Hats off to X-Part!
 

DMGRS frequently satisfies with its speed of service and Rimmer Bros. sometimes raises eyebrows with its carriage charges but we don't hear any feedback from X-Part customers. So today I'm going to redress the balance! :D

Although I use a variety of retailers, on this occasion X-Part was the only one who could guarantee me genuine MGR parts, all in stock and ready for immediate despatch. I ordered on the telephone from Katy yesterday at 11.15 and the courier was at my front door at 08.30 this morning. That's under 24 hours!

You may be wondering about the cost of this competitor to Concorde. Was it £9.95 or even £15, figures to which we are all accustomed for next day delivery? No, it was just £6 including VAT.

I'm not claiming that this speedy service is unique, just to let members know that X-Part is another choice on which you can rely. It is now based in Birmingham and owned (so I'm told) by Leacy MG Ltd. Their number is unchanged: 0116 296 7888, option 1 for sales.

Simon :D

"guarantee me genuine MGR parts". What year were the parts made and who made them?

Sorry, I have this thing about genuine, Rimmers and X-part following a conversation with a Rimmers member of staff.

macafee2

Simon, thanks for the information. Is it just genuine parts and excellent service that impressed you or did they also send free sweets? :shrug:

I thought xpart were a franchise type wholesaler rather than a individual retailer. Are dmgrs, and rimmers both not xpart dealers also?

As for the genuine articles...... errm, these are surely name only now, even if they are made by the original suppliers (more than one supplier/manufacturer was used for the same components in some instances). I would even question 'made to original spec' in some instances - auto brake pedal rubbers immediately spring to mind.

Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk

A lot of X part stuff is made in India or turkey now.

Hi, Simon. The figure of £6, is this just the shipping charge or is it inclusive of the cost of whatever item/items which you ordered.

Oooh lots of very good points for me to try to answer. :chat:
Yes I know Ian and I don't disagree with you on your point that the meaning of "genuine" is open to interpretation.

I have no idea when the parts were made or the identity of the manufacturer, but then that also applies to parts bought for cars which remain in production at an assembly plant which is still trading. So I would ask, why make a big thing of it as far as MG Rover is concerned?

Ha, ha. :laughing2: No sweets I'm afraid but I'm not a fan of that sort of marketing anyway. ;)
Hi Alan,

Rimmer Bros., BS Motors/E Car Parts and many ex-MGR main dealers are what I would call X-Part "agents" since they have an account with X-Part and obtain their stock from them. In that respect I suppose X-Part could be called a wholesaler but they will also sell direct to the vehicle owner without imposing wholesale minimum order quantities. You could say that's the best of both worlds!
Yes, I would agree with you there. Another example is the anti-roll bar ("drop") links.
Yes Andy, also in my experience China and the UK. :eek: But (politics aside) does it really matter where parts are made so long as they are functional, durable and are a reasonable price?
£6 was just the shipping charge.

Simon

I recently bought some MG front badges directly from their eBay shop.

On to the question of genuine, are Xpart non-centralised upper arms genuine? DMGRS' upper arms are not described as genuine yet in my mind are more genuine than the Xpart ones.

Guess that Simon was buying thermostat O rings, genuine 20 year old stock or new made in Egypt from recycled tyre rubber? Simon questions if it matters where they are made - yes, to me it does, as just the hint of Egypt or Indian would cause me to look for alternatives, and after the Mr.Kipling Upper Arms, can anyone rely on Xpart's name as a guarantee of quality?

ECP sells genuine MG Rover branded KV6 thermostats but fails to give the opening temperature. Even DMGRS is guilty of selling these thermostats as OEM-Q, despite sending me a mail confirming that they are 82 deg ones and not the original 88 spec ones.

Little wonder then we question the "Genuine/OEM/MG Rover" branding

Regards

Hi Simon,
Why do I make a big thing? For me it is about honesty, about the buyer getting what they paid for. If Rover made the part at Cowley or Longbridge that is genuine, if Simon Engineering made the part in "2005" and shipped it to Rover that is genuine. If Simon engineering made the parts in 2005 nd shipped to Rover but made this part in 2020, that is OEM but if Simon Engineering never existed until 2020 in any shape or form and made the part in 2020 then that is pattern.

There are complaints about pattern parts but what about parts made in 2020 by a company that never supplied Rover but box it up in a Rover box so we think it is genuine, we will then complain about genuine parts. Genuine parts cost more 9 times out of 10.

I now ask you, would you be happy buying a part described as genuine but made in 2020 by a company that never supplied Rover?
My question is not about quality, about genuine believing it to be genuine.

Anyone that thinks it is ok, ask a woman if they are happy to pay top dollar for a Radley handbag only to find out it is a "Turkish" knock off?

macafee2

Simon - I hope you have now realised why I gave you the opportunity to confirm if you had received free sweets from X-Part. Evidently they are important in opinion forming and development of camaraderie! :D

People posting responses. Please note what Simon actually wrote 'just to let members know that X-Part is another choice on which you can rely'. He highlighted a choice, which is yours to make.

I also feel that too many are once again confusing different terms. Simon did not use the term OEM, which would have indicated an item complying with the original manufacturer's specification and manufactured by the original manufacturer. He used the the term genuine, which is correct as the parts business of MGR was X-part and was sold on at the time of MGR's demise. So X-Part are technically the only source who can correctly claim that their parts for MGR cars are genuine. Age of the part is irrelevant in this context for who is to say that an OEM P, Q, R or non-genuine part is not 25 years old?

I am thrilled to note that a female (I assume Katy is one but we embrace all nevertheless) is employed to sell car parts by X-Part as opposed to the usual John, Nick, Tom etc. We need to embrace equality and in my view this alone would be a good enough reason to order from X-Part, as it is to order from Carole at Best of British.

Finally, and on the question of equality, there is nothing wrong with Indian made parts - we Indians are quite good at making things. Observe this the next time you tuck into a Balti! ;)

Relax and buy from whoever you choose. :cool: