How We Source

This page explains where the parts come from and what happens to one between your order and your door. It is written plainly because the honest version is more useful to you than a polished one.

Parts are held in stock

The parts you can order on this site are in stock. When you order, the part is taken from stock, checked against the number you ordered, packed and dispatched.

The delivery time is shown on each product page and at checkout for your address, counted from your order to your door. It covers checking and packing the part and the journey to you, and it is set by part size band because larger parts take longer at both ends of the journey. If an order will run past its stated delivery time, we write to you.

The same supply chain that serves dealers

Our Original / Genuine parts are drawn through the same distribution channels that supply franchised dealers and authorised workshops. They carry the vehicle manufacturer's own part number and are made to the manufacturer's specification for that application.

We buy genuine goods and resell them, which is ordinary and lawful trade. We use vehicle manufacturers' names to tell you which vehicle a part fits. We are not a dealer, we are not authorised by or affiliated with any vehicle manufacturer, and we do not claim to be.

Matched on the factory number

Every part in the catalogue is keyed to the manufacturer's own part number, the OE number, rather than to a description someone wrote.

That matters because descriptions are where errors live. Two parts can share a name and differ in a mounting hole, a bush orientation, a connector or a production-date split. The number separates them. So:

• The catalogue is built and searched on the OE number.
• Where a manufacturer has superseded a number, we quote the current replacement and tell you it has changed.
• The number is on the listing, on your order confirmation and on your invoice, so you can check our work at every step.

What happens before it is packed

1. The order is matched. The line on your order is resolved to a specific OE number, not to a part name.
2. The part is taken from stock against that number.
3. The number on the part is checked against the number you ordered. This is the step that catches picking errors before they become your problem.
4. The part is inspected for transit damage and obvious defects.
5. It is packed for the journey it is about to make. Parts travel a long way and they are packed accordingly.
6. It is declared correctly for customs, with the commodity code and the real value, because a bad declaration is what turns a normal import into a three-week hold.

The two price tiers, in plain words

Where a part exists in more than one tier, the listing shows which tier you are looking at and prices each separately. Both are matched to your vehicle on the OE number and both carry the same cover from us.

Original / Genuine. The vehicle manufacturer's own part, carrying its part number, drawn through the channels that supply dealers. This is what a franchised dealer would fit. Choose it when you want the same part the vehicle left the production line with, when the component is safety-related or heavily loaded, or when a lease, a fleet policy or a warranty condition requires manufacturer parts.

Aftermarket. A part made by an independent manufacturer to fit the same application. Independent parts manufacturers supply a large share of the components on any modern vehicle, and workshops fit them every day without a second thought. Choose it when you want a lower cost for a part whose job is straightforward, or when the genuine part is not available for the vehicle's age.

Neither tier is a trick. The difference is who made the part and under whose specification, and we tell you which one you are buying before you pay. If you want a recommendation for a specific job, ask us and we will give you a straight answer.

What we do not claim

Being clear about the edges of the offer is part of being useful.

• We do not describe any part as being of a quality equivalent to the manufacturer's unless it is the manufacturer's part. There are two tiers and we name them.
• We make no claims about how a part is boxed or presented.
• We do not fit parts and we do not advise on whether your diagnosis is correct. If you are unsure the part is the cause of the fault, a workshop diagnosis first will save you money.
• We do not show live stock counts. What we show is the delivery time.

Parts we have not priced yet

The priced section of the catalogue is smaller than what we can source. A part with no price is not a part we cannot get, it is one that has not been matched to a supplier price yet. Send the number, or a photograph and your vehicle details, through the quote form. We answer within 24 hours and usually within a few hours, with a price and an honest lead time.

Once it is fitted

Cover has two layers: your statutory conformity rights, and the voluntary guarantee we add on top. Quality and warranty explains what each one actually does for you and how a claim works.