I'll mention 2 that I've had exceptional experiences with, Sports Car Service
in VT (802) 387 4540 and Bromsgrove MG Centre (UK) 011 44 527 879909. Let me
caveat this by noting that I used these two vendors to obtain engine parts for
my 69 C Roadster after blowing the engine (another story)..
Sports Car Service: Dave Clark was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and
understanding in getting me the correct parts (I'm no wiz at this stuff). If
he said he'd do something he did it (return calls, cross reference part
numbers and so on). He provided real personal attention, knew the marketplace
(e.g., "the best quality for that part comes from ...") and he was willing to
meet competitor's prices. I give Dave a whole bunch of thumbs up and would
not hesitate to use him again. I believe Dave also had some used parts
available as well. He is worth a phone call even to just say hi and hear what
he is about.
Bromsgrove MG Centre: To be sure, this can be an expensive route because of
shipping - however I have found their service to be excellent. An example, my
rear brakes locked up because the pressure fail switch union malfunctioned.
Could not find a US vendor who could supply the part (the B equivalent will
not work because the C has 2 brake servos). So I call Bromsgrove and sure
they had it - "renewed or used" I was asked. Well I took the used (they
certified the part's funcionality and it came at a significant savings) and I
had the part in a few days. PROBLEM - the part did not work. So I called
them back and after profusely apologizing for their egregious error they
shipped me a RENEW (note renew not used) one at no additional charge (shipping
or otherwise) and let me keep the non working used part as a core. That's
what I call service - true enough - the first part should have worked - but
the way they handled their failure gets them a whole bunch of thumbs up from
me. I have since ordered a few dozen parts for my C from them without any
additional failures. As with Dave above, I have always found them to be
helpful, knowledgeable, reliable and friendly). The trick to ordering from
the UK is planning and patience to minimize the shipping fees with a second
eye on the exchange rate (which looks pretty favorable right now). As an
aside does anyone know of a MG group/vendor that periodically orders parts
from the UK - this provides an definite economy of scale for those shipping
charges.
Well hey, there's my 2 cents worth. Would like to hear the "horror" and
"above and beyond" vendor stories from others.
Dr. Doug
69 C Rdst
69 C GT
69 B Rdst
70 B GT (available - no mucho dineros)
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From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net on behalf of Nina Barton
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 1997 9:39 PM
To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Parts Suppliers
Hi everyone, I am learning about the various parts houses as I become more
knowledgeable and mechanical with the 71 BGT. I know of(or at least have
ordered catalogues) from Moss, Vicky B, Special Interest Car Parts, The
Roadster Factory, Triple C Motor Accessories, Seven (they don't send them
out anymore, but you can use Moss numbers), and Eastwood (maybe? haven't
talked to them yet). When reading an earlier post today (sorry, I deleted
the gentleman's name), it seems that there are many variations as to
quality and where parts come from. Are there any places that you
absolutely shouldn't order from? I realize service varies between
customer, and not everyone has good service from a particular company.
What's the difference between OEM and aftermarket? If you're still
learning, and possibly unsure of what is a good quality part, what do you
look for? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance, Nina
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