Buying small VAG parts. Dealer or online?

[richard at home]

Silly question. I need a little plastic widget, which the local dealer wants £4 for. Sucderia shows it for 98p but VAT and postage add £9 to the total cost.

Just wondering if there any other places I might try? Either a trade counter type shop or an online seller. (Not talking about Eurocarparts etc)

Cheers!

[markyb_lcy]

Four quid? Seriously?

Suck it up dude, that will barely even buy you a pint (in the south) these days.

Failing that, try eBay. Searching for the manufacturers part number will usually bring it up if it’s stocked.

Otherwise, yea, four quid.

P.S I recently bought a retainer clip for my engine lid prop. £2.25 on eBay but one online retailer was charging £8.99 for it. Not sure what Toyota sells it for but I’ll bet it was less than 8.99 and more than 2.25.

[Olas]

VAG dealers get their parts from TPS, who have trade counters and serve the public. Try them

[markyb_lcy]

Olas said:

VAG dealers get their parts from TPS, who have trade counters and serve the public. Try them

And do please come back and let us know how you spent the 80p or so you manage to save

[richard at home]

markyb_lcy said:

Four quid? Seriously?

Suck it up dude, that will barely even buy you a pint (in the south) these days.

Failing that, try eBay. Searching for the manufacturers part number will usually bring it up if it’s stocked.

Otherwise, yea, four quid.

P.S I recently bought a retainer clip for my engine lid prop. £2.25 on eBay but one online retailer was charging £8.99 for it. Not sure what Toyota sells it for but I’ll bet it was less than 8.99 and more than 2.25.

Yeah I know, I know, but all those £3's add up for every broken plastic bit I might need to buy, if they only cost £1 elsewhere....

I went to a garden machinery dealer near us a while ago, to buy one of those little rubber bulbs for priming a 2 stroke. £7 for one. Bought 10 for £2 on ebay, delivered, from China... Just meant I had to put off the hedge clipping for a week, so it was win win!

[richard at home]

Olas said:

VAG dealers get their parts from TPS, who have trade counters and serve the public. Try them

Rang TPS, just out of interest, wouldn't talk to me, not trade.... Maybe I'll walk in and see what happens....

[richard at home]

markyb_lcy said:

And do please come back and let us know how you spent the 80p or so you manage to save

I'll put it towards a pint at spoons...

[markyb_lcy]

richard at home said:

I'll put it towards a pint at spoons...

Haha fair play! That will go down sweet I’m sure!

[Olas]

richard at home said:

Rang TPS, just out of interest, wouldn't talk to me, not trade.... Maybe I'll walk in and see what happens....

Arm yourself with the relevant part number and walk in, behaving like trade.
Don’t ‘have a chat’, don’t ask for advice, walk in and state “Give you a part number please?”

In the same way that simply wearing a hi vis jacket can allow you to walk in to lots of places, addressing the trade counter as though you were trade gets you quicker responses and better prices.

Play the game 😉

[richard at home]

Another option is RPS, who have a FB page. Can supply the part and with postage is 2/3rds price of Scuderia. Not as cheap as going to dealer directly though.

Might ask my local garage if they have trade accounts anywhere...

(checked ebay - only available from Germany and Holland)

[AJB88]

TPS cracked down again last year, I have been a regular customer of TPS for many years but was refused last year.

RPS or Coverdale on Facebook are good, but yeh for £4 just suck it up.