Aston Martin alternative parts

[Graze01]

knew I'd seen one on ebay

didnt realise they wanted that much for it

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Aston-Martin-V8-V...

best look at wrecker yards

Graeme

[dbs2000]

mhurley said:

Does anyone know if the headlamp washers are 3rd party?
One of my covers has broken and I don't want to shell out 40 quid for a bit of plastic if I can help it :-)

That's a bargain, I've had to pay 180 for my DBS as they don't sell the DB plastic caps separately. Second time I've had to do this too.

[macdeb]

dbs2000 said:

mhurley said:

Does anyone know if the headlamp washers are 3rd party?
One of my covers has broken and I don't want to shell out 40 quid for a bit of plastic if I can help it :-)

That's a bargain, I've had to pay 180 for my DBS as they don't sell the DB plastic caps separately. Second time I've had to do this too.

£40, expensive? Get a grip dude. (not meaning to be rude but,,,,)

[paulrog1]

Interesting read

https://aston1936.com/2020/05/22/to-live-or-let-di...

[Manx V8V]

mhurley said:

Does anyone know if the headlamp washers are 3rd party?
One of my covers has broken and I don't want to shell out 40 quid for a bit of plastic if I can help it :-)

I had a look at a spare one of mine the other night and thought they might be a candidate for 3D printing, not that I know much about 3D printing!!

[JonnyCJ]

Ali express would sort them out for £5 each - just a question of chucking an enquiry online and seeing what comes back.

[oilit]

paulrog1 said:

Interesting read

https://aston1936.com/2020/05/22/to-live-or-let-di...

indeed interesting.

However, when a car/component goes end of life I suspect AM get offered a last 'time buy' - and they need to balance spares availability with excess stocks costs and customer satisfaction.

Thus the problem with the argument in the article (in my humble opinion) is this:-

If AM have 50 db9 bonnets in stock - lets assume they cost them $500 each when production was in full swing, selling them at $2000 takes into consideration long term storage costs. cost of money tied up, and of course margins.

So let's assume they drop the price as suggested to $1000 - and sell many more as suggested. What happens when those bonnets have all been sold - many manufacturers have a charter that spares will be available for a set number of years after production ends, if no bonnet is available does every front end damaged car get written off (same problem you are trying to solve isn't it?)

AM would then need to be asked to get the manufacturer of said bonnets to run a batch of bonnets on tooling that hopefully has not been destroyed or damaged in storage - and will need a minimum volume - I beleive small batch production is much more expensive than large volume - so you now have to increase the buy price to say $1000 to AM - so the customer price is back up to $2000

What has been achieved apart from a few people get cheap bonnets - and the procurement and operations team get indigestion at AM for a while.

I have few vehicles where parts are no longer available and the manufacturer isn't interested, and 3rd party manufacturers aren't either as the market is so limited.

Edited by oilit on Sunday 24th May 08:00

[paulrog1]

oilit said:

indeed interesting.

However, when a car/component goes end of life I suspect AM get offered a last 'time buy' - and they need to balance spares availability with excess stocks costs and customer satisfaction.

Thus the problem with the argument in the article (in my humble opinion) is this:-

If AM have 50 db9 bonnets in stock - lets assume they cost them $500 each when production was in full swing, selling them at $2000 takes into consideration long term storage costs. cost of money tied up, and of course margins.

So let's assume they drop the price as suggested to $1000 - and sell many more as suggested. What happens when those bonnets have all been sold - many manufacturers have a charter that spares will be available for a set number of years after production ends, if no bonnet is available does every front end damaged car get written off (same problem you are trying to solve isn't it?)

AM would then need to be asked to get the manufacturer of said bonnets to run a batch of bonnets on tooling that hopefully has not been destroyed or damaged in storage - and will need a minimum volume - I beleive small batch production is much more expensive than large volume - so you now have to increase the buy price to say $1000 to AM - so the customer price is back up to $2000

What has been achieved apart from a few people get cheap bonnets - and the procurement and operations team get indigestion at AM for a while.

I have few vehicles where parts are no longer available and the manufacturer isn't interested, and 3rd party manufacturers aren't either as the market is so limited.

Edited by oilit on Sunday 24th May 08:00

No one would argue with parts prices for the model specific items like bonnets, bumpers, lights etc as they are indeed low volume items so they will be expensive.

My point is the parts which are identical to the mass produced parts for Ford/Volvo ect, there is NO NEED to sell them for hugely inflated costs, AM parts dept simply put them in a new plastic bag with an AM label on it!!!

[8Tech]

BMW have a different approach to their parts prices. As the vehicles get older and enter their "classic" status, generally around 20 years old, they start to increase parts prices as stocks get low. And I am talking some mind blowing increases, almost exponential.
I work on a great number of BMW 8-Series cars, (hence my posting name), and some basic failure items have gone through the roof.
In the last couple of years, trailing arm bushes have gone from around £20.00 each, until they ran out at £50.00 each, and then came available as a complete arm only at £1100.00 each.
Sunroof panels almost tripled in price this year.
When stock is depleted, they go on back order, which effectively means they have no intention of making any more until back order volume makes it viable.
This can be a serious problem on vital components such as door handles. The exterior door handles have a pot metal cast alloy component that breaks frequently. This means you cannot open the door from the outside. Door handles became NLA over 5 years ago with no signs of s new production run, so the car fails its MOT. I now sell steel replacement linkages to install in these handles to keep the cars safe and legal and it will outlast the car, but not until I purchased probably 50 drivers door handles, secondhand worldwide, from RHD cars in Japan and Oz, to passenger handles in N America to adapt. The UK supply dried up years ago. BMW didn't ever back order these, just deleted availability!

