letsavit2 wrote:

SteveM, for us diyer's please do add your view on land rover parts compared to aftermarket.

The best advice is to stick with brand names - and I don't mean Costco.

I was a little surprised to see discussions on aftermarket radiators both here and on RR.net where posters did not seem to realize that Behr is the OEM supplier. I don't know if I'm just not able to see beyond my own horizon, but names like Behr, Valeo, Bosch, Ate, Wabco, Mahle, etc are all well known tier one auto suppliers. I would not hesitate to use a Mahle filter in place of the LR piece. And all of the aftermarket shops i worked at used these bits - it's part of the price advantage they have over the dealer network.

I would shy away from no name ebay offers on anything 'critical'. Pollen filters... mmmph ok. But that's just my opinion.

With oil's and fluids it's the same. I would not used a supermarket brand. But I will use a Exxon/Mobil/Shell API SF/SJ (whatever's specified). And I've found a terrific source for the Texaco ETL-7045E in the TD6 transmissions.

It used to take a little legwork to find good prices on parts. These days google is my main parts source. I generaly only go to the dealer for dealer only items. 
RRC 2Dr, RRC 4Dr,
P38, and 2 L322s
(wife thinks I'm nuts - prob right, too)

Agree with Steve, it's a nightmare locating spare parts for my other car but I research them a lot and it's amazing sometimes where you can find them under their original manufacturers names e.g. GM / Vauxhall Lotus Carlton coil pack = £175 - rare part in UK, same original mass market AC Delco part from USA (identical ref, numbers etc) is @£40 , so when you need 3 , it's quite a saving and still original. Even silly things like hand brake shoes , GM part from UK dealer =£75 , original UK Lucas part =£13. Also, as Steve says, often, the bigger branded aftermarket parts are better than the originals. Steve

Main car : FFRR L405 Vogue SDV8
Other car : Vauxhall Lotus Carlton
Past cars : FFRR L322 Vogue TD6 SE (Sept 2006 MY07) ; LandCruiser SWB ; 4-Runner ; Supras; XJS V12 LeMans

i would not recommend britpart as there stuff is the worst ever
i have used lots of bits on the racer before and it last 1 event -stick to genune parts

I think it depends on what you buy from where... Britpart wipers are a bit naff, in as much that they only last half the time - but then they cost less than half the price. It's a trade off at the end of the day. 

Not having to get any parts for the new RRV (thought I'd drop it in as I've not posted the 'I've finally got it!!' post yet ) I can't comment on parts for FFRRs but with previous BMWs etc I used to source OEMs from GSF who stocked the likes of bosch etc and after some haggling were very competitive (read:cheap) for Joe Punter off the street.

Even had a trade account with them for a while, even though my trade is nothing like automotive!!

I just thought I'd mention this as the BMW era RRs must have parts that can be sourced from GSF (or I maybe way off track).

SteveMFr wrote:

Josh Wyatt wrote:

On all vehicles I tend to use genuine parts as a matter of course. In some cases OEM equivalent parts are good enough. But, for example - An original air filter from the manufacturer does tend to have a greater surface area than aftermarket parts.
My local LR dealer gives me trade discount on all parts I order from them, including service parts which works out well.
Ultimately, it's all about personal preference...but I would only ever fit manufacturer service parts.
I do find the best way to go about it is to have the part numbers in advance.
I am a motor trader, and my business is primarily selling vehicles, but I regularly service and maintain an array of vehicles. I do find taking my trade plates with me to unfamiliar main dealer parts departments and the correct part numbers always gets me good discount. Any local members to me in Oxford are more than welcome to take advantage of this

I've worked in and managed repair shops specializing in MB, BMW, Porsche, and LR in the US and in Europe (including main dealers).

You need to do more research. Unless you have too much money.