gee didn't rares get a bagging on their own forum site. fast lane.
http://www.fastlane....?TOPIC_ID=24466
a must read for everyone
Started by
_lx5008_
, May 12 2010 07:22 PM
102 replies to this topic
#77
_Yella SLuR_
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Posted 31 May 2010 - 08:30 AM
IMHO it is better than the alternative..... No Rare Spares and no replacement parts for my Torrie. We all have to make a living somehow, some of us are lucky enough to do it doing the things we love.
I've had nothing but good service from them.
I've had nothing but good service from them.
Edited by Yella SLuR, 31 May 2010 - 08:31 AM.
#78
_sstorana_
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Posted 01 June 2010 - 02:54 PM
Hi All
As you all know, I will be speaking to David, Les and others in the coming weeks about alot of issues with regards to the Holden Restoration Program as well as the issues that I/we have had with their parts. That meeting is taking place on the 17th June.
I ask all of you, if you have had problems with parts quality and fitment, etc to email me (address is below) and tell me what the parts were and what the problem was. As you can appreciate, while I have a good idea of problem parts for the LX, etc I need the input of others when it comes to LC/LJ parts. This is your chance to have your say and to get these issues rectified.
To those that have sent me information, thanks. I will be passing on your concerns to Rares.
cheers
Mick
As you all know, I will be speaking to David, Les and others in the coming weeks about alot of issues with regards to the Holden Restoration Program as well as the issues that I/we have had with their parts. That meeting is taking place on the 17th June.
I ask all of you, if you have had problems with parts quality and fitment, etc to email me (address is below) and tell me what the parts were and what the problem was. As you can appreciate, while I have a good idea of problem parts for the LX, etc I need the input of others when it comes to LC/LJ parts. This is your chance to have your say and to get these issues rectified.
To those that have sent me information, thanks. I will be passing on your concerns to Rares.
cheers
Mick
#79
MRLXSS
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Posted 01 June 2010 - 03:42 PM
Good stuff Mick! Come visit when you come down! Want to organise a dinner or something? Or is it a flying visit?
#80
_threeblindmice_
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Posted 01 June 2010 - 03:43 PM
I like to talk for myself , and not hear the response second hand , and have never had a problem talking to the staff at Rares , with any problem I have ,they have always been friendly and gone out of their way to help. I have a say now , but thanks for the offer !
#81
_sstorana_
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Posted 01 June 2010 - 08:51 PM
Good stuff Mick! Come visit when you come down! Want to organise a dinner or something? Or is it a flying visit?
Hey Matt
Flying visit this time... Fly in at 7.30am. Fly out at 8.00pm....
How far are you from the Airport/ Rares HQ?
cheers
Mick
#82
_rob350hatch_
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Posted 03 June 2010 - 05:16 PM
this goes to everyone why worry do your own thing sell your stuff thru ebay or the like rares wont even know and even if anyone from rares did look on there they wouldnt even know they would just think your reselling their stuff .and given that nearly every time im after something its out of stock its an indication that the ship has become too big and that they wouldnt have a clue about whats going on anyway.a panic over nothing
Good stuff Mick! Come visit when you come down! Want to organise a dinner or something? Or is it a flying visit?
Hey Matt
Flying visit this time... Fly in at 7.30am. Fly out at 8.00pm....
How far are you from the Airport/ Rares HQ?
cheers
Mick
#83
_sstorana_
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Posted 17 June 2010 - 01:19 PM
Hi All
Well my trip to Rare Spares in Melbourne was brought forward to Tuesday so I thought that I would give you all a heads up of what happened.
After a very early start from Newcastle, I arrived down at Melbourne at about 7.30am. After getting picked up by Lance, we had a quick bite to eat then we did a bit of a tour of their facilities.
First cab off the rank was their Roxburg Store.. While this store is essentially an Auto One/ Rare Spares Store, the thing that impressed me was the large amount of Rare Spares Stock on Display. The interesting thing that I got out of it was the amount of parts that I didn't realise that they made. Having a store that well kitted is something that I haven't seen since the old days when I used to frequent American Auto Parts in Sydney..
