Victoria British is Being Acquired by Moss Motors
- Thread starter HolyCat
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just an opinion
It would be nice to hear conversation from them about improving parts quality & durability. I've returned more than a few rubber and upgrade suspension parts for crumbling, tearing and cracking. Several makes and models go thru here, so we see the lowered standards across the board.
2 centavos
It would be nice to hear conversation from them about improving parts quality & durability. I've returned more than a few rubber and upgrade suspension parts for crumbling, tearing and cracking. Several makes and models go thru here, so we see the lowered standards across the board.
2 centavos
Considering how Moss Motors has (not) supported Sunbeam vehicles, it would not be surprising if they drop the Sunbeam parts Victoria British has been carrying.
Warren
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Support
Back when we had a vendor area I rang them up. The cold response I got was hard to take. As I recall the word insignificant was used describing Sunbeam as a part of their business. In a recent call to SS looking for a windshield I said to myself ho lee fk what will we do if those become unavailable. Nearly every parts car I've ever gotten close to has had deeply scored windshields.
When we had the Tiger owner who owned a glass shop that specialized in custom windows for Hollywood movie cars that they could shoot through. He said the economy of scale is about 75 to 100 windshields.
Back when we had a vendor area I rang them up. The cold response I got was hard to take. As I recall the word insignificant was used describing Sunbeam as a part of their business. In a recent call to SS looking for a windshield I said to myself ho lee fk what will we do if those become unavailable. Nearly every parts car I've ever gotten close to has had deeply scored windshields.
When we had the Tiger owner who owned a glass shop that specialized in custom windows for Hollywood movie cars that they could shoot through. He said the economy of scale is about 75 to 100 windshields.
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windshield
Pilkington has several warehouses in the states. One of their main distribution centers is on the south side of Columbus, Ohio. They allow customer pickup and I've picked up two windshields at that location. Call their toll free number and ask.
Pilkington has several warehouses in the states. One of their main distribution centers is on the south side of Columbus, Ohio. They allow customer pickup and I've picked up two windshields at that location. Call their toll free number and ask.
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VBL Tiger coil spring question
I recently purchased a 1965 Tiger mk1 - front coils have been altered so I purchased a new set from Victoria British Ltd. From pictures I see the original coils should have 7 coils and measure about 9” overall - the coils I received measure 12” with 9 coils. Any info appreciated.
I recently purchased a 1965 Tiger mk1 - front coils have been altered so I purchased a new set from Victoria British Ltd. From pictures I see the original coils should have 7 coils and measure about 9” overall - the coils I received measure 12” with 9 coils. Any info appreciated.
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My windshield was badly scratched from the wipers. Pilkington USA will not ship direct to users any more. I had to go through an installer. I got a quote for $415 for the glass, $50 shipping and $175 labor for installation. BTW, I got a quote from Pilkington in England. They would direct ship but that would cost 436 pounds+ 550 pounds for shipping. They are Triplex brand.
I called Super Glass Windshield Repair. They said they could fix it. The scratch definitely caught your fingernail, which online says cannot be buffed out. Anyway, it cost $150 and it came out perfectly. I also had them polish my Lotus side window which had a bad scratch. That cost $50.
So, for $200, I got both pieces doneand they are scratch free. The only issue with the windshield is a small amount of delamination at the edge which cannot be repaired. It is mostly covered by the gasket though.
So, it was a good experience.
I called Super Glass Windshield Repair. They said they could fix it. The scratch definitely caught your fingernail, which online says cannot be buffed out. Anyway, it cost $150 and it came out perfectly. I also had them polish my Lotus side window which had a bad scratch. That cost $50.
So, for $200, I got both pieces doneand they are scratch free. The only issue with the windshield is a small amount of delamination at the edge which cannot be repaired. It is mostly covered by the gasket though.
So, it was a good experience.
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I spoke with a rep at Moss yesterday and was not encouraged. He said that little progress has been made in the Moss acquisition of VB. He also said it was unlikely that they would continue supplying SUNBEAM products. So neither VB nor Moss is supplying Sunbeam parts at the moment.
Rick
Rick
It is not surprising - I can't recall a time when Moss Motors carried Sunbeam-only parts. They do carry a few parts listed for other British cars that are the same as what was used on Sunbeams.
Thanks for the update - even if not the greatest of news.
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While it does limit selection of suppliers it does 2 things.. 1 good 1 bad....
Good: while sometimes the big suplliers would offer sunbeam.parts at a decent price it took some buisness from the dedicated suplliers.
So...hopefully the guys at sunbeam specialties and classic sunbeam etc can pick up some more buisness and make them more sustainable.. Which is a good thing.
Bad: if one of the dedicated suplliers decided to step back we have less options... But... Hopefully the " good" above would mean that someone would carry the torch on
Good: while sometimes the big suplliers would offer sunbeam.parts at a decent price it took some buisness from the dedicated suplliers.
So...hopefully the guys at sunbeam specialties and classic sunbeam etc can pick up some more buisness and make them more sustainable.. Which is a good thing.
Bad: if one of the dedicated suplliers decided to step back we have less options... But... Hopefully the " good" above would mean that someone would carry the torch on
Warren
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I say good riddance they couldn't spell customer service , unless you owned a Austin-Healey or MG .
I'd say that V.B. spent themselves into oblivion. They had the habit of continuing to send out expensive printed catalogs rather than adapting. That should sound familiar to everyone...
I'd say that V.B. spent themselves into oblivion. They had the habit of continuing to send out expensive printed catalogs rather than adapting. That should sound familiar to everyone...
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VB was an off shoot of Long Motor Corporation. The owner passed away a few years back and the family has continued on with the business. The British items were a small part of the business. Their main business is LMC Truck which is a supplier of parts for pick ups and vans both old and new. They're well known in that segment of their business and I've bought from LMC Truck for a number of years with no problems as far as quality and the service is great.
I know it is a long shot however we in Australia are having the same problem with windscreens. Today I took one of my used ones to a automative glass company to use as a mold. I bit sorry its going to be destroyed to make a mold, Never mind, I have asked the company to give us a quote for 10 or 20 screens. Now realizing the AU$ is 77cents to the USA$ the quote of around AU$400 is not bad. Transport to the US west coast may be acceptable I do not know at this stage. So it may be an option if our cars need to be kept on the road
Warren
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There is an associated thread on Pilkington.
Most If not all of their shops in California and distribution center have shuttered. In addition there is conversation saying that they will not sell anymore to people who just walk in off the street and you have to have somebody with a brick and mortar place to ship it to. It seems like with old cars unless you have a Volkswagen it's always a good idea to buy stuff when you don't need it. And just for fun there's about two parts on my 64 Volkswagen convertible that aren't reproduced or readily available the rear ashtray and the two year only rear view mirror...
Most If not all of their shops in California and distribution center have shuttered. In addition there is conversation saying that they will not sell anymore to people who just walk in off the street and you have to have somebody with a brick and mortar place to ship it to. It seems like with old cars unless you have a Volkswagen it's always a good idea to buy stuff when you don't need it. And just for fun there's about two parts on my 64 Volkswagen convertible that aren't reproduced or readily available the rear ashtray and the two year only rear view mirror...