Street corner motor spares shops
Discussion
Whatever happened to most of these small spares and accessory shops. I was prompted to post as a result of reading on here about Cosmic. On Sunday I needed a rear wiper blade as my wife had rightly complained of its juddering, etc. I did not want to drive to a Halfords on some huge industrial estate, and I did locate one in a small nearby town. However, a few years ago, every suburban parade of shops seemed to have at least one such shop. Nearer to town centres there were often a few on street corners, especially in seedy areas, but they served a purpose. Is this part of the death of high street shops, or the result of the demise of Sunday morning tinkering on the drive? I know the youngsters order a lot on line, but, in my example, mundane though it is, I wanted the wiper there and then.
Chris32345 said:
Same as most shops Amazon and the internet killed them off
Then the giants like ecp
Plus most people these days do little more then top screenwash up themselves
All of the above is true, and I'd add that few parts these days are really "generic": if you have a Mercedes, you'll need a Mercedes wiper blade. If you have a Renault... etc. We all know that Bosch and the like make blades for all cars, but back when most were just simple metal pressings all you had to worry about was getting the correct size, and local shops as described were able to cover the majority of the car parc with just a few items. Our local Halfords has a veritable wonderwall of wiper blades.Then the giants like ecp
Plus most people these days do little more then top screenwash up themselves
Turbobanana said:
Chris32345 said:
Same as most shops Amazon and the internet killed them off
Then the giants like ecp
Plus most people these days do little more then top screenwash up themselves
All of the above is true, and I'd add that few parts these days are really "generic": if you have a Mercedes, you'll need a Mercedes wiper blade. If you have a Renault... etc. We all know that Bosch and the like make blades for all cars, but back when most were just simple metal pressings all you had to worry about was getting the correct size, and local shops as described were able to cover the majority of the car parc with just a few items. Our local Halfords has a veritable wonderwall of wiper blades.Then the giants like ecp
Plus most people these days do little more then top screenwash up themselves
However, they also last longer and tend to be better quality (no more universal cut to size rubbers) so small outlets can't stock them in the hope someone might want one. It's the same with tyre outlets - big warehouses that they arrange to deliver from when needed instead of a nice 5.20x13 crossply that would fit many cars.
steveo3002 said:
good riddance in my opinion , i remember paying more for tools /parts like 20+years ago than i do now
keep your rotten no name car battery thats been on the shelf 3 years when i can have a bosch delivered next day for 1990s prices
Fair play, trouble is back in the day you didn't get much choice really keep your rotten no name car battery thats been on the shelf 3 years when i can have a bosch delivered next day for 1990s prices
We have a place in Bristol, on the Gloucester Road, called Millards. You could get anything for a proper car in there, served up by old chaps in brown warehouse coats. It was like Aladdin's cave. It's still there actually 
although the old chaps have gone.
"Could I have two Stromberg carb rebuild kits?"
"Of course Sir. 150 or 175s?"
although the old chaps have gone."Could I have two Stromberg carb rebuild kits?"
"Of course Sir. 150 or 175s?"
Lester H said:
Nearer to town centres there were often a few on street corners, especially in seedy areas, but they served a purpose. Is this part of the death of high street shops, or the result of the demise of Sunday morning tinkering on the drive?
I think a combination of these two, plus ebay and online as you say has mostly killed them off. With ever increasing high street congestion and parking restrictions, anything to do with cars was likely to struggle without dedicated parking. Which is why most that survive have moved out to small business units in industrial estates that have a few parking spots out front.There are a few high street ones still about, Midnight Motors in Watford I think is still there on the St.Albans Rd near the station......or was a few years ago.
Most of the ones that were in my old stomping ground in West London that I used to use, had all gone by the time I moved away 5 years ago.
There's only one I know of near where I am now that is a high street location, and not in an industrial park, and even then, the entrance is behind, not on the high street, with the old yard turned into parking bays.
We still have one, run by a couple of old boys in a brown smock and a '70s nylon rally jacket. Bought some fuses in there a few weeks ago and found some old 'raised digit' number plate letters too. Half a mile up the road is a similar old school hardware shop, but this closed down fairly recently.
My daughter has started to learn to drive and my wife picked up some magnetic L plates from Halfords for her.
Within minutes we lost the first one as it flew off the bonnet.
So I decided I needed some with holes in to tie-wrap it to the grille and I knew I was passing a little motor spares place in Wellington.
It turned out to have closed down. Though all the stock is still in there so, frustratingly, I could see the exact L plates I needed hanging up on the wall near the counter.
I had to bite the bullet and head back to Halfords on the outskirts of Taunton. The L plate is now affixed using the screws on the numberplate - the chrome slats on a MINI grille aren't actually a grille as such. Doh!
Within minutes we lost the first one as it flew off the bonnet.
So I decided I needed some with holes in to tie-wrap it to the grille and I knew I was passing a little motor spares place in Wellington.
It turned out to have closed down. Though all the stock is still in there so, frustratingly, I could see the exact L plates I needed hanging up on the wall near the counter.
I had to bite the bullet and head back to Halfords on the outskirts of Taunton. The L plate is now affixed using the screws on the numberplate - the chrome slats on a MINI grille aren't actually a grille as such. Doh!