[oilit]

Paulrog1 :- Understood - and partially agree, I was responding to the comments in

https://aston1936.com/2020/05/22/to-live-or-let-di...

[a17thc]

does anybody know of a alternative part for the upper front wishbones/control arms for a Vantage 2008?
would like to replace bushes but they are not available

[IJWS15]

TheJimi said:

Hypocritical, much?


Anyway, on topic - I feel exactly the same way about Volvo prices. Don't get me started

Edited by TheJimi on Wednesday 13th May 22:14

That is more about how some of the insurance industry behave and moving to one that gives the real price first time.

[paulrog1]

Thanks very much to JonnyCJ for this one,

Brake wear sensor cable, fits the V8 Vantage & DB9, AM Price £30,00, ebay price below £9.00

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/For-Aston-Martin-V8-Van...

Edited by paulrog1 on Monday 8th June 22:00

[paulrog1]

Looking into the exhaust mount rubbers, there are 6 for a DB9, from Aston they are £30 each inc VAT,

They are a Jaguar/Land Rover part - WCS000150 - £10 each.

https://www.britishparts.co.uk/land-rover-c4/freel...

Edited by paulrog1 on Monday 8th June 20:17

[N7GTX]

NGK spark plugs - NGK IFR7N10 (stock number 97105) - are £4.38 each inc vat from the Green Spark Plug Company (5 stars on Trustpilot). A huge saving when you need 8.

https://www.gsparkplug.com/ngk-ifr7n10-97105-spark...

[spmcevoy]

oilit said:

paulrog1 said:

Interesting read

https://aston1936.com/2020/05/22/to-live-or-let-di...

indeed interesting.

However, when a car/component goes end of life I suspect AM get offered a last 'time buy' - and they need to balance spares availability with excess stocks costs and customer satisfaction.

Thus the problem with the argument in the article (in my humble opinion) is this:-

If AM have 50 db9 bonnets in stock - lets assume they cost them $500 each when production was in full swing, selling them at $2000 takes into consideration long term storage costs. cost of money tied up, and of course margins.

So let's assume they drop the price as suggested to $1000 - and sell many more as suggested. What happens when those bonnets have all been sold - many manufacturers have a charter that spares will be available for a set number of years after production ends, if no bonnet is available does every front end damaged car get written off (same problem you are trying to solve isn't it?)

AM would then need to be asked to get the manufacturer of said bonnets to run a batch of bonnets on tooling that hopefully has not been destroyed or damaged in storage - and will need a minimum volume - I beleive small batch production is much more expensive than large volume - so you now have to increase the buy price to say $1000 to AM - so the customer price is back up to $2000

What has been achieved apart from a few people get cheap bonnets - and the procurement and operations team get indigestion at AM for a while.

I have few vehicles where parts are no longer available and the manufacturer isn't interested, and 3rd party manufacturers aren't either as the market is so limited.

Edited by oilit on Sunday 24th May 08:00

I guess the point to consider as you include is the 'Set number of years'. The front 7 bar grille has long been out of production. If they lower the price, we might buy more (a lot more), and thus the batch size they need for a reorder might come along sooner. If they hold/raise the price, only the last desperate few may ever buy them, and those that don't will send their cars to salvage in a flurry of tears. Doing nothing will lead to the demise of many otherwise awesome cars.

You make a good point to consider. It will vary part by part. Some parts that they know definitively are not bespoke (Jag/Ford/Volvo) they could just step up and say the truth. The answer isn't easy, but I don't think Aston is working on the question at all.

[morty1961]

N7GTX said:

NGK spark plugs - NGK IFR7N10 (stock number 97105) - are £4.38 each inc vat from the Green Spark Plug Company (5 stars on Trustpilot). A huge saving when you need 8.

https://www.gsparkplug.com/ngk-ifr7n10-97105-spark...

They list a Champion set for the V12 Vantage as well ... I don't believe anyone has found an alternative to the Aston branded (NGK made I believe) ones for the V12?

[paulrog1]

Another fantastic find from Jonny, front wishbone bushes

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/6c163a262a...

So £9.00 for the pair plus maybe a cost to have them pressed in.

[JonnyCJ]

paulrog1 said:

Another fantastic find from Jonny, front wishbone bushes

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/6c163a262a...

So £9.00 for the pair plus maybe a cost to have them pressed in.

To be confirmed !

[JonnyCJ]

The famous tie rod ends...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MEYLE-616-020-0007-TIE-...

Vauxhall Frontera ‘98-2004 plenty available form £8 - £19, you get what you pay for.

Fit most of the Gaydon era cars including One-77