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MG ZR ZS ZT Technical - Parts shortage.

As a manager for a company that supplies parts to MG Rover I was quite annoyed to read a comment in Autocar magazine this month from Rover. "the shortage of parts is down to the ineptitude of suppliers to provide adequate numbers".....well maybe if the car industry didn't screw the prices of said components to such pathetic levels then the manufacturers could afford to be a bit more flexible.

For an extra hundred or so quid per car they could make a huge differance to their suppliers...like allowing them to develop and modernise vs the cost down = no investment scenario we seem stuck in.
Tim

>>>>>allowing them to develop and modernise vs the cost down

and the alternative? You company looses trade!
This subject has been done to death and as owners of these cars we know all about the problems with the supply chain. I would suggest you'd do better to write something to the said magazine. Maybe invite them around for a chat to put your side of the story. That way you'd be more proactive than having a gripe here!
Cecil Kimber

Lots of questions from me, no answers. Do the suppliers bid for so much a part, or so much per year? If so much per year, does Rover provide accurate projections as to the need of such parts? If the supplier loses a little on each part, why place a bid on the contract? and why would he provide more than the minimum number of units if that were the case? Did Rover determine the ability of its suppliers to actually supply parts?
George B.

First off in order to be an automotive trade supplier you must have some pretty good quality acreditations, you must also be fairly big as they tend to place packages rather than individual components. When bidding you are given projected volumes which are fairly accurate. Due to the nature of car companies you tend to be battered down to your lowest price on day one...they then look for 5-10% cost down each year (for R25/45 the suppliers have been costing down for years whilst the cost of material/labour has been rising).

Rover then issues monthly/weekly/daily schedules which are fairly acurate and stable at first, but then over time they will loose track of stock or try to reduce stock....then one day they need parts urgently but the part has a 2-12 week lead time (buy steel/manufacture/assemble)dpending on if it is a currnet part or spares requirement.

Add to all this you continue to bend over backward to support british industry at a price which means our work force haven't had a wage increase for 4 years!!! Yet they then go abroad for new projects as they are cheaper to produce in Far East (labour costs may be only 10p/day)....

There is no point writing to Rover....they bloody well know they are crucifying us.

It all means that soon we won't be competitive and there will be NO manufacturing in the UK....then watch the unemployment rise......
Tim

WHAT PART SHORTAGE

Have to say my ZT was off the road for 5 days ONLY. Which in the circumstances I think is exceptionl - new motah and power steering pump!

BIG BIG thankyou to MGR and my local dealer!
Rather Not Say

Hmm - methinks the suppliers doth protest too much, particularly when they have already exported much of their own sub-assembly work to maximise their own ex-works proces to supply people like MGR, whilst still bleating about their 'Britishness'...
David Beckham

>>>>WHAT PART SHORTAGE

Well hopefully it's over now!
David Bainbridge

It aint over yet, I'm still waiting for a bit of hose for my vitesse. Been on order for 3 weeks now.
Ian Cresswell

It's not over. Still waiting for a steering rack for my F.
Neil Stothert

I'm not looking for sympathy here, I do realise that Rover are in business and that all the things I've mentioned above are parts of the world economy.

I just got annoyed after reading said article that Rover won't take responsibility for a parts shortage that is purely their fault. (The real reason most parts are in short supply is that Rover haven't ordered them).
Tim

Oh, sorry to hear it's not over, then.

And Tim, you're abosultely right.
David Bainbridge

Or should that be ablosutley?
David Bainbridge

Had a phone call from the dealer this morning to say the rack is in. Hopefully they mean the steering rack rather than something for dealing with complaining customers.

The parts shortage must be easing up anyway.
Neil Stothert

No it's not over and the sad thing is that nobody at Rover seems to care that it's alienating it's loyal customers.I've been waiting for a steering rack boot for 3 months.Rover's e-mail is a guarded secret -even their dealers don't know it.My 96 827 is about to go off the road because it will fail it's MOT.Disgraceful!
Derek East

Derek, I agree with you the parts situation is not acceptable.

But in order to keep your car on the road may I suggest a few things. One could try a breaker there are loads of 800’s being scraped for silly things, which is a shame. Two could you not fit a universal one?

Obviously you could look on either of these as a temporary measure until the real thing turns up.
HTH
Cecil Kimber

Derek, why not try your local motor factors ? I see no reason why they couldn't supply one, surely it doesn't have to come in a Rover or Unipart box, after all :-)
David

Thanks for the comments.The part is unique to 827's in that the boot has a transfer tube built in and so a universal part wouldn't work.Unipart do one without so that's no good.Just a bit miffed because the car has only done 52000miles and is quite the most underrated car i've had.By any chance does anybody have MGR's e-mail address?
Derek East

Derek
Rover’s email addy is a closely kept secret. I seem to remember another recent posting asking for it but……. nothing!!!
I too had trouble obtaining the brake renovation kit…(with all the seals etc) for a Rover 400 years ago. They too are only available from a dealer. In my opinion that is where the likes of Ford and Vauxhall score, they seem to allow parts to be duplicated so that motor factors can readily supply a demand.
I think that there are a lot of Rover cars that are underrated. But I may be biased in my opinion!!
Cecil Kimber

Wellwonders never cease.Thanks David and Cecil.On the off-chance,i visited the local motor factors and sure enough they had the part in stock.Must have been blind!!I was led to believe by the MGR dealer that is was a unique part-clearly not.
Derek East

>>>was led to believe by the MGR dealer that is was a unique part
===well they would say that wouldn't they ! Glad you are on the way to being back on the road.
David

This thread was discussed between 04/07/2002 and 11/07/2002

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