ECP in shock price reduction

[forddeliveryboy]

Just had an email that FLASH30 will bring you almost a third off most of their stock. 

 

These sales seem to happen as much as full prices hold sway, to the extent if there hasn't been an obvious offer on and I've been forced to buy something there, I'll ask how much discount they'll give me. 

 

Most of the time, cross-referencing parts databases are our friends - if you're driving about in pre-millenial chod which doesn't share its bits with modern stuff. It may take four or five minutes more than simply ebaying a wordy description of what you need, but can bring reduction many times greater than ECP's sales drives.

 

In the last couple of weeks, I've bought new calipers for under a tenner including delivery, the same for pairs of discs and brake pads. They were often listed with just their own part number, sometimes the OE number too.

 

In fairness these were bin-ends which stockists wanted rid of, but quoting numbers instead of names usually brings a decent saving, either because it's a seller who only wants trade from people who won't be returning items when they're the wrong shape or surprisingly often because someone who has bought the wrong stuff and is trying to minimise his losses. I missed a set of Yaris discs and pads by Pagid for £15 on Sunday, because nobody had bid an hour before the auction and the seller removed them. 

 

I'll report how the Motaquip pads get on with QH discs on the Volvo - some would say they'll self-destruct as soon as you need to brake hard, I'd say it's autoshite done right. And a lot more friendly for the environment than binning the unwanted parts, just as it's the way with our old cars.

 

 

[New POD]

where do you find access to a cross referencing parts database ?

[Richard]

Google. If you google the part number you are looking at you usually find the part for sale elsewhere with a list of other manufacturers' numbers for the same part, then you just work your way through these to find the best deal.

[Skizzer]

I bought a serpentine belt for the Wrangler in the last ECP flash sale. Amazingly*, it was about 18 inches too short.

 

If you want a free belt and don't have a 4-litre Jeep with PAS but no aircon, PM me and it's yours. Or if you're feeling like a completely random lucky dip, try ECP.

[forddeliveryboy]

where do you find access to a cross referencing parts database ?

 

 

 

https://partsdb.info is a good general one, although there are loads of others, more specific to certain categories. For example, http://webcat.firstline.co.uk/Home, http://www.brakeworld.co.uk/brakeworld/appguide/webframe.htm and http://cars.febi-parts.com/?lang=GB, although I don't think the Febi one cross references part numbers. 

 

It helps to know your stuff a bit too, the results aren't always 100% accurate and sometimes different names are used - gumption needed.

[colino]

It's almost as if Mr Singh is loading the company with dafter and dafter extensions to their product line, "Would you like a swimming pool with that set of cheapo brake pads sir?"  and more and more desperate sales to drive ECP into the ground.  LKQ could sell it back to him for a quid, he could streamline it back into the business it was shaping up to be and he'll be totally back in control with £300M in his hip pocket.  Or maybe he'll wait until LKQ buy Halfords and that will be his pension too.

[dome]

Thanks for the headsup on the 30% discount-just saved myself an extra £15 on discs and pads for the BMW!

 

I'm sure you won't believe this but in many years of dealing with ECP I've only had a couple of wrong parts sent. The guys in my local branch are pretty decent. I tried using a local independent factor for a while but the bearing puller they sold me was chinese ebay tat of the worst order so never went back, once I'd got my refund.

[rml2345]

Their Falkirk branch is pretty good and they're cheaper usually than local factors without having to wait a week for delivery. Now I've said that of course next order placed for the Xantia will result in recieving the steering rack for a Mini or something.

[Bren]

I bought a serpentine belt for the Wrangler in the last ECP flash sale. Amazingly*, it was about 18 inches too short.

If you want a free belt and don't have a 4-litre Jeep with PAS but no aircon, PM me and it's yours. Or if you're feeling like a completely random lucky dip, try ECP.

Buying anything from ECP is like a lucky dip.

[twosmoke300]

Without the luck

[SiC]

Last order I had from ECP was literally last week from their last 30% sale. Ordered a TPMS sensor for the Laguna.

 

Received one suitable for a Maybach, Audi A8, Maseratti and a Ferrari. Unsurprisingly the box looked pretty tattered and undoubtedly been sent back to them at least a couple of times...

[lisbon_road]

carparts4less (I think, something ghastly like that) on ebay is generally less than ECP for everything even after their wretched offers, and is the same company.

 

Lots of good advice above, and good advice elsewhere too to use the Amazon parts finder.  Did that recently and got my Astra shocks for £8.50 delivered.  Can't complain.

[Kiltox]

CP4L are even worse at picking orders though

[AMC Rebel]

It's almost as if Mr Singh is loading the company with dafter and dafter extensions to their product line, "Would you like a swimming pool with that set of cheapo brake pads sir?"  

 

Ironically I ordered a tent/maquee thing from them cos it was an amazingly good price and I thought it would be great for lavish garden parties mending shite in the dry when it's pissing down.

 

Ordered 27th July.  Email today which I think (it's fucking awfully worded) is saying "ha ha we haven't got any of those - what were you thinking?"  Tossers.

[Rusty_Rocket]

GSF gets my custom more often then Eurowrongparts because every weekend they usually have 42/43% off everything.  The stuff is usually correct and delivered quickly, too.

Sadly though, I've just heard that the local PROPER motor factor of my misspent yooof has finally closed down.  4U2FIT in Maidstone is/ was truly excellent.  Always had the bits you wanted, on the shelf, good old makes like QH, Borg & Beck, Unipart etc.  I moved away from the area four years ago but used that place whenever I could.

[chaseracer]

Now I've said that of course next order placed for the Xantia will result in recieving the steering rack for a Mini or something.

 

Should be OK with enough zip ties.