20 replies to this topic

[The Matt]

Rubbers are rubbish these days. Gaiters on track rod ends just don't last any more.

Always fit genuine where available as some of the parts that are being produced are guff, absolute guff.

The real Issue is when you think you're buying genuine but it turns out to be repro.

[HarrysMini]

I think it's going to take a serious accident, maybe a death or multiple deaths due to a poor part before people really start to listen and appreciate how dangerous some of the parts that are being sold actually are. 

 

Yes I know, you should buy genuine (I always do), but even the non-genuine products should be up to some sort of standard.

 

As for rubber, a coating of rubber grease makes them last a bit longer. 

[Captain Mainwaring]

I think it's going to take a serious accident, maybe a death or multiple deaths due to a poor part before people really start to listen and appreciate how dangerous some of the parts that are being sold actually are. 

 

Yes I know, you should buy genuine (I always do), but even the non-genuine products should be up to some sort of standard.

 

As for rubber, a coating of rubber grease makes them last a bit longer. 

 

 

Well I'd think that the technology would be there now to make pretty much bomb proof rubber parts (actually I know it is).

 

As for an accident - it will be reported here and i feel it will be soon - but why are there still those who insist that a supplier is "doing the right thing" because they change a piece of rubbish - the stuff should never be in the market place. 

Here in Indonesia our suppliers are really pretty clear, seemingly much clearer than the suppliers in the UK.

 

As for the rest of the crap excuses - I never once returned anything to a motor factors years ago - what's gone wrong now? 

[The Matt]

 

As for the rest of the crap excuses - I never once returned anything to a motor factors years ago - what's gone wrong now? 

 

 

The Internet?  I really don't know what the cause of duff parts is.  Maybe people are doing more shopping for parts online (suppliers included) and maybe they're finding parts from foreign shores that don't comply to the same standards as the OE part would?

 

I do have to add though, as the "parts guy" in the garage I worked at many moons ago, I was forever returning duff parts, more often than not in my lunch time.  Parts sometimes incorrectly boxed/labelled, parts incorrectly threaded for the spec of the part, track rod ends/ball joints supplied without the rubber covers even fitted.  Bolts/nuts missing out of kits....there are countless examples really that I've experienced.  Maybe we were just using duff Motor Factors, but they were all that was available locally and at short notice. 

 

IMHO, this obviously isn't a new problem, the scale of it may have changed, it may not have.  I think it's possibly more a case of us hearing about it more and more because of sites/threads like this?

 

I should clarify (for my own peace of mind more than anything).  I didn't work in a parts department.  It was a small outfit in a local town, I was the guy that lived in the right direction to pass most of the motor factors when I went home for lunch.  So they'd quite often deliver them to us in the morning and I'd quite often call in and drop the problem parts back to them on the way home.  This was in the 1990s.  We were only just starting to move away from paper catalogues and into computerised systems to identify and order parts.  Some of the brands were utter tat

[firstforward]

I purchased a distributor cap for my SPi last month from a well known mini supplier. It was the only one they listed for my car so I had no choice but to buy that one at £2.50. Now when I ordered it I was unhappy that I was buying something for that stupidly low price but as I said there was no other alternative. When it arrived the central carbon contact that connects with the rotor arm was not even the correct diameter within its housing (too small) so it was wobbling from side to side, the fatigue placed on the carbon and the spring meant it would last only a few thousand miles in my estimate. As it happened it broke when fitting. I went to a local motor factors and purchased a replacement, they charged £9.50 and they explained the had the chance to buy to other type but it was obvious it was rubbish so they opted to stock the better item.

 

The options are there for all suppliers to buy better product but they are worried at losing sales to the likes of eBay etc, the fact is if you cannot afford to run a car then don't have a car, there is a whole younger generation of people that have no idea of good engineering and think anything goes if it can be purchased at the cheapest price, I think it makes them feel clever or something??

 

I notice some suppliers have had such a bad time selling cheap ball joints and wheel bearings they are offering them along side genuine product, it is as if to say after the cheapo has failed,  " you had the choice". This is wrong, it should only be offering better quality especially on safety related items,  that is how you build a good reputation as a Company.

Edited by firstforward, 02 August 2014 - 07:11 PM.

[Captain Mainwaring]

 

 

As for the rest of the crap excuses - I never once returned anything to a motor factors years ago - what's gone wrong now? 

 

 

The Internet?  I really don't know what the cause of duff parts is.  Maybe people are doing more shopping for parts online (suppliers included) and maybe they're finding parts from foreign shores that don't comply to the same standards as the OE part would?

 

I do have to add though, as the "parts guy" in the garage I worked at many moons ago, I was forever returning duff parts, more often than not in my lunch time.  Parts sometimes incorrectly boxed/labelled, parts incorrectly threaded for the spec of the part, track rod ends/ball joints supplied without the rubber covers even fitted.  Bolts/nuts missing out of kits....there are countless examples really that I've experienced.  Maybe we were just using duff Motor Factors, but they were all that was available locally and at short notice. 

 

IMHO, this obviously isn't a new problem, the scale of it may have changed, it may not have.  I think it's possibly more a case of us hearing about it more and more because of sites/threads like this?

 

I should clarify (for my own peace of mind more than anything).  I didn't work in a parts department.  It was a small outfit in a local town, I was the guy that lived in the right direction to pass most of the motor factors when I went home for lunch.  So they'd quite often deliver them to us in the morning and I'd quite often call in and drop the problem parts back to them on the way home.  This was in the 1990s.  We were only just starting to move away from paper catalogues and into computerised systems to identify and order parts.  Some of the brands were utter tat

 

 

 

Yes possibly - we can all see what's going on now whereas 20 years back it was word of mouth.

 

Whilst years ago I never ran a workshop or purchased parts on a commercial basis, my cars were sufficiently crap that I was never out of a motor factors - I can honestly say that given the large number of purchases made I have had any issues with parts not being fit for purpose.