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Stuck for where to post this thread - I don't really want to it in the parts for sale section - ideally it needs to be where it will get read by the masses - Mods - by all means move the thread if think its better placed elsewhere on the forum So I am very much aware the market has been flooded for some time with various suppliers / manufactures of parts that just do not make the grade what so ever - there is some shocking examples out there - the classic car media just sit's back and lets it happen - they wont rock the boat down to the fact the parts suppliers / manufactures spend a decent lump of revenue with the media in exchange for advertising space - unsure what else can be done with the suppliers many of whom hide behind highly restrictive returns policies yet turn out really poor quality products for which we stump up our hard earned money in advance of the items arriving - rather than drone on I going to give you a few examples: VW Heritage parts - Shoreham: Recently supplied over a £100 worth of Beetle rear lamp shrouds & lenses to me - shrouds are ok but the lenses have been finished with a angle grinder - I'm currently exchanging e mails with them   Aldridge Trimming - Supplied a client with a Corsair headlining - the support hoops of which were incorrectly spaced to great excess - the headlining was never going to fit - shocking customer service & response - they just went to hide behind a 14 day returns policy - the client had purchased the headlining in advance of the restoration of his car which took a few years before the headlining was even opened out of the wrapper - supplier was simply not interested - I would advise on avoiding this supplier at all costs  Ex-Pressed Steel Panels - Supply repair sections & panels for many different vehicle models - the panels that I have used of their manufacture to date are of a questionable quality when it comes to fitting and require some pretty extensive modification to achieve the correct fit - next to nil customer service or acknowledgement of this when complaint is made in person and they don't respond to e mails that take issue with their ill fitting products either  I'm sure that there are many examples out there and its only going to be a matter of time before a serious incident occurs with a safety critical part (if it hasn't already) - I aim to take the point further with some of the contacts I have in the classic car movement but to how far I will get and if it makes any impact is another thing but for now lets at least make the RR readers aware of the poor quality part suppliers / manufactures - equally if you have experience of a proactive supplier that acted efficiently when you brought a problem to light - then by all means post it up |
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2020 12:13:12 GMT by Deleted
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Ritchie
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 765 
Club RR Member Number: 12
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Ex-Pressed Steel Panels - Supply repair sections & panels for many different vehicle models - the panels that I have used of their manufacture to date are of a questionable quality when it comes to fitting and require some pretty extensive modification to achieve the correct fit - next to nil customer service or acknowledgement of this when complaint is made in person and they don't respond to e mails that take issue with their ill fitting products either Great idea for a thread.
I would agree with the above, I recently bought 2x front door hinge pillar skins for a Mk1 Escort as I wasn't impressed with the Magnum ones. They arrived and they were basically the same as the Magnum ones, it looked like somebody had taken ten minutes to bash them a bit flatter in sections and tidy them up with a soft disc on a grinder, something I could have done myself.
Price of the Magnum ones - 60 quid each. Price of the Ex-pressed ones - over 200 quid each!!
Someone is taking the p**s.
I've realised that Magnum probably are the best available and are good value when you consider the alternatives.
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longman
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 506
Club RR Member Number: 3
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I think its a bad idea on a public forum , I'm sure the RR boss isn't interested in getting sued or having solicitors letters turn up because of what is writen on here , plus there's no car content to keep us happy...  |
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Paul
98 500 SL
86 911 Carrera/sold
23 Octavia Phev
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cb11acd
Part of things
Posts: 132
Club RR Member Number: 122
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I agree that there should be more awareness about shoddy parts, especially when there are decent alternatives. But a public forum is probably a bad place for the above reason.
It think it would be much more beneficial to leave a review for that shop on google etc. Personally I have had good parts from VW Heritage but would maybe not have considered them after this post.
