Good independent motor factors

[Angrydicky]

Hopefully we can compile a list of good, old-fashioned motor factors who don't simply ask for a reg and then give the inevitable 'computer says no...'

 

Essex

 

I'll start with Motorshop 1, Ashingdon Road, Rochford. Lots of old 80s tat accessories in the shop, and old stock parts through the back. Good selection of oils, paints, and even welding and bodywork consumables, as well as tools and trailer bits. Highly recommended.

http://www.motorshop1.co.uk/ 01702 547501

 

Autocare, London Road in Benfleet. Not as good a selection of tat as Motorshop 1, but three very helpful guys who work there who will really go out of their way to help you. All the usual oils, paint, antifreeze etc.

http://www.auto-care.co.uk/ 01268 753313

 

Discount Motor Spares, Rayleigh Road, Eastwood. Small but good shop with plenty of stock and helpful staff. They even sell copper cored HT lead by the metre so you can make your own.

01702 522566

 

Pound Lane Auto Discount, Pound Lane, Basildon. Very useful little shop with a wide range of auto electrical parts and filters in particular.

http://www.car-spares-essex.com/ 01268 728309

 

Shotgate Motor Parts, Wickford. Good selection of the usual consumables, one man band and the chap who runs it knows his stuff.

http://www.shotgatemotorparts-essex.co.uk 01268 733322

 

Kent

 

Chaucer Motor Factors, Canterbury. I believe they have moved now, but they always were very helpful and also have a lot of 80s tat accessories in stock such as seat covers and reflective door trims.

01227 767958

 

Norfolk

 

Diss Car Parts and Accessories, Diss. Very helpful and a have a good range of car spares, consumables and also tools and welding gear. 

01379 652544

 

Over to you!

[mercrocker]

HAMPSHIRE

 

 

Totton Motor Factors close to M271 Southampton

 

http://www.tottonmotorfactors.caarsites.co.uk/ 

 

Run by an old school hot-rodder and staffed by time-served mech and elec bods. 

Speak to Richard if possible - a shiter by nature (think he is running an '04 Accord estate now but has a litany of approved vehicles behind him) 

 

They do start off with the reg. over the phone but don't let that put you off.   

[DodgeRover]

Rose Autos (and Truck Spares) Crawley large range of stock on the shelf. Sensible prices

 

MPD - Motor Parts Direct, also in Crawley part of a chain but very helpful.

[egg]

Kent

 

Rudolphs, Herne Bay. Run by two old boys who know their stuff. 01227 742414

 

http://www.rudolphs.co.uk/

[64A60]

Hertfordshire

 

Apsley Motor Spares, London Road, Hemel Hempstead. Very helpful staff who seem to know their stuff when it come to pre 1990's vehicles. Wide range of consumables and accessories and open 7 days a week. 

 

http://www.apsleymotorspares.co.uk/ 01442 253753

[louiepj]

Rose Autos (and Truck Spares) Crawley large range of stock on the shelf. Sensible prices

 

MPD - Motor Parts Direct, also in Crawley part of a chain but very helpful.

Definitely agree with your Crawley choices; Rose Autos was the go to place for when stuck for unusual parts when I was an apprentice in the mid 90s and a couple of young mechanics I know use it now for the expertise (lost woodruff keys on early VAG 16v).

MPD are reliable as well. One of the MPD staff still remembers me now from my first job at a garage after leaving school. He survived the ridiculous 90s and early noughties over expansion of the motor factors Autella and Bulldog Express. Its a shame Euros didn't go that way.

 

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Chaucer motor factors are in Broad Oak down near Sturry. Right amongst all the new sellers. Partner’s Dad has recommended them before.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Kent

 

Rudolphs, Herne Bay. Run by two old boys who know their stuff. 01227 742414

 

http://www.rudolphs.co.uk/

Will take myself down there to have a poke around at some point. Sounds fun...

[dozeydustman]

Kent

 

Gravesend - Chalmers Car parts & accessories, West Crescent road (Off Harmer Street). Also known as "The motorist's shop"

 

Run by Jim Chalmers and his son Chris, established ages ago by Jim's dad, but still going strong some 40+ years later. Carries lots of NOS parts for older and classic vehicles, plus loads of giffer trinkets on display. Many local mechanics use them for finding obsolete stock if doing jobs on a classic or oddball vehicle. 01474 569888

[wuvvum]

Does Wilco count as an independent?  They have a chain of shops but they're very much local to Norfolk and still privately owned I think.  They are pretty good - most of the staff are knowledgable and they can usually get bits in next day if they don't have them on the shelf - and I have yet to have a wrong part off them.  They're reasonably priced too.  Their Aylsham Road branch is particularly good - there's a chap there who's been there for probably 30 years and really knows his shit, plus they still have a load of parts for older stuff in the basement - they managed to find me a track rod end for a Hillman Hunter off the shelf a few years back.

 

Motor Man in Stalham is fairly good, and has the advantage of being local to me, but they are a little pricey for some stuff.

 

There's a nice little motor factors in Portishead (Portishead Motorcare) which my dad used while I was there over Easter.  It's a small place so stock is a little limited, but it's family run and they're all very friendly.  Dad went in for a new rear wiper blade for his Auris - they couldn't find one for that year but they did him a refill for a fiver fitted, which I didn't think was too bad.

[Squire_Dawson]

Cottingham, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire.

 

When I lived there years ago there was a shop run by an old boy who knew his shite. There were framed photographs of old cars on all the walls. Needless to say, very helpful and knowledgeable and knew what parts were interchangable &c &c. But I have no idea if he's still going or not.