Next was their warehouse where they house a lot of the old tooling that they have rec'd from Holden. It was interesting to see what was there and to get an idea of the amount of room that is needed to house this equipment! To give you an idea, the injection mould tooling for, say the rear tail light housings for the LH/LX is approx 1m x 1m x 1m and that is solid steel!! Their biggest problem with storage is that most of this tooling cannot be put above floor level, due to its weight.
Next place to visit was their pressing shop where essentially all the rust repair panels are pressed. Again they hold large range of moulds and to see what is involved in the upkeep of some of these mould is amazing, especially with the concrete type moulds that were used years ago.
Next was to the main office for a series of meetings with Les, David, Lance and David.
It was in these meeting where we discussed the Holden Restoration Parts Program (HRPP) and what were the issues that I had with it. Whilst my issues are essentially with how Holden have put this in place, I can understand why Rare Spares were seen, by Holden as the logical company to do this through. At the end of the day, it is here to stay and I doubt that Holden will do it any other way. One thing that was highlighted to me was this;
Any part that Rare Spares make/sell, with a Holden Logo on it, will have to be part of the HRPP. Any part to qualify for the HRPP has to be signed off by Holden to ensure it's quality, fitment and compliance to ADR's etc. This alone has made Rare Spares look at the quality of some of their items with a view to completely remake them.
One area that I don't envy Rare Spares is where they now have access to old tooling from Holden. The reason that I say this is that apart from the extra Warehouse space that will be required, it is going to be a huge task just to work out what they keep and what they don't. You just couldn't keep every piece of tooling..
The upside of this Program is that Rare Spares will have greater access to things like blueprints, etc (and yes they are still there at Holden) to allow them to make parts as per these blueprints, etc. That alone should see a vast improvement in the quality of the parts that we see on the shelf as they will no longer have to try and source NOS parts to copy, etc.
We also spoke about the issue of other third party companies doing parts that Rares may deem uneconomical to make. They are open to the idea, and they are keen to talk to others about this sort of thing. There are a number of products that we spoke about that will possibly be done as part of this category and I look forward to working with them on this.
We also spoke about the issues of quality of some of their parts and of the parts that I took down to show them, they could see the problems and were very keen to fix the issues. They know, as we all do that nowadays "close enough is good enough" just doesn't cut the mustard anymore. Most people want parts that are as good as the originals. I believe, and I told them this, one of the problems that they face is that feedback that is given to the guys in the stores, is not necessarily getting back to the level it should at head office, and that maybe one of the reasons that problems go unanswered and not fixed. Rest assured, they are very keen to hear of any feedback, both good and bad.
At the end of the day, I think that we will see the level of quality being raised, not only by Rare Spares, but by others, and that is a good thing for those that are restoring cars, regardless of whether it's a concourse resto or you just want parts for your daily driver.
I was very appreciative of both Les and David for extending me the invitation to come down and discuss the issue that have been raised. I can't think of too many other companies that would do that..
cheers
Mick
Well my trip to Rare Spares in Melbourne was brought forward to Tuesday so I thought that I would give you all a heads up of what happened.
After a very early start from Newcastle, I arrived down at Melbourne at about 7.30am. After getting picked up by Lance, we had a quick bite to eat then we did a bit of a tour of their facilities.
First cab off the rank was their Roxburg Store.. While this store is essentially an Auto One/ Rare Spares Store, the thing that impressed me was the large amount of Rare Spares Stock on Display. The interesting thing that I got out of it was the amount of parts that I didn't realise that they made. Having a store that well kitted is something that I haven't seen since the old days when I used to frequent American Auto Parts in Sydney..
Next was their warehouse where they house a lot of the old tooling that they have rec'd from Holden. It was interesting to see what was there and to get an idea of the amount of room that is needed to house this equipment! To give you an idea, the injection mould tooling for, say the rear tail light housings for the LH/LX is approx 1m x 1m x 1m and that is solid steel!! Their biggest problem with storage is that most of this tooling cannot be put above floor level, due to its weight.