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I fail to see what they are going to sue a forum for - its me that's brought the issue to light - its me that's informed them what they have supplied is inadequate and its me that informed the supplier that when the customer service that I received is as equally inadequate of the part that they supplied in the first place - has for lack of car content to keep you happy you obviously have never read my numerous detailed build threads in the 'Readers Rides' which I think more than make up for the lack of car content - however without quality automotive parts being supplied to the market we wont have any cars on the road to produce content in the first place - go figure
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2020 16:52:51 GMT by Deleted
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Well yes, this is the stance taken by many other forums...… but that just enables the situation to continue indefinitely and helps no-one but those knowingly peddling sub-standard rubbish.
Big problem in the classic Triumph world. Particular things that spring to mind are "Lucas" rotor arms. The black ones with the rivet. Close to 100% failure rate at a random time interval - anything from first heat cycle to a few thousand miles before they leave you stranded. Other ignition components - points, condensors, coils are similar. This affects all retailers as they all seem to come from the same ultimate source but apparently the retailers don't moan to their supplier - because they don't get enough heat from us.
Similar story on just about anything with rubber in it. Bushes that disintegrate after 6 months. Balljoint gaiters that crumble to dust in a few months, even while still in their original packing.
Syncro rings that look like they've been made by someone using a blurry photo as a guide - with dimensions to match - and not even round..
Brake calipers - copies of the Girling 16 series which always feel like they need bleeding because the seal/groove design has been copied from a single piston/sliding caliper design and pulls the piston back twice as far as needed.
Cam followers supplied CROWNed when they should be flat - or just made of cheese. Timing chains where the outside edge is unfinished and rough as a crocodiles back so it chews through the tensioner in no time.
New oil pumps whose dimensions are not only worse than the 150k miles pump you took out, but outside book specs
Screen rubbers that don't even nearly fit
Wheelbearings made of cheese
The list is endless...… But in most cases the problem goes back beyond the retailer, so we don't even know who the guilty party really is - all we can do is complain to the retailer who passes it back up the line.
Not restricted to classic cars - I've had some awful rubbish supplied for my modern(ish) A6, but the extended build times in the car restoration world mean that many don't even attempt to return/complain.
I suppose my point is that it's possible to highlight the problem without (yet) naming and shaming. The retailers must be aware it's a big problem - I don't understand why they (on the whole) pretend there is no problem. A few of them do refuse to sell certain items because they are no good. A very few even act to improve the quality and availability on their own initiative (and find little support from their colleagues). Chris Witor deserves an honourable mention for this.
Nick
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1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend)
1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing)
1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)
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I'm fine with this thread as long as it stays on topic and doesn't descend in to whinging about things that aren't the core subject (for example complaining about couriers). I think it is important that people get value for money, I think companies have the right to defend themselves also. As has been stated Retro Rides isn't making these claims nor are we lending them legitimacy. If someone somewhere wants to complain about the quality of Retro Rides forum/events/whatever they have a right to do that, and if I get wind of it I may or may not decide to comment upon it.
I suspect (as has become a habit recently) a "Quality parts suppliers" counterpoint thread may be worthwhile as well.
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andyf
South West
Posts: 415
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I fail to see what they are going to sue a forum for - its me that's brought the issue to light - its me that's informed them what they have supplied is inadequate and its me that informed the supplier that when the customer service that I received is has equally inadequate of the part that they supplied in the first place Quite. Nobody can sue you if you are speaking the truth. It is a difficult one though, I for one would find this sort of thread very useful. The difficult bit is there can be extremely bad customers who will tell lies about suppliers because they have some sort of grudge and/or unreasonable expectations. Hastily edited to add I don`t think that of you grumpynortherner |
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2020 13:43:57 GMT by andyf
1980 Triumph TR7.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,714
Club RR Member Number: 34
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The sad truth is there is very few suppliers out there supplying quality items anymore.
I’m really struggling to remember the last time I bought something that I was impressed by the quality of.
I reckon somewhere around 75% of UK suppliers I’ve ever used have fallen short on their promises, regarding quality of items, warranty, customer service or delivery times.
