sodding cars

[HalloweenJack]

ordered a new clutch kit for my car from ECP , had to replace my gearbox thanks to a `tard under filling it and eating the diff.

bolt pressure plate and friction disc in - great , go to put release bearing on gearbox and oh

its too big.

yes ladies and gentlemen I was sent the wrong kit.

cant get another till tomorrow and my car is in bits. not f`ing happy

[Agent]

I've fell foul of it too.
Had a motorbike engine stripped down ready for a rebuild.....wrong gasket sent

Had to wait days for another as couldn't find a UK supplier. Annoying thing is that I should have checked before opening it up!

[HalloweenJack]

whats worse is its the right kit - according to the part number , but the release bearing is the wrong one for my car

they are sending out another but that's not the point

[filbert]

First thing you do is check the parts are correct

[DanceswithUnix]

Getting the right parts can be hard, specially if you don't know there is more than one option.

Got to the auto factors once to buy a new cambelt. Bloke asks "98 teeth or 100 teeth". Back home I drive.

Picks up old belt: 1. 2. 3..

[Agent]

I've noticed over the last few years getting parts is becoming much more difficult without going direct to the manufacturer's.

I like to play with Kawasaki bikes when I have free time - strip them down, do them up. Engine rebuild, spraypaint it...the lot. Even getting pattern 'common' things like gaskets and piston ring sets is getting really hard. So many have to be shipped from the EU / US now that cost wise, it's a nightmare

I need a new fuel tap for one of them - ~£70 in the UK, or ~£40 from the EU (+ postage). Ughhh.

[HalloweenJack]

First thing you do is check the parts are correct

part number on box compares with part numbers on service Citroen , ergo - I assumed they had sent the right parts....


difficult to check the release bearing when its between the gearbox and pressure plate I think

[MaddAussie]

Getting the right parts can be hard, specially if you don't know there is more than one option.

Got to the auto factors once to buy a new cambelt. Bloke asks "98 teeth or 100 teeth". Back home I drive.

Picks up old belt: 1. 2. 3..

This may help next time mate....

[filbert]

part number on box compares with part numbers on service Citroen , ergo - I assumed they had sent the right parts....


difficult to check the release bearing when its between the gearbox and pressure plate I think

now you know part numbers of kits mean jack

obviously you can't check when it's assembled but you said you'd fitted the cover before you checked

[Zak33]

oh .. it's hard out there at the moment

ECP and (other large players) are filling their bins with parts from manufacturers, getting awesome bonus and discount for buying lots... (and other suppliers too obviously) but the database they cross reference can never match the knowledge of the 20 years + experienced parts manager in a main dealer.

I know.. it hurts to pay...and some of them are blummin useless too

but sometimes it's worth it, AND if you find a clever person in a parts dept.. cherish them!

Mean time, I feel your pan halloween.. I do.

[DanceswithUnix]

This may help next time mate....

lol, I can just see that at the factors. Wave an oily belt around and ask to rub it all over the nice clean ones in the warehouse until I get one I want to buy

[Knoxville]

I've noticed over the last few years getting parts is becoming much more difficult without going direct to the manufacturer's.

Even that's getting more difficult these days, depending on what you own. For me it's not such a problem because I have a proper parts catalogue and workshop manual for the truck so it's a case of find the part number - order the part. However, no such thing exists for newer Land Rovers. Discovery 3/4, Freelander 2 and Range Rover owners can't even buy a parts catalogue. To see what you can order you have to pay for access to Land Rover's own special web catalogue and even then a great many major engine and gearbox components are simply unavailable, they'd rather sell you a replacement engine as a whole than the parts to fix one.

It strikes me that some manufacturers have a vested interest these days when it comes to spares.... After all, why sell spare parts when you can force customers to have their vehicle repaired and serviced at your dealership and make more out of them?

[deejayburnout]

I bloody well hate cars just now. My old one died and i had to buy a new one. That has a few issues as well.

Im getting a Bus Pass

Joking aside, it good that we can fix them ourself and not have to play garages inflated prices. i was quoted £160 once for supply and fit front pads and discs on my old 307. £45 at ECP and 3 hours of my time and done it myself.

[HalloweenJack]

now you know part numbers of kits mean jack

obviously you can't check when it's assembled but you said you'd fitted the cover before you checked

I know what you mean but - the pressure plate and friction disk are the all the same in the Citroen 1.9 td`s - its the bearing that's different , so took the gearbox off , unbolted the old clutch , and started bolting on the new one , then had the `oh bugger` moment.

[HalloweenJack]

Even that's getting more difficult these days, depending on what you own. For me it's not such a problem because I have a proper parts catalogue and workshop manual for the truck so it's a case of find the part number - order the part. However, no such thing exists for newer Land Rovers. Discovery 3/4, Freelander 2 and Range Rover owners can't even buy a parts catalogue. To see what you can order you have to pay for access to Land Rover's own special web catalogue and even then a great many major engine and gearbox components are simply unavailable, they'd rather sell you a replacement engine as a whole than the parts to fix one.

It strikes me that some manufacturers have a vested interest these days when it comes to spares.... After all, why sell spare parts when you can force customers to have their vehicle repaired and serviced at your dealership and make more out of them?

its the same with service citroen (and Peugeot servicebox) - technically you have to pay , but you can get free access if you don't sign up to anything regarding price and costings , which is how I did it - to locate the correct part number based on my VIN number

[kalniel]

. i was quoted £160 once for supply and fit front pads and discs on my old 307.

That's a bargain. You don't want to know what Audi charge for the same. But brakes.. I don't touch.