[skoda_fan]

Might well explore the Herne Bay and Gravesend shops mentioned here, thanks. Anyone know of anything in Medway? Otherwise it's all computer says no stuff here. Can't even get a length of coolant hose. Apart from my Octavia, it's a waste of time even trying to describe what my other three cars are to the inevitable 12 year old scrote/scrotess behind the counter.

[skoda_fan]

Just had a squint at Rudolphs (Herne Bay) website. Car parts come only under three headings: "bulbs", "electrical" or "windscreen washer pumps"(!). Oh, ok then.....

[catsinthewelder]

Midway in Ludlow are very good.  I get lots of service and bodging bits from them for work and home use.  The 1100 was too old to be in the books but the gaffer knew the part codes for it off by heart. 

 

An air filter I bought there for the Astra was wrong and knobhead here covered it in gunk trying to fit it into too small a space* so didn't expect to be able to return. When I went in to try again I was given the correct one for free and told to drop the other one off at my convenience for them to throw back at the supplier with instructions to make the book more accurate.

 

*Normally I would have compared the two but the old one came out before the MOT and the new one was bought when it passed.

[egg]

Yup, website is basic, but you'll find more in the shop! Actually, they are as much a supplier of tools as a factor TBH.

 

Just had a squint at Rudolphs (Herne Bay) website. Car parts come only under three headings: "bulbs", "electrical" or "windscreen washer pumps"(!). Oh, ok then.....

 

And they will point you to other firms if needed like my dad's old factor CAT (for 'Car and Truck') Automotive (now taken over by alliance automotive and no longer an indie)

 

http://www.catautomotive.co.uk/ 

 

CAT used to have a great branch in Elms Vale Road in Dover, in which me and my brother set up half the parts racking with my dad on a weekend in the early 90s.

 

Before that in the 80's my dad worked for Interpart which was an Independent in Dover/Folkestone, long since gone.

[Scruffy Bodger]

Midway in Ludlow are very good.  I get lots of service and bodging bits from them for work and home use.  The 1100 was too old to be in the books but the gaffer knew the part codes for it off by heart. 

 

An air filter I bought there for the Astra was wrong and knobhead here covered it in gunk trying to fit it into too small a space* so didn't expect to be able to return. When I went in to try again I was given the correct one for free and told to drop the other one off at my convenience for them to throw back at the supplier with instructions to make the book more accurate.

 

*Normally I would have compared the two but the old one came out before the MOT and the new one was bought when it passed.

 

I second this, went in just last week. Always helpful and the one chap behind the counter has been there for nearly 30 years! I asked out of interest as I remember him being there when I was at college 25 years ago.

Maybe helpful to say that it's in South Shropshire as it's a massive county?

[dozeydustman]

Might well explore the Herne Bay and Gravesend shops mentioned here, thanks. Anyone know of anything in Medway? Otherwise it's all computer says no stuff here. Can't even get a length of coolant hose. Apart from my Octavia, it's a waste of time even trying to describe what my other three cars are to the inevitable 12 year old scrote/scrotess behind the counter.

 

 

Don't knock Chaucer's in Canterbury either, they got me out of a few fixes when I lived there (See Mr Clutch thread).

 

There used to be a place in the Medway City estate that was quite good for car part. I think they were called SC.

 

If you go to Chalmers in Gravesend tell them Big Glen the bin man recommended them to you.

[egg]

The other parts shop in Herne Bay is SAM spares, which has been in town for ever, but isn't quite as good as it used to be, but still looks 'right'

 

http://samsparescarparts.com/

 

my thread on the 'back street garages of Herne Bay' features both business I've mentioned: http://autoshite.com/topic/28437-the-back-street-garages-of-the-bay-pic-heavy/

 

[Dead_E23]

Lloyds Motor Spares in North London are very good, not least for their late opening.    Their branch on the Edgware Road in Burnt Oak stays open until 8pm most nights, and the Wembley branch ('Midnight Motors') stays open until 10pm, 364 nights a year, carries a huge range of parts and even has a good selection of decent quality tools for sale!   That comes in pretty useful when you have a car in bits that is needed the following day.  

 

ETA: wuvvum's post above reminds me of the Wilco in Felixstowe, where I received amazingly helpful service and they went to a lot of trouble trying to find a supplier for an obscure tool I popped in to enquire about.  I'd definitely go back there.

[Parky]

MORE ESSEX

 

Conquest Auto Spares in Collier Row. The sort of place that has a massive book of parts to cross reference against. Quite dusty and tired, not very big but the guy in there has been there since I was in shorts. I last went there three years ago, he recognised me and asked after my Dad and that must have been the first time I had been there since 1992!

 

https://www.allinlondon.co.uk/directory/1078/84320.php

 

Ockendon Motor Spares in Ockendon (surprisingly). Usually busy, good for panels and like Conquests relies on blokes with fact files of laminated sheets to locate what you need. Again a firm that has been there for donkeys and when I have been in their pricing has been very good. Certainly cheaper than most.

 

http://www.ockendonmotorspares.co.uk

[busmansholiday]

Worsbrough Motor Spares, Donny Road, Stairfoot, Barnsley. They've got me out of a pickle more than once and it usually ends up with them looking at what you're got and saying, "call that £xx". Top lot.

[sheffcortinacentre]

Bullseye have several shops around south Yorkshire the one on bellhouse rd shffield 5 are very helpful.