It’s part of the reason I tend to put as much as possible through eBay and PayPal. It’s rarely more than 10% more expensive than going direct and you have a 3rd party handler that nearly always finds in your favour if the goods are below par.
Given I also do this professionally and order a lot of stuff for other people’s cars, that means literally hundreds of suppliers, especially in the American car/hot rod world. A big issue in that scene is suppliers lying about having UK stock, then drop shipping direct from the states, or bringing stuff in themselves, repackaging and sending out, when usually the only reason I’m asking a UK stockist for it in the first place is because I need it quickly. Because of that I tend to cut out the middle man these days and go direct, it ends up being quicker, especially when the likes of rockauto can deliver from the states in 48hrs.
Another thing I notice a lot these days is suppliers buying in stock of cheap Chinese items (which are not necessarily any poorer quality or indeed and different to any alternative available) then selling them at a strong markup under their own brand. A lot don’t even bother to take their own pictures of the item, they use the ones provided by the Chinese supplier! Is an item really worth more than twice as much because it’s bought from a UK seller?
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tristanh
Part of things
Routinely bewildered
Posts: 990
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I've bought loads of stuff from VWH and never had any problems.
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Whether you believe you can, or you cannot, you're probably right.
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DEPO auto parts Chinese curse word
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60six
Posted a lot
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Posts: 1,658
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Wouldn't it be better to highlight the parts themselves, over the supplier? I have had a fantastic turbo rebuild kit from DEPO which has been installed in my te04 12b mitsubishi - still running perfectly after a year of heavy use even after full inspection. VW heritage had been fine for rear light lenses for a split van in the past.
Not all suppliers parts are curse word, but it would be good to know if certain parts from certain suppliers are curse word without assuming that all the parts they supply are curse word.
When I have ended up with a new part that could be improved some way I remember having a rotor arm for a fiat 130 coupe where it was obvious that a rivet would not last long - I put a blob of solder on it and it was happy.
I know that may not be ideal, but I needed the rotor arm and soldering it wasn't an issue.
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Some 9000's, a 900, an RX8 & a beetle
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,195
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Like you vitesseefi, I've had terrible parts from a number of Triumph Suppliers. the rubber supplied by most of them is fit for scrap. Going with SuperPro/Flex gets around this problem very nicely whilst still keeping the comfort. It's not what you'd call a bargain however. Me? I'll leave the others to talk about BL parts. For me, the following vendors have been useless. MisterAuto. Yes they may be cheap and provide OE parts, but by God are they curse word! I bought an NGK O2 sensor for my MX-5 from them. What I didn't expect was a new old stock sensor in a semi-bashed box. I put it in and it still was questionable as to whether it worked. I bought it as they were the only people selling a branded sensor for about £5 more than an unbranded item and a genuine one was £130, more than I wanted to spend. Ah well, you buy cheap... If it was a one-off I'd have gone fine. I've had vendors make mistakes before and in most cases they'll rectify it. My M3 Oil Cooler woes really took the Michael though! The TLDR version: -Bought cooler from MA, 2 weeks before a trip -Cooler arrived, 7 days before the trip. I noticed it had a chunk missing out of the pipe, and then more when I got another cooler (I'll come to that). The cooler oddly enough was a Genuine BMW cooler, but obviously with defects -I ask for an exchange, they won't do that, so I get a refund. 3 days after I sent it off, their stock level increased by one. A coincidence or are they knowingly peddling unfit parts? -I asked if I could have one sent to me tomorrow, and at my own expense, I'd pay the extra for a next-day delivery ; this was 2 days before I was due to leave. All they quoted to me was their standard email about '2 days after Paypal has cleared, we'll send it via a normal delivery'. I was fuming! Those two experiences have put me right off Mister Auto. I'll never ever use those faulty part supplying people again. I'd suggest you don't either, given they most likely knowingly relisted a faulty cooler. To be fair to BMW, they knocked me off alot of cash (albeit I was begging them for the cooler) and it came via a next-day delivery. For those saying I'd have chanced it, would you have chanced it on an engine which has a value of £3k secondhand? I didn't think so  .   ECP have been cheeky. They'll often sell 330Ci parts for an M3, despite them fitting but the specifications are different. It's funny how people moan about M3 brakes alot... But to be fair, many motor factors do that, and it's us who need to be a little more vigilant in these cases. While I don't use them as much now, their customer service has always been fine. There are more, but I'll let others comment on the Triumph peeps I know. I'll come back with a decent vendor's list. |
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To be fair, I have come across a couple of sellers on eBay recently who have taken this on board, I usually message a seller to get an idea of who is the part supplier for their advertised parts, and have had a couple of replies stating that they don’t stock eg britpart items in the case of Land Rover
The message may slowly be getting through, but like most of these things it’s like mating elephants
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Seems to me we are partly to blame for the poor quality of parts as well.
