Club Funds

[Guest]

Filler necks, windscreen seals, sunroof seals, windscreens, radiators, exhausts..... Not saying the club should make them all, but maybe some persuasion to manufacturers to encourage production verses there is still a demand for the parts.

Rich

[Guest]

There is (or were) plenty of new and used parts out there for "our cars", held by current and former users/members of the various forums and web sites that cater for owners.

The issue is, as has been previously mentioned, that people simply did not want to "Pay" for the parts.

They wanted them "for nothing" in comparison to what the parts had actually cost to "buy in".

One such member (and no it was'nt me) managed to secure a number of NOS doors, and made it known they were available.

At least one owner(and I have been assured there were a few more) asked to purchase a couple of doors and was told the price. (£65 each to cover purchase ,transport and storage)

The buyer promptly replied " How Much?!!!! " ... "I only want to pay a tenner a door".

Suffice to say that they were told no in a less than pleasent manor.

This has happened numerous times in my experience, and I personally, at barn meets have suffered thefts of new parts while I was dealing with other honest owners, and failure to pay by some of those I trusted more than I should have.

The fact is, the parts where there when everyone said we needed them.

Now that we as owners really do need them, they are not available or come at a much higher cost.

This is mainly due to those who had them either deciding to hold them for them selves or scrap larger parts (and cars) due to the huge cost of storage and loss of finances invested in them.

Luckily the likes of Rimmers and a few mainstreem ebay sellers have tried to maintain a stock of what was available, but that stock is also running down.

Even with all the parts I have managed to source over the past few years, I personally do not have a complete set of the "important" spares for the two cars we are keeping. and I may have to look at other avenues to keep them running and on the road.

When the supply of the most important parts dry up completely, and the cars are no longer cost effective to maintain, I shall have to sell on for spares or scrap mine.

I can honestly say, that I can see this happening within the next 5 to 10 years unless a concerted effort is made to ensure some form of supply.

Owners such as Sean Norwood and I have done what we could, as have a small number of others.

Sean had to give it up some time ago due to his business and other commitments.

Now I am clearing out, as it is no longer viable to maintain the stock I have(and the rent I pay) for the few who are willing to pay fair prices for parts.

I honestly believe that just between Sean and I, we will likely have lost hundreds if not thousands of pounds in storage and transport, not to mention interest that could have been earned by leaving our cash in the bank and doing nothing.


This is not just "our" problem, the owners forums catering for other rovers and mg's not built in the 70's are having similar issues, and 2 major collectors of Rover 800 cars and parts have just sold off or scrapped there stocks due to lack of people wanting to spend on there cars.

And before some one says it....

No I was not asked to do it, no one made me drive to london, desford and all the other places to buy and transport parts.

I did it, as I thought I could help out other owners who were struggling to find the parts.
I did it, as I had the money spare at the time, and had no idea I would still have so much after all this time.

My choice, My money, My loss.

But I have met some great people and made some long term friends by doing it. (and a few enemys I suppose)

Mal.

[TLC]

Mal is right in what hes said he has greatly help us over the years at his expence.We all should be greatfull for what hes done to help us over the years.My other club for the dolomite had similar and now produce NLA parts that are desperatly needed to keep the cars going.However we still have issues with panels not avalable .Some repair ones are avalable and fibraglass by the club or members so it dose help.
I started my own stock pile for my car inthe lates 90s so i hadnt the need to go out and buy or have the work done.Yes you can get stuff but its not always oe and even it you go to unipart you might not get there brand .Unless your fussey.Atm iam looking for sevice parts for next year.
We realy need to act know and not put it off untill tomorrow.For tomorrow will be to late.
With out parts to keep cars on the road to mot standards you wont have the cars and with cars you wont have a club.

[TLC]

Filler necks, windscreen seals, sunroof seals, windscreens, radiators, exhausts..... Not saying the club should make them all, but maybe some persuasion to manufacturers to encourage production verses there is still a demand for the parts.

Rich

Filler pipes have been difficult to find for years and what has made sourceing s/h parts is the demise of the scrappys even if you find a car there one day before you know it there crushed the next.

[CPL593H]

Mal is right in what hes said he has greatly help us over the years at his expence.We all should be greatfull for what hes done to help us over the years.My other club for the dolomite had similar and now produce NLA parts that are desperatly needed to keep the cars going.However we still have issues with panels not avalable .Some repair ones are avalable and fibraglass by the club or members so it dose help.
I started my own stock pile for my car inthe lates 90s so i hadnt the need to go out and buy or have the work done.Yes you can get stuff but its not always oe and even it you go to unipart you might not get there brand .Unless your fussey.Atm iam looking for sevice parts for next year.
We realy need to act know and not put it off untill tomorrow.For tomorrow will be to late.
With out parts to keep cars on the road to mot standards you wont have the cars and with cars you wont have a club.

we barely sell 20 calendars a year and struggled to put out 3 cars at a recent show

what chance do you think we have trying to sell brand new remanufactured parts?

we do well to produce niche parts such as period sticker reproductions, but repro parts are out of our budget for now.

we have a MASSIVE stock of ledbury parts and service items. which can be accessed by mailing our spares coordinator

[Guest]

Probably a case of trying to solve a problem that isn't really there at the min then

[TLC]

we barely sell 20 calendars a year and struggled to put out 3 cars at a recent show

what chance do you think we have trying to sell brand new remanufactured parts?

we do well to produce niche parts such as period sticker reproductions, but repro parts are out of our budget for now.

we have a MASSIVE stock of ledbury parts and service items. which can be accessed by mailing our spares coordinator

With all due respect we dont use calenders to keep our cars on the road.Yes the calenders are nice but is an optional extra but Parts are not esp if its for an mot.