Next place to visit was their pressing shop where essentially all the rust repair panels are pressed. Again they hold large range of moulds and to see what is involved in the upkeep of some of these mould is amazing, especially with the concrete type moulds that were used years ago.
Next was to the main office for a series of meetings with Les, David, Lance and David.
It was in these meeting where we discussed the Holden Restoration Parts Program (HRPP) and what were the issues that I had with it. Whilst my issues are essentially with how Holden have put this in place, I can understand why Rare Spares were seen, by Holden as the logical company to do this through. At the end of the day, it is here to stay and I doubt that Holden will do it any other way. One thing that was highlighted to me was this;
Any part that Rare Spares make/sell, with a Holden Logo on it, will have to be part of the HRPP. Any part to qualify for the HRPP has to be signed off by Holden to ensure it's quality, fitment and compliance to ADR's etc. This alone has made Rare Spares look at the quality of some of their items with a view to completely remake them.
One area that I don't envy Rare Spares is where they now have access to old tooling from Holden. The reason that I say this is that apart from the extra Warehouse space that will be required, it is going to be a huge task just to work out what they keep and what they don't. You just couldn't keep every piece of tooling..
The upside of this Program is that Rare Spares will have greater access to things like blueprints, etc (and yes they are still there at Holden) to allow them to make parts as per these blueprints, etc. That alone should see a vast improvement in the quality of the parts that we see on the shelf as they will no longer have to try and source NOS parts to copy, etc.
We also spoke about the issue of other third party companies doing parts that Rares may deem uneconomical to make. They are open to the idea, and they are keen to talk to others about this sort of thing. There are a number of products that we spoke about that will possibly be done as part of this category and I look forward to working with them on this.
We also spoke about the issues of quality of some of their parts and of the parts that I took down to show them, they could see the problems and were very keen to fix the issues. They know, as we all do that nowadays "close enough is good enough" just doesn't cut the mustard anymore. Most people want parts that are as good as the originals. I believe, and I told them this, one of the problems that they face is that feedback that is given to the guys in the stores, is not necessarily getting back to the level it should at head office, and that maybe one of the reasons that problems go unanswered and not fixed. Rest assured, they are very keen to hear of any feedback, both good and bad.
At the end of the day, I think that we will see the level of quality being raised, not only by Rare Spares, but by others, and that is a good thing for those that are restoring cars, regardless of whether it's a concourse resto or you just want parts for your daily driver.
I was very appreciative of both Les and David for extending me the invitation to come down and discuss the issue that have been raised. I can't think of too many other companies that would do that..
cheers
Mick
#84
orangeLJ
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Posted 17 June 2010 - 02:04 PM
Thanks for the feedback Mick,
its nice to hear things arent as bad as they once seemed and we may actually all benefit from this program.
its nice to hear things arent as bad as they once seemed and we may actually all benefit from this program.
#85
_lx5008_
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Posted 17 June 2010 - 09:54 PM
its good to see that rare spares have pulled their heads out of the sand. as we all know nothing they sell is 100 % perfect. now if they do scrap everything and start from scratch well thats good. now that they are buying other peoples products and selling them thats even better for everyone. they just need some better quality control and passion and they will still be one the many placers that we can buy Restoration parts from in the future.cause lets face it in a year or two rares arnt going to be the only or biggest Restoration place around.
#86
Posted 18 June 2010 - 06:26 AM
Many times that I've spoken to the guys in the shop in NZ, its been said or at least implied that many of the Rares products are made by third party suppliers anyway...?We also spoke about the issue of other third party companies doing parts that Rares may deem uneconomical to make.
#87
_Yella SLuR_
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Posted 18 June 2010 - 06:57 AM
People want their parts as good as original?
I don't think that is correct, it has moved beyond that, people want them better than original these days.
I don't think that is correct, it has moved beyond that, people want them better than original these days.
#88
Litre8
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Posted 18 June 2010 - 08:38 AM
You may have a point there Pat......
#89
_sstorana_
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Posted 18 June 2010 - 10:29 AM
People want their parts as good as original?
