VW's Heritage and Classic Parts programs

[The Sage]

[Tram]

[Gary]

[my59]

It would be nice to get body parts that fit right and did not have to be reworked. I think that alone might make it worthwhile for the expense.
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Other:'12 Jetta, '77 Benz 300D, and a 74 MG Midget.

[blankmange]

(waiting to see what they do with/about the dearth of Type 3 parts....)
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[werksberg]

This has been in the Werks for more than 3 years behind the scenes....
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[AlteWagen]

with the crap parts out there over the past 10 years most of the REAL cheap owners have moved on. If you look at the average age of the aircooled vw owner its no longer 18-25 but 30+. That means its no longer a daily driver and the owner has a real job.

If VW would provide genuine quility parts the market is there just not as profitable as say Porsche or Mercedes.

[coad]

They're damned if they do and they're damned if they don't.

Here's the way this plays out:

Now: Yippee! VW is getting into the classic parts business.

2012: Those bastards at VW are driving all the small shops out of business and places like Wolfsburg West and CIP just can't compete with them.

2013: I can't believe that VW wants $XXX for a carpet kit and $XX for a fuel pump. Besides, they don't even stock my (made for 3 months in 1953) carpet color. They're just greedy and trying to rip us off.

2014: I wish VW would get out of the classic parts business. VW Sucks.

It's the old story--be careful what you wish for, because your wish might come true.

[djkeev]

[hitest]

Didn't VW scrap their good jigs and molds some 30 years ago? If VW was able to produce (not reproduce) real German fender stampings; bumpers; panel stampings, etc- it may work. The problem I see is Volkswagen choosing to compete down in quality- to match wits with other parts sellers. They did this in the 80s- they'll have to do it again.

Another problem I see is the lack of relationship with the parts subcontractors. I would buy a new Hella T/L from VW right now for my Thing- but Hella does not make the same part quality they made back in the day. If they cannot establish heritage relationships with the original suppliers for these parts- how will VW ever be able to offer a selection?

Criticism said- if VW offered a Como green sunroof cover, a Gulf blue convertible top, and a Aero papyrus/ steel interior for my deluxe- I'd buy them because they are not available anywhere aftermarket. That takes me to the last point. The Bimmer and Benz crowd needn't use the term aftermarket anymore! That's pretty cool.
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[EverettB]

This will probably sound negative but I figured they were not serious about this... I thought it was mentioned 3-4 years ago and they were using it as a ploy to shut down/sue/whatever other companies making parts, especially parts with the VW logo (which is valid, copyrights and all).

I hope it happens though, there is some stuff I would buy that are common parts where it would be nice to have original VW or OEM quality.
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[CLASSIC CAR GUY]

what VW should do it take a lesson from the american repro and aftermarket supplers have done and let the parts be remade to there standard (not Empi) and license them like they do with OER, Classic industries, year one, etc they have the final say on the part before its out in production, yes its more money and yes theres a large amout of VW owners that are plain cheap, broke or both, and will bitch over a few bucks more but if you want the better product they pay up, shut up or find another hobby. bottom line if you cant run with the bigger dogs stay on the porch... I myself have no problem paying more for better parts and do it all the time with all the cars i have both american and german.
At the end of the day would you rather have a great steak thats 5 bucks more than a cheap piece of meat??, I would !
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[Glenn]

[notchback]

[Tram]

[David]

I'm all for paying extra to get parts that fit and work the first time... whether it's VW or Approved Partners making them.
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[analengineguy]

I wonder if VW isn't pulling a "Lipitor" here. The big pharma company that makes the drug has had a a marketing push lately, since the patent is about to expire, and the drug can be produced generically. The EU rewrote copyright laws, if I recall correctly about the time of the establishment of the Euro. One aspect is that the rights to items have an expiration date of 50 years it seems. One can now get some killer CD collections of vintage music from Europe legal there, but illegal here due to the difference in copyright laws.

So could it be that VW may lose its rights soon to some vintage replacement parts, just as record companies have lost the rights to some recordings? Not sure. But, if so it would make sense for a heritage program for "real VW" parts, just as a corporation pushes one for "real" Lipitor. Keeps them in the game if they face things going into the public domain.

As for the Benz program it is all top notch quality. Some of it is truly hard to get made in Germany items, but a lot of it is stuff from former Iron Curtain countries like Poland, and Hungary where automakers and suppliers have farmed out production to save cash. So, as I've been told, one is paying for the bag in many cases. You'll be assured of getting quality parts, but a knowledgeable shop or supplier could get you the same quality parts, just not in the official bag or box, for a lot less.

I could be wrong on all the above, its just a thought and some conjecture.

For the record though, I'd rather have right part that fits the first time and I'd be willing to pay VW a reasonable premium toward that end...

[Bruce]

[hazetguy]

the classic parts center has been selling parts for several years now, this is not breaking news.
i have made numerous orders with mostly very positive results. i use them as a resource for genuine parts when i know that an aftermarket version of the same thing is crap, or simply unavailable.
sometimes the part number submitted is correct, but the part is nowhere near what it is supposed to be when it shows up. this has happened only a few times. oh well, that's why i order small quantities if i am not sure what will show up.
one time the part was listed a a "genuine part" and i (and a couple others) wondered about that. i think i got caught up in a time when NOS stock ran out and a reproduction was substituted (per their legal disclaimer: Classic+ Parts restock our Genuine Parts range.). their reproduction or aftermarket parts are very clearly marked as a "classic+ part".
however, i would say that 98% of things i have purchased as a "genuine part" are clearly NOS/older production VW parts (and marked VW if applicable), and sometimes even come in original VW boxes/packaging. I think VW bought back a lot of old stock from european dealerships and warehouses a few years ago in preparation for something like the classic parts center. As more and more people use them for parts, i know it is going to be increasingly difficult to get NOS parts from them, and i have already seen many, many part numbers disappear from their search results, or switch from "genuine part" to "classic+ part".

[AlteWagen]

So this program is only in Germany? Any links or info on where to buy?