Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Continued Spares Availability

Group,

Now that the sale of Morgan Motor Company is history, I'm wondering if there will be any policy or operational changes regarding spare parts.

Comments?

Warren

Did I miss something? I wasn't aware MMC is out of business....

...maybe "sale of"?

Or is it a case of no more ladder chassis cars, just CX ?

Since the Italian influence maybe there will be more concerted efforts put into the organisation of the spares department which could and should be a good revenue gatherer.

Every other manufacturer makes lots of revenue doing so and as the Italians are money men I imagine they will not wish to pass up the opportunity.

As a car producer they are duty bound to support their products for a period of time is my understanding, others with more knowledge will be along I'm sure.

Probably a lot more independents starting up.

Last bought parts direct from the factory in 2003, they have become too expensive in my opinion.

This year I needed a propshaft for a 5 speed conversion I was doing on my 1972 4/4. Factory quoted £326 plus VAT and delivery, local specialist quoted me 150 to make me a new one from scratch but was able to modify my existing one for 70 quid

Arwyn

It would be good if some of the big classic car places like Rimmer or Moss took Morgan into the fold. I think we are fairly well served with parts but the 'morgan mark up' can be excessive at times.

I don't think they'd need to stock much that's different from their normal lines, either. Nearly all the stuff MMC fitted, especially to the older models, is OTS kit anyway. I buy a lot of stuff from Stafford Vehicle Components, most recently a windscreen wiper motor for less than £60. I hate to think what MMC would have charged.

Agreed. I use eBay for a lot of stuff and Burton Power for engine kit. CBS have always been a favourite for car and bike bits but can be a little pricey on some parts. Always pays to shop around. I try, where possible, to get a part number (manufacturer rather than retailer) so I can shop around for best deals.

Having been involved in the motorcycle parts supply industry for 20 years of my life I can say that parts suppliers, particularly in niche markets, do need to have a substantial parts mark up from buying cost to maintain a near 100% listed spares availability. Careful stock control can mitigate the need a little but there will always be some parts on the shelf gathering dust for 10 years or more. Leaving computer controlled stock control systems to apply across the board increases leads to these ludicrusouly high prices, especially on high value items, if left unchecked. I was always aware of this and whilst I left the machine to do most of the number crunching, always maintained a manual override, as well as regularly tuning the software myself.

Supply of heavily discounted warranty replacement parts aggravates the system given it may be caused by a bad batch leaving excess stock on the shelf when quality is improved. Writing off unsold stock against tax after say three years helps but its a balancing act.