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The Manny Spares & Repairs Doctrine

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Mad Manny
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The Manny Spares & Repairs Doctrine

#1

Post by Mad Manny »

I have Fearless & a small fleet of work bakkies - mainly Isuzu KB's, but also a Colt.
The seven vehicles have a combined mileage of over 1.6 million kilometers.

My philosophy is to keep the vehicles well maintained & repair damage asap.
The vehicles must always be in a good state & look presentable.

Obviously this philosophy has to be balanced against economic realities& a cost vs benefit analysis.

Whenever a vehicle needs a part (Thermostat, Starter, Slave or Master Cylinder etc.) I do the following:
* If it's a part that is NOT OEM (brake pads for example) I buy the better quality item from a spares supplier.
* Service parts I mainly buy off John Ratcliff (mainly Donaldson filters & Q8 oil)
* If it's OEM only, then you have no choice - you buy off the dealer.
* If the part can be bought OEM off the dealer or from a independent parts supplier (like Mintram's or Goldwagen), I do the following:
1. I get a price from the dealer.
2. I get a price elsewhere.
If the OEM part is less than double the 'Pirate' part price, I go OEM.

Example: I needed Master & Slave Cylinders for a vehicle.
On the one, Isuzu was nearly 10x the price from Goldwagen (R1 280.00 vs R11 400.00) - I bought Goldwagen
On the other, Isuzu was a little under double of the Goldwagen price, so I bought from Isuzu.

In certain cases OEM is a very similar price to the Pirate Parts.
On my NPR400 the clutch kit was actually cheaper than the Pirate parts.

The advantage of OEM is the right part fits, I've bought the correct Pirate part & struggled fitting it due to a minor difference.
"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"

2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'

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Shane
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#2

Post by Shane »

There are some parts that I would only buy OEM - like oil seals etc.

As for the rest I shop around as well.

While I'm not the best mechanic I can help myself with small tasks and minor services.

I recently got myself a diagnostic tool. My lux has 2 services left with the agents then I'll be taking it from there. It's happened twice that it shows an error code after a service and has to go back to be cleared.

Given that my wife drives a fortuner (200k km's) and pays quite a lot for services - I'll be doing hers as well and it will pay fot itself quickly.

Ironically there are there are times when certain components are actually cheaper at the agents.

A work colleague gets her service kit for her Mazda 2.5td cheaper at the agents than from Midas..



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#3

Post by Mad Manny »

The next part of my philosophy concerns repairs vs replacement.

I've had discs that needed skimming, it was a lot quicker & only slightly more expensive to just buy new discs.

On rear brake drums, the cost & hassle of getting the drums skimmed & then getting the brake shoes re-bonded & made to fit, meant it only cost a little more & was a LOT less of a schlepp to just buy new drums & shoes.

My D-Teq's radiator started to leak (12 years/250 000km). It's a common problem.
The radiator has a plastic top, it leaks from the seams at either end.

I asked Anthony Forgey (who runs Ant's Custom Workshop) who he uses.
He recommended a guy who does a great job.
He removes the plastic top, fits an aluminium one & gives the radiator a full flush & clean.
Problem is the guy is on the otherside of PTA, to take it to him & collect later would cost R895 in fuel alone. :o
The repair would be around R2 800 Ant estimated.
That's nearly R4k! :shock:

My next step was to go to Silverton Radiators in Strydom Park.
The problem with them is:
1. They are no longer a Silverton's franchise, but it still says so on Google, despite a fall out between franchisee & franchisor many years ago.
2. The work is questionable ( let's just say, being precise & pedantic is not big there).
Anyhoo, I popped in & the guy quoted R830 to repair is, but I wasn't inspired with reassurance that R830 would be the end of it.
He said they'd repair & then pressure test to see if the core is OK.

The last step was to go into Isuzu & ask for a price for a new one.
I was initially doubtful of this as a Radiator is usually waaaay over R8k.
However, my mate, Ernie, recently needed a new radiator (a tree went through his) & he bought a new one for R2k.
So, I popped into Eagle Canyon Isuzu. The prices for a radiator for a 2010 KB300 D-Teq are:
Auto (import only) R9 800
Manual (Imported) R11 400
Manual (Local) R2 350
(You don't get a locally manufactured cooler for the Automatics).

No brainer really, I ordered a new one, I dropped off the D-Teq on Friday night to have a Radiator removed.
I then took my old (22 years) KB280DT to run around until the D-Teq is fixed.
The Radiator will arrive Monday meaning I'll be back on the road by Wednesday.

The point is: Don't be too quick to assume OEM from the stealers is just not a consideration.
Do your research & weigh up the options.

Unless you own a Nissan - then just buy used or pirate. Image



"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"

2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'

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#4

Post by KurtG »

*weigh
Flex is overrated

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#5

Post by iandvl »

Terrain Tamer, my goto for Patrol consumables are probably classified as 'pirate'.

They should be. They AAAAAARRRR better than OEM.
Ian de Villiers

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#6

Post by Prof »

Manoel...you forgot to mention....DOWNTIME is not an option
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#7

Post by Mad Manny »

Prof, I did, well I alluded to it... turn around speed is always a consideration...
Fortunately I have a spare bakkie & can always make a plan if one of the driver's bakkies is off for a day or two.
Longer down time is a problem though - like when my newest KB was in for panel beating repairs for 6 weeks...

Mad Manny wrote:
Sat Jun 25, 2022 1:28 pm
I've had discs that needed skimming, it was a lot quicker & only slightly more expensive to just buy new discs.

On rear brake drums, the cost & hassle of getting the drums skimmed & then getting the brake shoes re-bonded & made to fit, meant it only cost a little more & was a LOT less of a schlepp to just buy new drums & shoes.

The Radiator will arrive Monday meaning I'll be back on the road by Wednesday.


"No one ever got stuck - in mid air!"

2010 Fortuner D-4D 4x4 'Fearless'
2006 Conqueror Conquest 'Gearless'

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#8

Post by Ricof4e »

I'll tell you what Manny, I have gladly accepted the "4e" title you have so gracefully bestowed upon me...

However only if you assume the title of "Chappie" (the cheap Porra).
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#9

Post by jakeslouw »

I'd happily use Goldwagen or similar parts if it was significantly cheaper.

I don't skimp on oil and filters though.

Sadly most of my Goodbye Bakkie service parts and spares are OEM only or off the Interwebs.

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