I had a call the other day for a clutch plate and release bearing for a Bentley Mark VI. Not the hardest enquiry I’ve had, but it led to some interesting points.
The first was the variation in prices for the same item! The clutch cover from the authorised dealer for pre-1955 parts was priced at over £500 plus VAT. I located one that I offered the prospective client at £225 plus VAT, only to find that someone else had offered one for £90 - and that was less than my purchase cost!
But how do you know whether the part you are buying is good, bad or indifferent?
The obvious first category is parts from Main Dealers. Car manufacturers invest immense sums of money on specification, samples, evaluations, inspections and all manner of Qualit Control, and the result is that the replacement part is identical to the original, or if not identical has been through the procurement process to ensure compatibility etc. However, this does come at a price - genuine main dealer parts are the most expensive you are likely to buy.
Next is OEM, or Original Equipment Manufacturer parts. Genuine parts, as original but sold under the part manufacturer’s label not the car manufacturer’s. These parts are generally cheaper than from the main dealers and are of identical quality. They do however take some tracking down, as the part manufacturer uses his own part numbering system which doesn’t correspond with Bentley’s. Luckily, people like ourselves and others have spent the time doing the research, and as a result can offer these parts at a considerable saving.
Then come aftermarket manufactured parts. Usually produced in the first place to supply a need because of either a supply shortage or because the genuine part is either very expensive or of variable quality. A good example of this is the Lumenition distributor kit for the Shadow II cars to replace the Lucas Opus module. The original part was notoriously unreliable whereas the Lumenition replacement is ” fit and forget”. Generally these parts or good quality, but you should be aware that safety-critical parts may not have gone through the same testing as original parts.
Next is reconditioned parts, and here is where we come to the minefield. Quality is so variable that you really need your wits about you to be sure that the part you buy is going to do the job. For example, Silver Shadow brake pumps range from around £60 reconditioned to around £400 reconditioned from the main dealer. The best rule of thumb is the old one: you pay for what you get. Any reconditioned parts we supply are anly sourced from reputable suppliers of good standing, and almost exclusively from companies run by people like me with long main dealer experience. I don’t aim to be the cheapest - I look to provide quality parts at a reasonable cost and sell value not price.
Last, for obvious reasons, is used or “pre-owned” parts. I don’ really need to say much here. Quality is variable, suppliers extremely variable in knowledge and accuracy and prices around half that of the equivalent new part. I don’t major on supplying used parts, although having said that I am happy to supply used parts sourced from a small number of specialist used part suppliers that I know and trust.
Apologies if this seems like teaching your grandmother to suck eggs, but I feel very strongly that when maintaining and servicing cars such as Rolls Royce and Bentley have built then it is important to use quality parts at the right price. End of lecture!!
Must update this blog more often!
Till next time,
Nigel Barker.
