Hi all, I am hoping to pick your brains and use your experience with buying parts to get some recommended suppliers for the parts below that I am after. Many places supply these parts but the quality and fit of certain parts can be better from some places than others. Rust free cab doors - used Rust free engine lid - used Bumper rear - used Clutch plate - 215mm size? for 1700cc engine Seals for windows and doors Seals for pop top Rubber elbow for fuel breather Pop-top hold down toggle Drive shaft gaiters Engine mounts Rust free front beam - used Rear 1/4 light seal Chrome hub caps x4 Westy front hing pop-top canvas Jalousie window seals Any help and advice gratefully received. Thanks. Fronk.
FBI VW for used items such as doors etc Parts try Bigrich on here, he works at Coolair (10% discount) or Anna who works at VW Heritage (5% discount). Both are great to deal with & very helpful!
never used Machine 7 - I'll have to try them! C & C are good for things like door and window seals, the fit is spot on
Fronk - was it you that had his bus with the guy whose business went under and you had issues getting it back?
Yes Moons, that was me. There is more to tell about the story and I will do so on here soon. In a nutshell though, I have my bus back unfinished with the engine out and boxes of parts (like a jigsaw puzzle with no picture on the box!). I'm in the process of finding someone to finish the paint work and will probably end up doing the rest myself to try and keep costs down.
custom&commercial.com are my fav at the moment, always answer any queries quickly, free postage on £50+ orders and olympic discounts too just kampers and vw heritage also have been very good too
It's not so much where you go, more what you buy when you get there. The best bits are usually the most expensive of each companies offerings. Some parts are rubbish no matter where you buy them. I like heritage for mechanical parts and C&C for seals, but there will be others offering the same stuff - they're all middle men.
Well, according to the chap that runs RetroDubs in Cornwall, any classic VW parts made by VW are imported and distributed thru Heritage. So for these bits everyone else is a middleman.
FBI source & import everything them self's. They always seem to have what I need & the bonus is they are a 5 minute drive from me.
I'm hoping the scouts from the main parts suppliers keep on eye out for when their names are mentioned on these pages and so read my plea - here it is: There seems to be a lot of repro rubbish parts available, often where genuine products don't exist and NOS has dried up. None of us wants to spend hours toiling away on our vans with panels that don't fit and components made of third rate materials that won't last. As individuals we don't have the ability influence the quality that the parts supply chain produce, but the retailers do. So, guys at Heritage, JK, M7, GSF, C&C and all, please use your position as major buyers to find those suppliers who can manufacture to original tolerances, materials, finish and reliability (they are out there) and don't risk your reputations on the cheap look-alikes which are false economy for everyone. Right, time to get off the soap box and go scrub the rust off those after market hub caps - or maybe I'll just watch the Oympics....
Well said, but until people are willing to pay for quality stuff, it's going to happen. Cheap stuff always wins, that's why folk sell it.
Yes mcswiggs, this is what I mean. When a supplier has 2 options for the same part at vastly different cost you can usually assume that the cheaper will be shoddy, ill fitting or short lived. However, when there is only one option with each provider it is difficult to know the difference and if the more expensive one will be the best. Some suppliers quote that parts are 'German Quality' or 'Original Quality' but what does this mean in reality when compared to others?
Not really a great help to your list Fronk, but Autocraft have started making panels for bays, mostly early stuff at the moment, but some panels are 68-79 (they are the ones who make the green repro panels for splits) and i've only ever heard good things about their stuff. http://www.autocrafteng.co.uk/products.asp?id=7&gmnu=109&cmnu=4
