Who are your favorite LR vendors?

[giorgio]

I bought my first Series Land Rover in 1986, before the days of the Internet, and let me tell you it is a whole lot easier now than it was then to find parts. There were not even any US dealers back then.

I have done business with TLR, Rovers Down South, Rovers North, Wise Owl, and Rocky Mountain, in that order over the years, and have never had a "bad" experience with any of them.

Price is always important to me, but I agree with what others have said about the other qualities of a parts resource.

On my Series IIA, the tin can brake fluid reservoir was leaking. RN had a nice new plastic "replacement" part for $188.95. Wise Owl had an original looking metal "tin can" reservoir for $33.86. The "tin can" part turned out to be of much better (heavier) construction than the original part, but it still looked original.

I have to say that was a "no brainer" for me, over $150 cheaper!

Since they are located in western Canada, you might want to give them a try, since that is in your "neck of the woods"

[jp-]

Giorgio,

I have to dissagree with you on that Brake reservoir.

That plastic can is the sh!t. I have one on the 109". Fantastic bit of kit. You can see the level and it will never rust.

I didn't even realize anyone was still making them, otherwise I would have put one on the 88".

[TeriAnn]

I bought my first Series Land Rover in 1986, before the days of the Internet,

Ummm excuse me, but I first got my own internet connection in 1985 and there was already a thriving established internet community.

The British car mail list was founded in 1986. The LRO mail list split off from its parent british car mail list in early 1991. so in 1986 I was chatting about land Rovers on an internet mail list.

Contrary to popular belief Al Gore did not invent the internet in the 1990's.

[giorgio]

I am a little confused. I could not decide if you were agreeing with me or not, but either way......

I bought the heavy metal can from Wise Owl for $33.86. The original thin metal tin can type lasted 39 years, living in Newfoundland, New Jersey, and on the North Carolina coastline, before moving to Arkansas. This new heavier metal one should last at least that long, in an inland setting. If it only lasts another 39 years, I will be 101 years old. I think that the plastic would get brittle and crack before then, and anyway for $150 dollars cheaper, I am willing to take the chance, and it looks original.

To each their own, I suppose.

[giorgio]

TeriAnn,

Excuse me for the misstatement. I should have said, back before I had any knowledge of or access to the Internet. I believe that we (my company) first got Internet access in the mid 1990's here in central Arkansas, and we were certainly not the first on the block, but were probably still on the leading edge, (in Arkansas, that is, as far as small business owners are concerned.)

Giorgio

[jp-]

Ummm excuse me, but I first got my own internet connection in 1985 and there was already a thriving established internet community.

The British car mail list was founded in 1986. The LRO mail list split off from its parent british car mail list in early 1991. so in 1986 I was chatting about land Rovers on an internet mail list.

Contrary to popular belief Al Gore did not invent the internet in the 1990's.

You mean you were using BBS?

I'm sorry but I don't think the internet was around in 86. BBS's yes. Internet, no.

[Leslie]

You mean you were using BBS?

I'm sorry but I don't think the internet was around in 86. BBS's yes. Internet, no.

Could have been on a college campus at the time.....


I was using Gopher, ARCHIE, email, etc., in 1990 when I started college (had Fortran on an AVAX system); but, I'd had a computer at home since '78, dad brought home an Apple II when they first came out, I was programming in Basic and Pascal before 1980.... I know that we had a modem dialing in to BBS' in the mid 80's before I was in middle school even, but although I didn't know it at the time, ARPANET was running then, throught the 70's and 80's. Say, in, 86 or 87, I was configuring the TCP/IP switches on the PC's in the lab in high-school so we could post BBS notes then.

So, if you happened to be in Berkeley or some such place in the mid-80's, you very well could have been "on the 'net"....

[Leslie]

Oh, to answer the question.....

Example: the other day, I was trying to bleed the brakes in the Series. The bleeder screw snapped off. I didn't have one on-hand, but I ran out and grabbed an ez-out, and, it snapped off in the bleeder. At that point I figured it'd have to come out to the bridge to get it out, but I thought I'd check the other side, and its bleeder snapped, too. Being brakes, decided not to play around, grabbed the phone and called RN to see if they could get me a set the next day. I was too late for next day from them, it'd have been the following before I could have gotten them. So instead, I called BP, since they're several hours behind. Next morning, while I was working on some other things on the Rover, the UPS guy pulled up, and I started installing the new cylinders (I went ahead and got all four).

RN is fine. I still have catalogs from as far back as '98 that I reference (I don't think I have any older than that still); that's the thing I like about the old ones, is that it has the old LR part numbers. However, if I have sticker-shock when I look at the price on something, I'll quickly cross-reference to the other guys, see if it's something that's high across the board, or just anomalously high there.

I like BP too. I've had only one minor problem where I was charged regular price on a deal-of-the-day item, and they were going to credit me but it was awhile before they got around to it... it wasn't long before I needed something else, emailed them, and they sent whatever it was, as it and postage was about what the credit were. I've been happy w/ them. They'll have some things that RN doesn't (like replacement SIII serial number plates), but, usually, they've got the same thing as RN for a comparable price.

RDS, I've gotten a lot of stuff from Uncle George, but not directly, usually via my buddy David, who was on the phone w/ him almost daily. I need to call him, he sometimes has some of those unobtainium things that RN doesn't have, and often at surprisingly nice prices.

Wise Owl, I've gotten a few bits from Ray that I happened to catch on sale, no problem... haven't dealt w/ since the change in ownership, but don't think I'd hesitate to.

Rovah Farm, haven't had the pleasure yet, but have heard nothing but good things about Trevor.

DAP, I've used for several oddities that they had at killer prices, like an NOS washer bottle for my SIII, etc. etc,

AB, used to get the catalogs, but, as time has passed, it seemed they were more interested in upscaling on coiler trinket/accessories, and less on Series running parts, so, I don't bother anymore.

Have to admit, I've started to shop a little bit more w/ alternates for other British makes, like Victoria British, Moss, Motorhead, etc.,

TLR, again, I've gotten some bits from him via David, like a replacement diff for the Disco, etc.

I used to use Nathan Crabtree a lot, at least for Disco stuff, but haven't as much. I like Nathan a lot, he usually has really good prices, I've just been focusing on the Series again, the Disco is biding its time now....

One of my favorites is Will Tillery, Roverguy, he parts out a lot of coilers, so if you need something for a Disco or a Rangie, definitely check w/ him, he's gotten me many parts thus far, and many more to come in the future, I'm sure.

FWIW......

[Linus Tremaine]

Trevor at Rovah Farm has been very helpful to me. His prices are often good as well. He works well over email and you can just send him a request for pricing on a list of parts and he emails you back.

[scott]

didn't al gore invent the internet right after he built the first series?