- Thread starter dobbslc
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My experience too. And sometimes the bits that arrive just don't quite seem right. I.e. I had some D3 arms that just looked a bit thrown together although they had lemforder marks in places. They arrived almost falling out of their box as well thinking about it.I struggle with AutoDoc
Returns - wrong bits - delays.
Does not suit a repairing garage to get parts for customers cars.
But I have got stuff from them - I just can't get from anywhere else at times
But then the package arrives - opening it - can be like all your bad Xmas presents rolled into one...
I struggle with AutoDoc
Returns - wrong bits - delays.
Does not suit a repairing garage to get parts for customers cars.
But I have got stuff from them - I just can't get from anywhere else at times
But then the package arrives - opening it - can be like all your bad Xmas presents rolled into one...
The lead times definitely aren't suitable for a repairing garage doing customer cars- their warehouses are in Germany.
It's also not helpful if you have developed a big fault and need to repair the car ASAP- then you're paying a premium for what's on the shelf/can be here tomorrow, obviously.
However, maintaining my own vehicles they come in handy, purely as the prices are good for better branded components. For example, I fit a set of bilstein b4s all round to my car for £160ish- that's about what no namer ones would cost from a local factors. Likewise, instead of fitting medicore braking parts that often have badly fitting pads etc for more money, I get good ones like the premium brembo range with the coated discs that stay nice for ages for way less at autodoc.
I'm usually fixing things that are starting to wear out before they come an urgent issue, or to make it drive well again.
Here are some good tips to dealing with autodoc from my experience:
Never, ever just put in your make and model and just buy parts. The app/site WILL list a range of parts and not all will fit ie. for brakes it will list various disc & pad sizes. They'll broadly be parts for your make and model, but it WILL NOT list only the specific variants fitted to your vehicle as built from the factory.
That is the main thing that catches people out.
What you should do instead is use the chat function in the app/on the site/email their "info@autodoc" email, and tell them the VIN and request a compatibility check- either ask for what parts they recommend (they'll usually try to recommend their own RIDEX brand), or ask what parts they recommend from XYZ brand, or send them links to the parts you think are correct and want to buy and ask if they are compatible. If they aren't, they'll suggest alternatives ie. if you want Brembo pads, they'll suggest the correct brembo pad instead of the one you sent. They normally get back to you within 10min or so with an email.
If you have done a VIN compatibility check, and the parts end up being wrong (which has only happened to me once in many years, due to the car being right on the changeover), they will want photos to confirm bad fitment but then immediately refunded me with no expectation that I send it back as I had attempted fitting, which is very fair.
Finally, and this is a very handy one: Their prices fluctuate throughout the week. I don't know why, maybe it's a trade vs. weekend DIYer thing when they can offer quick delivery in Germany?
Anyway, they are almost always lowest at the start of the week on a Monday, and climb day by day and peak at the weekend.
The differences can be very significant, I've had £300 baskets become £200.
If you do not need parts urgently, because you're planning a big suspension refresh or know you need to do all the brakes soon or something, or want to fix the advisory list in the coming few weeks, then you can make big savings by doing all of the above. You have plenty of time to do a compatibility check to ensure the parts are right, because it's absolutely worth waiting with everything in your basket until the next Monday to order when it's much cheaper.
Oh, and postage is sooooo slow. I know the bits are coming from Germany but if the status online is to be believed, dispatch seems to make 3 days plus for in stock parts, the actual time in shipping (with the courier) isn't unreasonable although they do use Evri so things are variable bad when they get to the UK.
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I had similar when looking for Lucas dynamo parts, company had a uk contact address and a dot co dot uk website, once I'd placed the order and paid I get a confirmation email my parts will be dispatched from their warehouse in Germany. They took a while to arrive and one of the parts was wrong so I had to wait again for the right parts to be sent.Auto doc masquerade as online car parts dot co dot uk as dimwit here found out
I have found that ECP deliver to me in Spain, so I guess they have a warehouse in Europe somewhere. No import taxes anyway. But they also have some different marketing over here so you can go to a site thinking it’s different but it’s actually identical except the branding logos.
But I’m also finding local parts shops like we used to have in the UK. Anything called “Recambios Autos” seems to be like that although some are agricultural places. Everyone here seems to have a tractor so that’s understandable. They’re not cheap though. But they do insist on the “Ficha Technica” which is like a log book come built sheet so the parts always fit.
