Motor Factors

[rikrobson]

Doing some work on an new acquisition (£120 Mondeo) I needed a new CV joint.

Hmm I thought. Souldnt be an issue. I know the reg, I know the model etc.

Called the local motor factors
none in stock, can get one for 2pm
called 2pm oh it didn't come, the other branch was out of stock. can get one for tomorrow afternoon.

Starting to get grumpy now.

Called another a bit further away and could get one for tomorrow also.

so called one in Edinburgh near my work.

took the reg. "abs or no abs?" no abs i replies.

ok got some in stock.

picked it up and went to work (working evening shift)

Stupidly I assumed they supplied the correct part and filled it with the supplies grease to pack it in and went to fit to the drive shaft.

Well to my horror the drive shaft dissapeared into the cv joint without touching the sides and now grease is everywhere.

to it back to day and got
ohh cant sell that now its been "fitted" (despite it not fitting)

any hoo got the manager. oh its covered in grease!! no refund!!!

we'll all i want is the right bit.

ho we dont stock the one you need

Getting extremely grumpy now

Sorry Says I this was fitted in good faith. You took the car details and supplied this one from you database and now can't supply the correct one.

So with much wailing and gnashing of teeth the manager says ok i'll refund but with a 15% handling fee.

Thinks for a minute and accepts as the 15% is only a few quid (about a pint) and took it as a lesson learned.

they were still very helpful though and advised of another motor factors nearby.

They had the correct one which was cheaper (by about 15% as it happens). This was tested in the branch too as i brought the drive shaft with me and they were happy for me to check it fitted.

offered it up while still in the plastic wrapping. no mate you can take it out to check. well I was flabbergasted compared to the other shower. fitted like the proverbial glass slipper and went away very happy.

The Moral of the tale is Make sure it the correct part in the first place. Don't trust their fancy "whats you reg database" and secondly if you cant do that make sure you don't get it covered in grease. They really don't like that.

So hopefully i'll get the car back on the road tonight when i finish work.

 

[badersbus]

This is very true fella.
Have never had the correct part from a local spares place near me without taking the old one off and matching the part in the shop.
I don't even try without taking the old bit in now , to be fair i only use them in an extreme emergency.

 

[Robotstar5]

My local motor factors are pretty good apart from some parts for Mrs Robo's Vitara, mind you even Suzuki main dealer needed full VIN No. to supply parts.

 

[NeilH]

a good parts man is worth his weight in gold.

 

[boydy1989]

theres 3 round here.

Partco/unipart, who i avoid like the plague cos they are not just rubbish but also unhelpful

CES, who are usually pretty good, big nationwide company

and a little tiny one thats part of a garage called C&A, who couldn't be more helpful if they tried, and are usually accurate for parts too, cos they use book still.

CES are usually cheapest though, cos they do propper trade prices to halfords staff

 

[gridley51]

I use D***** as first choice as they have depots all over Scotland and have always supplied the same day regardless of which depot had it.I may get a second price of PC but they are usually more expensive and only have depots in Edinburgh.
Both of them deliver at no charge and regardless of value.
I have used their initials as I don`t want to advertise them but if the OP PM`s me I`ll tell him who it is if he doesn`t already know.
I just noticed Partco mentioned.Did they not go down the tubes a few years back,along with Edmunds Walker and what was left of Lucas Service?
Mark.

 

[Drains]

Mark, do you mean Dingbro and Pentland Component Parts?

Didn't know EW had gone to the wall. Only noticed Lucas were away from Abbey Hill a couple of months ago. I should pay more attention.

 

[Emmsy]

i only really use genuine vauxhall parts on my car, had too many crappy pattern parts in the past that dont fit properly.

 

[boydy1989]

Thats cos its a vauxhalll
Pattern parts are often pants, but OEM's from propper manufacturers have done me ok in the past.

I replaced a ball joint on the landy with a lemforder one - less then half the price of the genuine one.

I bashed the old one out, which was the original one, and it had lemforder stamped on it - 26 years on

 

[gridley51]

Mark, do you mean Dingbro and Pentland Component Parts?

Didn't know EW had gone to the wall. Only noticed Lucas were away from Abbey Hill a couple of months ago. I should pay more attention.

That`s them Simon.Didn`t want to give them a plug after moaning about the posts in praise of a certain plasma repair company.
ISTR Lucas and Edmunds Walker were part of the same group.I think Lucas had rebadged to LS UK or something similar when they went.In Kirkaldy they had seperate buildings a few metres apart and after LS went down Edmunds moved into their building too but could only sell what was on the shelves and then the whole lot disappeared.Must have been about ten years ago at least.
Lucas were a great company at one time,had two big workshops in Edinburgh,one mechanical,one electrical and had everything.
In Abbeyhill there was also Brown Bros,now gone and Richard Lee the clutch people also gone.Pistons and Components are out of Edinburgh but still survive in Glasgow.
Dingbro are good but I think they have been taken over too.They have delivered goods worth about £1.05 to me after 5pm and never a mention of what it`s cost them.I don`t buy a lot from them.
What`s it like elsewhere in UK?Is there larger distributors like Dingbro with about twenty branches in all areas or is it all individual businesses?
Does Unipart still exist or did it go to China with Leyland?
And,if we can bum up up welding supply places I have only praise for Premier Welding Services in Glasgow.Not the cheapest but reasonable and most importantly reliable.
Mark.

