Soldato
My previous car the gearbox failed. £850 I was quoted. Wasn’t going to spend that money on a car worth £2k.
At what point do you call it quits on a car?
- Thread starter Raymond Lin
- Start date
Caporegime
I know what an analogy is, thankyou.
But there are good analogies, and faulty analogies.
Comparing car parts to steak is a faulty analogy.
It isn't like there are only 5 possible steak varieties, that each steak is identical to other steaks within that variety, that the chef is aware of all the steak varieties, that the variety is the only factor to be considered, that there would be any benefit to you providing your own steak, etc.
You walk into a garage with your own parts, the mechanic will know immediately if the parts you are holding are worse, equal to, or better than the ones they would have supplied themselves, based solely on the name written on the box.
Last edited:
He's always had some issues with caring too much how people perceive him, it's why pretty much every single one of his posts is edited and why he changed his name.
Anyway, the word he's missing is liability.
As @JonRGV250 has already pointed out, if you fit parts to a car that you haven't bought or aren't responsible for and they fail, it's you on the hook, not the parts supplier.
Doesn't matter if it is top of the line stuff in a sealed box, the facts are that there are fake manufacturers, copies, and even if the part is genuine, who's to say it's not a manufacturing reject or doesn't have a fault?
All fun and games flying the flag of "I won't do business with a mechanic that won't fit parts for me that I've supplied" until one day a wishbone snaps and ploughs you in to a hedge, who's to blame then? Good luck unpicking that mess.
I dread to say it but any mechanic who agrees to fit parts from a customer is probably a bit dim or hasn't been burned yet.
Caporegime
True.
But not this bit.
If the part physically breaks, it is the component manufacturers fault.
You just called the majority of all mechanics a bit dim, including some of them in this thread.
I have never encountered a mechanic who has a problem with fitting the parts I supply, and I have dealt with a lot of mechanics, old school mechanics with generations old family businesses trusted by entire towns, new school mechanics with a Snap-On payment bigger than their mortgage, ones working out of their garage, and ones working out of a multi million pound shiny fabrication shop with marbled resin floors.
I've never even had so much as a "oh, we don't usually do that..." The only thing I have encountered is garages who do not want to fit part worn tyres, which I *completely* understand.
The only time I think it would be commonplace to refuse is if you work for a chain or a franchise with policies that specifically prohibit fitting customer supplied parts. But I wouldn't go to a garage like that.
Last edited:
And what do you think the manufacturer is going to tell you if you try and take it up with them?
You just called the majority of all mechanics a bit dim, including some of them in this thread.
Or just not yet burned
I didn't want to go in to the details, you discussed it a few years ago and I totally understand the situation. Hope it's going well btw
Caporegime
I guess it depends? But if a wishbone physically breaks and results in someone's death, the company under scrutiny would be the manufacturer not the garage that fitted the part.
If the bolts backed out and it fell off, well, thats different.
I didn't want to go in to the details, you discussed it a few years ago and I totally understand the situation. Hope it's going well btw
Its going alright, thanks.
I did leave this place for a while because of my tendency to end up arguing with everyone. I maintain that some people on these boards are a bit toxic and that it isn't completely my fault though.
Last edited:
I guess it depends? But if a wishbone physically breaks and results in someone's death, the company under scrutiny would be the manufacturer not the garage that fitted the part.
If the bolts backed out and it fell off, well, thats different.
That's not proven though. There's a reason vehicles have torque settings, you can very easily crack a solid steel part by putting it under too much stress by tightening bolts, and the courts will be more than happy to ask you or the mechanic to prove that you torqued the part up correctly.
Put yourself on the other side of the fence - you make wishbones for E30s. You work to the highest standards and the lowest tolerances and you have a network of mechanics who have been trained in the fitment of these parts. Someone then buys one and has it fitted by a mechanic not on your approved list and a few months later you get a letter telling you that you're being sued because your part failed. Are you just going to roll over and take the L and all the reputational damage, compo claims, escalated insurance costs, legal fees etc that goes with it, or are you going to spend every last ounce of effort getting the purchaser to prove that your part was faulty?
After all you've sold tens of thousands of wishbones and never had a problem, but suddenly your record is tarnished because a part was fitted by a non-approved mechanic, who's most likely going to be the cause?
And a judge will factor that in when you're in the courtroom too.
Caporegime
@Raymond Lin once you've finished fixing your car can you also sort out this mess of a thread.
Thanks muchly.
Thanks muchly.
Really, any evidence to back that up?
The last thing any garage wants is cheap crappy parts that will cause them a loss of labour and ultimately profit from wasting time replacing trash parts.
Caporegime
The fact that most people are money motivated.
Some 'trash' parts aren't likely to fail in a timeframe that would cause the garage any issues.
Last edited:
So "no" then.
I had to lol at that.
Do you have any experience of warranty claims?, or parts failure and the costs involved?
That was rhetorical btw, cleaery you don;t.
Do carry on though, its worth a laugh
Caporegime
Obviously these things are nuanced, it isn't black and white. It depends on the part and it depends on the garage.
Some parts can perform well enough but be inferior to others. I misspoke when I said the cheapest one available, I meant the cheapest option available which they know is "good enough" to not cause them issues.
Most people don't care that much and that is good enough for them, but others want to do their own research and know exactly what is being fitted.
Last edited:
Caporegime
Well what brand of wheel bearings do you usually fit when a customer doesn't specify? Or brake disks and pads? Dampers? Timing belt kits? Ball joints?
Perhaps I should be more trusting, but its in my nature to be sceptical unfortunately...
Am I completely wide of the mark? Do garages tend to fit quality parts and have these policies to stop customers from supplying cheap ones?
Am I a weird fringe case who does it for the opposite reason? Is the reason why I have never had any issues because I always plonk down boxes stamped genuine, or Bosch, SKF, Bremi, Bilstein, Denso, etc?
Perhaps I should be more trusting, but its in my nature to be sceptical unfortunately...
Am I completely wide of the mark? Do garages tend to fit quality parts and have these policies to stop customers from supplying cheap ones?
Am I a weird fringe case who does it for the opposite reason? Is the reason why I have never had any issues because I always plonk down boxes stamped genuine, or Bosch, SKF, Bremi, Bilstein, Denso, etc?
Last edited:
Soldato
- Joined
- 16 Aug 2009
- Posts
- 7,968
Depends where you go main dealers will use genuine parts and have mechanics trained to the job but you'll pay for the privilege
Thats cheap I was quoted that just for the clutch!
Last edited:
Caporegime