The last of the Main Road Motorfactors

[rrsix]

4u2fit are fantastic used them many times. There is also Chalmers in Gravesend who have been around even longer than my dad can remember and are always happy to go hunting for obscure stuff in the back room.

[hazzalandy]

It's a shame that all the independants in Leicester (and there are quite a few) seem to sell 'reconditioned' parts as new ones.

 

This consists of chucking the old master cylinder gleaned from the roving pikeys into a bath of paraffin, print off a new box and sell for £5 cheaper than Euro Car Prats. 

 

That said RMC in Leicester have provided me with properly obscure parts in the past, and they have 5 floors of parts dating back (seemingly) to the days of horse and cart. 

[robinmasters]

USE THEM OR THIS HAPPENS

 

 

They do have another branch, but it's half an hour's walk instead of five minutes.

[Justin Case]

Motoraids in Willenhall appear to be still going. I haven't used them since the days when about two starters, three dynamos and one headlight seemed to fit about 90% of the cars on the road. They were pretty good then, dooes anyone know if they rae still the same?

[Timewaster]

^^^ This!

 

The amount of stock you need to carry now is ridiculous.

Even simple things like wipers. 20 years ago we stocked 10 different Sizes, By the time I left it was more like 100.

[Joey spud]

There is a small indy called The Gear Box in Longfield (kent) thats been around for years.

 

Recently i had a Fiat 126 that needed a fuel pump (the little spring that kept its operating arm against the cam had broken) the guy had just bought it from ebay and was miles from home.

 

Rang the old boy at Gear box and he had a genuine boxed fiat pump on the shelf for £19.

 

Likewise i needed a rotor arm for an Austin Princess wedding car and he had one gathering dust.

 

Re ECP some are good some are shite.

My son works for the local one here as a van driver and they shift a lot of gear and are all massively pushed (even the drivers) with sales targets.

Not so good is how they employ staff,they have a few full time drivers but a lot of them are on zero hour contracts and are lucky to get 3 days a month or they get the offer of a days work with just an hours notice.

[cros]

Today I had a new hazard switch pack up which left me with no indicators at all. No one notices hand signals these days so as there was a branch of Wankfords within walking distance I nipped in thinking that they must have a test lamp and they sure did- for £16. I managed without and called in at 4UTOFIT when I had got the flashers back. Here you can buy a nice brass test lamp for a fiver, but best of all was a new 8 litre name brand mains compressor for £60 all in. I like a happy ending.