Occasionally we get asked by customers if we would fit a part they have supplied and we have to explain that we don’t fit customer supplied parts so I’d like to highlight some of the main reasons why.

Tim Benson of Oldfields Garage.
Firstly, we carry out a lot of work behind the scenes to carefully select suppliers who provide us with the right level of service at the right price and the quality of parts that meet and exceed the job requirements.
We work with those suppliers to enable us to receive brilliant levels of service.
In some cases parts are sourced and available same day from over 60 miles away.
If we don’t support these suppliers, they won’t be here in years to come.
Supply chain tractability
Secondly, our parts are sourced through a traceable supply chain so we know they aren’t fake.
Fake parts are becoming more prevalent, potentially causing unnecessary damage and even putting lives at risk.
Our suppliers have invested thousands of pounds in systems that help minimise parts being sent incorrectly.
We’re all human and parts can be supplied incorrectly.
Sometimes this is our fault, sometimes it’s our suppliers fault and sometimes it’s a manufacturers fault.
The end result however, is that it’s down to us to try and resolve the problem.
If we do have issues, we spend the time resolving them at no additional cost and sometimes this can take hours of time.
Such issues are usually resolved the same day with minimum disruption to our customers.
Warranty
When we fit parts we provide a minimum 12 months, 12,000 miles warranty against manufacturing defects.
This includes parts and labour.
Our chosen suppliers often support us with parts warranty and also contribute towards the labour aspect and we pay for the remainder.
We accept that where there is a shortfall that it is ultimately down to us to resolve.
Finally, we need to make a profit on parts.
Garage profit
As a family business with the second generation now leading the way, we’d really like to be here for years to come.
This isn’t unusual or a terrible thing.
Every business needs to make a profit to be able to grow, invest in tooling, equipment, training and employ people from the local area.
With profit we pay taxes, support local school and community events and ultimately put ourselves in a position to survive.
Selling parts is a by-product of the work we carry out.
Whilst we work with suppliers to ensure our monthly spend means we benefit from trade prices, we realise that in some cases we are not able to supply parts at the same price as customer can.
Living in rural Herefordshire, I recently came across a potato left from from a field behind my house.
Think about the cost of a potato and how much you pay for a meal out.
You wouldn’t take this potato to your local chip shop now would you?
The same scenario can be applied to pretty much any business.
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