 

[boydy1989]

I heard the lucas were bought and liquidated by someone, an indian bloke who didn' like competition or something.

Shame really, if its true.

 

[Drains]

Premier Welding - I'll make a note of them.
You ever use Rob Alexander, Mark? Central belt - Motherwell perhaps. Also not cheapest but he seems to have everything in stock.

We use Leengate for most of our odd bits and pieces, but they're a bit of a shower...

Used to be Rosco's were best, then became Ironmongery Centre, then closed down. Also Weldmate on Minto St, but BOC bought them and closed the shop. Didn't like the competition.

Sorry - not motor factors. Moved the topic onto welding. oops!

 

[gridley51]

Premier Welding - I'll make a note of them.
You ever use Rob Alexander, Mark? Central belt - Motherwell perhaps. Also not cheapest but he seems to have everything in stock.

We use Leengate for most of our odd bits and pieces, but they're a bit of a shower...

Used to be Rosco's were best, then became Ironmongery Centre, then closed down. Also Weldmate on Minto St, but BOC bought them and closed the shop. Didn't like the competition.

Never heard of Rob Alexander,Simon.

Used Leengate for a while,had to ask for invoices as they had been collecting cheques but not posting the paperwork.This led to a bit of confrontation with someone who had forgotten they were only an employee of BOC.I had been buying the plasma consumables from Premier so switched the mig spares and wire to there also.
Rosco...that`s a blast from the past.Used to buy a lot from them when they had a place in West Bowling Green St not far from you when I was doing a lot of site work in there in the early eighties.Long time ago now.

Never heard of Weldmate either,Simon.In fact I`m struggling trying to remember where Minto St was.Up the Bridges mebbe,I used to buy home brew stuff up there somewhere about forty years ago.
I`m starting to feel old now.

A lot of the welding stuff is new to me now as I`ve been away from welding for a long time.We had mig back in the late sixties,did a lot of submerged arc in the seventies.Also did a lot of aluminium welding in the mid seventies and I was intending making a living at this when I started up but only did a few jobs before the machine installation and maintenance took off and it`s never stopped since.
What is obvious is the way the gas has shot up in price.I used to pay £4 for a big bottle of oxygen and I could go into Distillers at Dalry and get a tall slim bottle of CO2 for £2.20 and no rental.
Mark.

 

[michael1703]

If i go into a parts shop and the person serving is not in the mid 40-60's age range i walk out or pretend to browse until the older member of staff is able to serve me

Ive had endless trouble over the years, nobody knows what core plugs are and i got a stupid look when asking for jack oil,

'nah mate, you dont put oil in jacks, you turn the handle and the screw bit lifts the car'

 

[michael1703]

I heard the lucas were bought and liquidated by someone, an indian bloke who didn' like competition or something.

Shame really, if its true.

they are now trw

http://www.trw.com/

 

[NeilH]

If i go into a parts shop and the person serving is not in the mid 40-60's age range i walk out or pretend to browse until the older member of staff is able to serve me

Ive had endless trouble over the years, nobody knows what core plugs are and i got a stupid look when asking for jack oil,

'nah mate, you dont put oil in jacks, you turn the handle and the screw bit lifts the car'

thats got nothing to do with age. that is down to knowledge and experience.

 

[Kris C]

they are now trw

http://www.trw.com/

I was under the impression they were bought by Euro Car Parts as a going concern but were folded soon after the purchase. That's the story that was floating around the trade. Im a parts adviser in a large dealership in Edinburgh so i get most goss floating around

 

[boydy1989]

If i go into a parts shop and the person serving is not in the mid 40-60's age range i walk out or pretend to browse until the older member of staff is able to serve me

Ive had endless trouble over the years, nobody knows what core plugs are and i got a stupid look when asking for jack oil,

'nah mate, you dont put oil in jacks, you turn the handle and the screw bit lifts the car'

I almost take offence to that... Dont put oil in jacks... FFS...

 

[rikrobson]

Dingbro are "trade only"

need to get an account or summat set up with them.

they have a good rep within the trade.

dunno why the local motor factors couldn't get the bist for them and the Dingbro vans are always flying around Perth/

 

[metalspanner]

EURO CAR PARTS, they should be hung up by the danglies for their slogan, 'any part for any car'

The one we have round here who took over ARE (thats Easts) But if you know ARE you know to whom I refer, the last thing I needed was a front suspension turret for my disco, look in book, nah cant do them!!!!!!!!! ANY PART< ANY CAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The other last thing I wanted wasnt in their lists either, mind you when you do get it is made by normfest, or wingwongwatadong or some other unpronounceable name at some rediculously low price, or its the other end of the spectrum Bosch nothing in between.

I trust and know Fram, Coopers, WD40, Wurth etc which I get three doors down at my preferred suppliers, which incidentally didnt have the suspension turret in, but after 1 phone call THEY collected one for me from K Gotts in Alton within 4 hrs, because I could not drive the car safely to alton.

OK I paid 31quid for the turret and locking ring, thats NOT the point, the point is my usual suppliers delivered what I needed, when I needed it.

CPA are tops in my book ESPECIALLY the mob at Haslemere.