I don't think that is correct, it has moved beyond that, people want them better than original these days.
Care to elaborate, Pat...
I am a bit lost on your comment...
cheers
Mick
#90
Heath
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Posted 18 June 2010 - 11:45 AM
Well most of the parts on a Torana never need replacing. The ones that you do tend to buy as repro parts have broken, worn out, faded etc - they haven't lasted as long as they could have. That's all he's saying... right?
#91
Litre8
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Posted 18 June 2010 - 12:29 PM
I thought Pat's point was that some of the original parts weren't always 100% perfect and now some people expect the reproduced parts to exceed the quality of the original.
#92
Posted 18 June 2010 - 12:29 PM
I thought what he meant was that people restore cars beyond factory quality these days and thus are looking for much higher quality parts
#93
its Paul
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Posted 18 June 2010 - 03:50 PM
...^^...you two talking on the phone??
#94
_Yella SLuR_
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Posted 19 June 2010 - 08:49 AM
Thanks Howard, that's it. Sorry away all week with work.I thought Pat's point was that some of the original parts weren't always 100% perfect and now some people expect the reproduced parts to exceed the quality of the original.
I think this is partially from the rising prominence of the hot rodders. I know there are a heap of hot rod modding shows on pay TV these days, not that I have pay TV, but I get some of the DVD's on custom work. Just look at the work Dirtbag is doing!!
BTW, I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. Probably also better tools and technology that is more accessible to do things a bit better these days.
The old drivers comments in historic racing always sticks in my mind: "These cars are in much better condition and producing more power than they were in their day".
I think it is only natural that things progress with time.
<End of Rant>
Edited by Yella SLuR, 19 June 2010 - 08:53 AM.
#95
Tiny
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Posted 19 June 2010 - 02:15 PM
Mick, I'm glad your meeting went well and it sure sounds like some of the concerns raised were put to rest which is wonderful.
What pat has said is very interesting as I was told a story by the guys at rares about a ford GT grille badge that had a painting fault which rares fixed in their reproductions but the ford guys spewed!! It was not as per factory! Again, stuck between that rock and hard place!
Cheers!
What pat has said is very interesting as I was told a story by the guys at rares about a ford GT grille badge that had a painting fault which rares fixed in their reproductions but the ford guys spewed!! It was not as per factory! Again, stuck between that rock and hard place!
Cheers!
#96
_The Baron_
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Posted 19 June 2010 - 04:29 PM
If Rares was to achieve or exceed original GMH quality...I for one would be happy!
And they should, considering technology and materials have advanced 30yrs.
Whilst the pre production samples that are recieved and signed off on may be great, what is actually released to the market once the endorsed production run, can be very disappointing. This all points to quality control in my view.
I rejected a gear knob at point of sale because even though it was packaged, I could clearly see the two halves glued(?) together were 2-3mm out of alignment. How could it get to me the customer when it was quite evident the quality was so poor.
Don't get me started on the $50 battery tray though that looks NOTHING like the original. Even the plastic used feel brittal vs the 30yr old original. Yes if you want to argue the point I can follow up with photo evidence.
Now, I am more than happy to pay top dollar for a quality replica and I have even supported Rares by forwarding rocking horse poo (Rare) NOS original spares to Les. So they can have a reference to hopefully get it all right even though I will never see the parts again. I will continue to do this too, whenever the opportunity presents it self so we can all benefit because the parts are available.
I still reckon that Mick should be made RS Quality Assurance Officer who shall witness every torana part recieved by RS before distribution to sellers/buyers. This could be done on a contractual, on demand basis. Because there is plenty of evident someone there has dropped the ball.
Some say, close enough is near enough, But just how close enough is near enough? If that gear knob was close enough.....shame shame shame!
PS Les, I have some NOS swap bar/chassis bushes for you, I will be in contact with you soon.
And they should, considering technology and materials have advanced 30yrs.
Whilst the pre production samples that are recieved and signed off on may be great, what is actually released to the market once the endorsed production run, can be very disappointing. This all points to quality control in my view.