But I’m also finding local parts shops like we used to have in the UK. Anything called “Recambios Autos” seems to be like that although some are agricultural places. Everyone here seems to have a tractor so that’s understandable. They’re not cheap though. But they do insist on the “Ficha Technica” which is like a log book come built sheet so the parts always fit.
Ubique
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Odd, my impression from the 'other side' was that it is a relatively straightforward process, certainly at Merc. we had one or two jobs a month where an independent had fitted parts that were the subject of a warranty claim (2 years on parts), we confirmed the defect & replaced along with any displaced or consequentially damaged parts, - same scenario at VW, I think LR *at the time* just did a parts exchange, that was a good few years ago though.Dealership parts warranty for Indies depends on who you are dealing with (and how big your spend is). That is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth... Just plain business. If you are a big spender they will play as they don't wanna loose your custom - if you only have a few odd parts a year - you wasting your time to be honest.
"Back to base" dealer warranty claims - can be nasty... Sometimes it is cheaper just to re order the part(s) in question - re fit it - suck up the cost and service your customers needs.
Get your customers car moving and on the road again - then when the dealership monthly bill lands - start the begging - give them a dose of "I treated my customer better than I being treated as a customer of yours" - best you can hope for normally is a "contribution" - sometimes they will pay this out in drums of oil - I kid you not...
Indies don't get treated much better than retail customers when it comes to dealership supplied parts warranty to be honest... It is a poor state of affairs - but it is how it is...
Some marks - offer "warranty approved fitting centres out of the network" - but the cost and hurdles to jump thru is unreal - not practical - unless you got a private fleet of 500 of the same vans and your own workshop.
Where I am at the moment, we've had a few bits & pieces from TPS that have failed, the customer sometimes will pay for a replacement as the delay in getting a slot at the dealer booked is too long if it's a 'trade job', before my time but they've also successfully had an engine replaced by Ford after a wet belt failure, apparently took some time to get resolved and they had to show invoices for everything, even oil & filter.
premmington
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TPS is the worst of all to deal with - we do allot of Seat cars here - nearest Seat dealership from our workshop is 65miles - taking or sending a customers car for a "back to base" warranty claim - is just not workable - (transport costs - loan car) - if it is a low value part under £500quid ish - you might as well just re order and resolve your punters problem - ASAP...
There is a certain - etiquette here - if you do treat your customers well and in a decent manner - they will come back.
Also your parts suppliers can see - you bought the same part again and "treated your customers well" - they always/mostly - do try and help out with the costs...
While you paying your bill for parts on time - behaving to a decent business standard - it does you no harm. Gets you somewhere...!
At a previous employer, i can remember two jobs that ended up at dealers for warranty jobs.
Both coincedently new gearboxes.
One was a Sprinter auto that lost drive after a few thousand miles, and the dealer tried to blame it on us using the wrong ATF. Bosses response was "You better have a word with your parts then, as they supply the oil".
Other was a Transit gearbox, which the customer had stipulated that they wanted a genuine exchange box, and not repaired at our usual specialist. I can't remember what went wrong with it, but the dealer tried the same excuse, and guess what was on the gearbox invoice?
In fairness, the Ford parts manager dealt with that, as we were one of their biggest parts buyers at the time.
Customer service is key though. I can understand dealers wanting to ensure everything was done correctly, as they won't get paid if the manufacturer finds something wasn't done correctly, but to try the excuses before even asking what oils were used was bad form.
In contrast, the gearbox specialist did have a couple jobs go wrong, but they wouldn't quibble. They'd either be in the workshop within a day to fix it, you'd have another gearbox within a day, or They'd be there to collect it again as soon as you had it back out.
Both coincedently new gearboxes.
One was a Sprinter auto that lost drive after a few thousand miles, and the dealer tried to blame it on us using the wrong ATF. Bosses response was "You better have a word with your parts then, as they supply the oil".
Other was a Transit gearbox, which the customer had stipulated that they wanted a genuine exchange box, and not repaired at our usual specialist. I can't remember what went wrong with it, but the dealer tried the same excuse, and guess what was on the gearbox invoice?
In fairness, the Ford parts manager dealt with that, as we were one of their biggest parts buyers at the time.
Customer service is key though. I can understand dealers wanting to ensure everything was done correctly, as they won't get paid if the manufacturer finds something wasn't done correctly, but to try the excuses before even asking what oils were used was bad form.
In contrast, the gearbox specialist did have a couple jobs go wrong, but they wouldn't quibble. They'd either be in the workshop within a day to fix it, you'd have another gearbox within a day, or They'd be there to collect it again as soon as you had it back out.