[CPL593H]

With all due respect we dont use calenders to keep our cars on the road.Yes the calenders are nice but is an optional extra ant Parts are not eso if its for an mot.

i understand that, i was trying to highlight that we are a relatively small club (I see you arent a member) and the remanufacture of parts is out of our budget. the selling of club merchandise will enable us to address that,

but as MAL has already highlighted, people want everything for nothing.

that being said, we can definately look into group buying of parts, but the demand will have to be there.

[H48HPE]

We've been down this path loads of times before, if you want parts manufacturing then the first place to start is by joining the club - why should paid up members subsidise non-members parts?

There could be possibility to make reconditioned filler pipes, there are people out there with the skills and equipment, my thoughts would be to weld a newly bent pipe section onto the original opening - assuming that was in reasonable nick. but for all that messing about away from ones family and away from your own projects - how much would you be willing to pay? £100 would not be at all unreasonable for the work involved, probably more, but as Mal and others have said no one wants to pay, in fact they would rather you paid them for the privalage of making them a part for their car.

there could be some milage in the club making up vac pipe sets, but we would look to make a small profit for club funds, and what would we be met with - people saying "I can get that stuff for half price from Halfords"...

[Guest]

I have to agree. I joined the club the minute I got the Maestro, unfortunately when i needed a few bits the spares co-ordinator was on holiday and i needed them sharpish so sourced them elsewhere.
There are better ways surely of using the obviously very limited club fund at this stage, namely; raising the profile and awareness of the declining number and classic status of the MM, to get the numbers of enthusiasts up and keep more cars on the road etc that way, then that will increase the demand and the numbers would then more likely add up to subsidise any issues like remanufacturing parts (although I think this is a bit of a pipe dream at the min as to be fair most stuff seems available anyway new or second hand still).

this owners club is a fledgling thing in terms of it's membership size and from what i can see is doing some damn good work, it seems to have a committed team of people giving up their spare time and they seem genuine enthusiasts, so fair play. The only way is up.

As for the expensive price of parts, it would serve to just keep more cars off the road if prices were too high, I can tell you that if it cost me £100 for a fuel filler pipe, then either had to fit it myself or pay for someone else, i wouldnt be doing it to a car that cost less than £400. Economics matters

[TLC]

[QUOTE=CPL593H;151788]i understand that, i was trying to highlight that we are a relatively small club (I see you arent a member)
How short memorys are.
I was for many years until last year!!and may well be back soon.But we have to piroitise things in our lives and treating one of my dogs privetly for cancer for a year is more important esp with these days of ression.Members or not if they want to keep cars have to have the parts to do so or run the risk of either parting with them and go into other makes like some are doing or there scraped.I dont know weather the club is small in comparesion to the dolomite club but it the only one so we should look at what can be done for the future.

[Guest]

The issue is, as has been previously mentioned, that people simply did not want to "Pay" for the parts. They wanted them "for nothing" in comparison to what the parts had actually cost to "buy in".Mal.

i would agree with that. At the end of the day when it comes to new parts if the seller is asking less then the oriagnal manufactors list price then you are getting a deal. As parts become more and more differcult to get then owners are going to have to pay more for the parts. Maybe 5 years ago you could buy something for 90% below the retail price, but as time goes on stock becomes lower and the prices go up.

[countrydude]

But then if we are talking about parts that are nla then there will be no choice. Buy the part or the car doesn't go back on the road.

Take the ARB links as an example, there were no end of threads about the lack of them, yes so a few still have a hoard of them as people will have of many parts. But what action did the club take there? Nothing from what I saw.

Also any repro parts could be offered to the public, then to members at a members price to keep the Member police happy (as we have so many on here)

[Guest]

The demand has to be there for it to make economical sense though, at the end of the day that's what'll matter to people, pockets aren't bottomless, regardless of how much you love a car or brand.

[CPL593H]

But then if we are talking about parts that are nla then there will be no choice. Buy the part or the car doesn't go back on the road.

Take the ARB links as an example, there were no end of threads about the lack of them, yes so a few still have a hoard of them as people will have of many parts. But what action did the club take there? Nothing from what I saw.

Also any repro parts could be offered to the public, then to members at a members price to keep the Member police happy (as we have so many on here)

i found a couple of threads from 3 years ago about drop links. is this the no end of threads you are referring to?

there were solutions provided then that were scoffed at for being too expensive.

if there is enough interest in getting some remanufactured we will

there is a thread in the members section relating to things you think we should be doing. please post in there and we can look into it. but the demand needs to be there.


im not sure what the dig at the member police was for. the club and its committee are 100% accountable to the membership. noone else.