A friend of mine tried to buy some brake spares for his middle-aged Citroen. The car’s about eight years’ old and so he went to his local ‘continental’ car spares outlet. They sold him the parts he needed and assured him they were correct for his particular make and model of car.
Except they weren’t - although he didn’t discover this until he’d stripped down the brakes on his car and rendered it un-driveable. So he walked back to the shop, where he was told the correct bits were on ‘back order’, and sorry about the mistake.
A week later, the shop rang him to say the parts were in. As they were, but not the correct bits. To cut an even longer story short, my friend eventually finished up at a breaker’s yard (or whatever they are nowadays called) and found precisely the bits he needed. Total time: 12 days.
His car obviously isn’t old enough. I also need a few small parts for my car, but mine is 61 years’ old: a 1947 MG. A quick flick through an online catalogue, a short ‘phone call, and next day the bits arrived. Total time: 18 hours.
I am not sure if that’s a triumph for the Internet, or for the classic-car business. Either way, it didn’t drive me spare.
I have just paid over £800 - amost 900 Euros : over $1200 - for a new windscreen wiper and motor with linkages ecluding cover plate in a standard C Class Mercedes.
Is this a record?
I have just paid over £800 - amost 900 Euros : over $1200 - for a new windscreen wiper and motor with linkages ecluding cover plate in a standard C Class Mercedes.
Is this a record?
Derek Brockis | 13 Jan 09 - 22:52