the part you want to buy. Make sure it’s a Cobb original part. If there is no number, it isn’t. If the number is there, make sure it is the same one that matches the number for your vehicle on the Cobb site.
The other way you can check this number is by turning on the Accessport. You can see whether the part is a quality Cobb part or not. Finally, power the Cobb Tuning Accessport on using any of the vehicle’s ODB2 ports then go to the menu and scroll until you see “Help”. Next, you go to “About Accessport”. This shows you the serial number along with the installed status of it. You will see a “?” if it is not married to another vehicle.
Source: cobbtuning.com
The other way you can check this number is by turning on the Accessport. You can see whether the part is a quality Cobb part or not. Finally, power the Accessport on using any of the vehicle’s ODB2 ports then go to the menu and scroll until you see “Help”. Next, you go to “About Accessport”. This shows you the serial number along with the installed status of it. You will see a “?” if it is not married to another vehicle.
Knowing the Installed State of Used Cobb Accessport
While the part number is important when discerning if you are getting a quality used part, you should also make sure that the product is not installed on another vehicle. If it is, then it is not going to work on yours.
Checking the Part Number and if it’s “married”
This is easy to check if you just plug it into a vehicle that has an OBD2 port or use a computer. You simply do the same as when you looked for the serial number. Go to the main menu, find “help” then “About Acccessport”. If you can still see “install” as an option then it’s ready to work on your vehicle. If it says “Uninstall” in the options, it needs to be unmarried to the other vehicle. Until then, you can’t use it.
If you want to “unmarry” it from the other vehicle, you’ll have to send it into Cobb and pay $150 bucks for that service. The hassle may not be worth it. You are looking for a quality used part, not one you have to do a lot of work to use.
Buying used Cobb online – more tips
Don’t trust ads and pictures when it comes to figuring out the install status of your used product. It is easy for a seller to send you a picture that says “Install” and then they tune it after they have sent you the picture. Make sure to protect your purchase and that it is in quality condition by seeing the part in person. If you can’t do that, check the seller’s references and previous sales to see whether they are trustworthy. Make sure the parts you are looking at are on a site such as eBay or Craigslist so you can see their seller status and reviews.
Checking these things is important to make sure you are getting the most quality used aftermarket performance parts you can for the money. If the numbers or installs aren’t right then it is going to cost you more money than if you got a good or new part that was set up properly.
It costs you more than $150 plus the cost differential if you are changing it to a more expensive number. You can also relicense the product or have it reset to be uninstalled but, again, that is going to cost money. It can be as much as two-thirds of the cost of a new one. Make sure you get what you want without a lot of extra costs.
Final Thoughts
Spending money on tuning parts like the Accessport V3 for your Subaru WRX is something many of us would like to do but brand new items aren’t cheap.
Finding a way to purchase quality used Cobb performance tuning parts is important and can save you some cash. Make sure the parts are well maintained, compatible with your vehicle, and an actual Cobb Accesstuner or part that can be installed. Without doing these things, you’ll end up with a part that is less than the quality you want. Make sure you get the part you want for the price that is right.