I rejected a gear knob at point of sale because even though it was packaged, I could clearly see the two halves glued(?) together were 2-3mm out of alignment. How could it get to me the customer when it was quite evident the quality was so poor.
Don't get me started on the $50 battery tray though that looks NOTHING like the original. Even the plastic used feel brittal vs the 30yr old original. Yes if you want to argue the point I can follow up with photo evidence.
Now, I am more than happy to pay top dollar for a quality replica and I have even supported Rares by forwarding rocking horse poo (Rare) NOS original spares to Les. So they can have a reference to hopefully get it all right even though I will never see the parts again. I will continue to do this too, whenever the opportunity presents it self so we can all benefit because the parts are available.
I still reckon that Mick should be made RS Quality Assurance Officer who shall witness every torana part recieved by RS before distribution to sellers/buyers. This could be done on a contractual, on demand basis. Because there is plenty of evident someone there has dropped the ball.
Some say, close enough is near enough, But just how close enough is near enough? If that gear knob was close enough.....shame shame shame!
PS Les, I have some NOS swap bar/chassis bushes for you, I will be in contact with you soon.
#97
_lx5008_
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Posted 19 June 2010 - 05:27 PM
^^^ thats what Ive been saying. everything and i mean everything Ive bought from rares does not fit or looks different from genuine.but thats where people like sstorana and Aussie muscle car parts are different and will be a big market player in the future due to their quality control and passion to make something 100%
#98
StephenSLR
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Posted 24 September 2010 - 12:44 PM
As General Manager of Rare Spares I invite anyone to contact me at the office (03 9305-4000) or by email ([email protected]) if there is any issue you would like to discuss with me. We have always welcomed feedback from our customers regardless of it being positive or negative.
Sincerely
David N. Rayner
Another thread on this board today reminded me I didn't provide an update.
I did contact David in regards to my broken SL/R mirror, he asked that I return it and within days I received a new replacement mirror so I have to admit I'm happy with Rare Spares customer service.
s
Edited by StephenSLR, 24 September 2010 - 12:45 PM.
#99
enderwigginau
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Posted 24 September 2010 - 01:30 PM
Yep, Rares do have a number of third party manufacturers producing products for them. With the range they have, it is just impossible for them to make everything in-house.Many times that I've spoken to the guys in the shop in NZ, its been said or at least implied that many of the Rares products are made by third party suppliers anyway...?
We also spoke about the issue of other third party companies doing parts that Rares may deem uneconomical to make.
What Mick is saying, is the parts that are "uneconomical" to Rares - the parts that if you amortised the cost you would either need to sell 5000 a year at $50 or 50 a year $5000 - when the market is only for a number of dozen a year - it's just untenable for rares to make a major outlay when they have so many other kettles on the boil.
TRPA, Brad and AMCP are producing small run items that don't fit into the planning at Rares so why wouldn't they want to secure these bits for sale under the brand. that's not to say they might not have "Produced for HRPP by TRPA" on the back of the tag.
Got to chat with Les, Joe and with David (for more than an hour) at Super Saturday, and got to talk about our (customer) issues and Mick's meeting, and being real car guys, rares do know their head from their arse. The more feedback we supply the better the product.
You can tell them here or pass it on on their website, but above all, pass it on. Anything negative they will cop on the chin and work out where the problem lies - either at their end or your one (something as simple as re-hanging a door to the correct gaps can make a world of difference.)
They come here to support us and learn - how many companys have the balls to do that!!
The outlets are like a family, but just like a family, not all information flows back to the directors so go to the source.
You CAN restore a car without rare Spares, but sometimes it makes it a bit more difficult.
Grant..
#100
lxsstorana
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Posted 24 September 2010 - 04:38 PM
That all sounds nice but can they make some decent door,boot & hatch rubbers for our beloved torana's without having to slam them shut.
And in case they're wondering, that magic rubber spray on stuff doesn't work and won't fix the problem.
We need Rare Spares but we need items/parts that work.
And in case they're wondering, that magic rubber spray on stuff doesn't work and won't fix the problem.
We need Rare Spares but we need items/parts that work.
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