We shop around to get the best prices, which probably means our parts get made by a 12 year old Chinese girl who has never seen a running example of the classic we happen to be working on.
And I'm not blaming the Chinese for it either.
They have their own Space Program.
They are fully capable of doing quality work.
But if a customer specifies low budget crappy parts, that's what he will get...
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We’ve bought three batteries from euro car parts in the last year all have had to be replaced within weeks
All on different cars, to be fair euros have been excellent on each occasion
The fella there said he’s tired of the problems with there battery suppliers but it falls on deaf ears with higher management there
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2020 19:57:42 GMT by Mercdan68
Fraud owners club member
1999 Jaguar s type
1993 ford escort
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I bought a full Constant Energy Ignition kit off Burton Power. €230 odd quid plus p&p. ( www.burtonpower.com/x-flow-elec-lucas-distributor-kit-fp299k.html ) New Dizzy, Coil, Cap, etc. Drop in and time it and should be good to go. Never was possible to time it as "something" kept moving. Turned out that the thing so badly made that the shaft was wriggling in the bearings. But usual story. I'd owned it a while during resto and it was out of warranty. Haven't bought off them since and wont. I ended up putting a 100k mile Ford Fiesta dizzy in the thing and its grand since :-( |
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Seems to me we are partly to blame for the poor quality of parts as well. We shop around to get the best prices, which probably means our parts get made by a 12 year old Chinese girl who has never seen a running example of the classic we happen to be working on. And I'm not blaming the Chinese for it either. They have their own Space Program. They are fully capable of doing quality work. But if a customer specifies low budget crappy parts, that's what he will get... You have some merit in what you are saying - but not really - personally I just want a part that fits correctly and does what its supposed to do whilst also looking like it belongs there - price comes into it but that is well down my list of concerns - I would much rather the supplier state that 'We have this product - its not that good a fit and it will probably break within a short period plus the quality is rubbish - buts is only £3.99 and a bargain' - Well a bargain its not in the cold light of the day - what is - is a waste of time & effort - why cant they just be honest with their client base and the product description - the 3 examples I originally listed at the start of this thread were certainly not purchased on the basis of the price being the deciding factor |
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2020 21:22:34 GMT by Deleted
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Badger
Part of things
Posts: 250
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A couple of years back I had a Starline wishbone from Euro Car Parts fail on me, luckily at low speed. Turns out there was a missing weld on it! To balance that out though, ECP were good and paid for all the repairs to the car, and they told me that they'd ordered an inspection of their stock, so hopefully it won't happen again. I have to say that metalshapes does have a point; I'm guilty of it, going for the cheapest supplier. Sometimes you get away with it, other times not! |
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60six
Posted a lot
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Posts: 1,658
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LION batteries from eurocarparts - woefully poor excuses for car batteries. I even had to quote the consumer rights act in order to return one!
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Some 9000's, a 900, an RX8 & a beetle
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