I used to work in one at 19 in 1981
Stocked everything you could think of for a car in what was really a converted big house - rooms of gasket sets brake parts etc etc they kept the wings sills etc on 2nd floor and the exhausts on the 3rd (why) carrying 3 cortina mark 3 wings up steep stairs was fun especially when they slipped cutting my fingers - I had to make up from scratch bespoke brake pipes sometimes having to get under customers cars with a piece of string - and also make up number plates with metal plates and raised plastic numbers / letters - most fun job was going down the road to another terraced house they owned which was also stacked with stuff so you could hardly get in the door and I had to go down into the cellar to fill dry stored batteries with fresh acid! Lovely job and I was on my own so no h and S at all - they are still going but moved to a business park and stock completely different sort of stuff now (like a small Halfords)
Think the stuff I sold most was plugs points oil and oil filters air filters and rocker cover gaskets
Oh yeah and they sold CB stuff under the counter as it was still illegal but I didn't understand that stuff and didn't get involved
Stocked everything you could think of for a car in what was really a converted big house - rooms of gasket sets brake parts etc etc they kept the wings sills etc on 2nd floor and the exhausts on the 3rd (why) carrying 3 cortina mark 3 wings up steep stairs was fun especially when they slipped cutting my fingers - I had to make up from scratch bespoke brake pipes sometimes having to get under customers cars with a piece of string - and also make up number plates with metal plates and raised plastic numbers / letters - most fun job was going down the road to another terraced house they owned which was also stacked with stuff so you could hardly get in the door and I had to go down into the cellar to fill dry stored batteries with fresh acid! Lovely job and I was on my own so no h and S at all - they are still going but moved to a business park and stock completely different sort of stuff now (like a small Halfords)
Think the stuff I sold most was plugs points oil and oil filters air filters and rocker cover gaskets
Oh yeah and they sold CB stuff under the counter as it was still illegal but I didn't understand that stuff and didn't get involved
Edited by kjs62 on Tuesday 28th November 16:20
Edited by kjs62 on Tuesday 28th November 16:25
steveo3002 said:
no it was take it or leave it , charge what you like
I was tempted to disagree with you Steve until I remembered my last purchase from such an Outlet and it was still there when I was a lad . Route 6 Wishaw Scotland was its original name and now its called Watts Car Spares . My rear passage is still raw from the shafting they gave me for a small Bottle of Turtle Wax Tyre Wall . Do you want a Receipt said the robbing B*****d . I want that Defibrillator in the Phone Box outside was my reply . £10 . I needed one of these when in Italy in June .
My front wiper blade clip broke and the blade was all over the shop , it only has the one wiper by the way ,
I went to the nearest city and walked around the ring road and happened upon Arnaldo Rossi's Auto Ricambi ,[ car spares ] and after some dodgy language translation I came away with a new wiper blade and also 2 headlamp bulbs that are not the usual wattage of sensible cars .
I don't use a smart phone so couldn't google nearest car spares shop ,alternative would have been a FIAT main dealer .
My front wiper blade clip broke and the blade was all over the shop , it only has the one wiper by the way ,
I went to the nearest city and walked around the ring road and happened upon Arnaldo Rossi's Auto Ricambi ,[ car spares ] and after some dodgy language translation I came away with a new wiper blade and also 2 headlamp bulbs that are not the usual wattage of sensible cars .
I don't use a smart phone so couldn't google nearest car spares shop ,alternative would have been a FIAT main dealer .
Yertis said:
We have a place in Bristol, on the Gloucester Road, called Millards. You could get anything for a proper car in there, served up by old chaps in brown warehouse coats. It was like Aladdin's cave. It's still there actually although the old chaps have gone.
"Could I have two Stromberg carb rebuild kits?"
"Of course Sir. 150 or 175s?"
Don't forgets Brights Filton Ave, you still get your head skimmed , vavle seats cut etc...still going strong... although the old chaps have gone."Could I have two Stromberg carb rebuild kits?"
"Of course Sir. 150 or 175s?"
XL Motor Spares, New Malden. Still going, with any number of boxes of assorting imperial nuts'n'bolts.
Gerradi said:
Yertis said:
We have a place in Bristol, on the Gloucester Road, called Millards. You could get anything for a proper car in there, served up by old chaps in brown warehouse coats. It was like Aladdin's cave. It's still there actually although the old chaps have gone.
"Could I have two Stromberg carb rebuild kits?"
"Of course Sir. 150 or 175s?"
Don't forgets Brights Filton Ave, you still get your head skimmed , vavle seats cut etc...still going strong... although the old chaps have gone."Could I have two Stromberg carb rebuild kits?"
"Of course Sir. 150 or 175s?"
reddiesel said:
steveo3002 said:
no it was take it or leave it , charge what you like
I was tempted to disagree with you Steve until I remembered my last purchase from such an Outlet and it was still there when I was a lad . Route 6 Wishaw Scotland was its original name and now its called Watts Car Spares . My rear passage is still raw from the shafting they gave me for a small Bottle of Turtle Wax Tyre Wall . Do you want a Receipt said the robbing B*****d . I want that Defibrillator in the Phone Box outside was my reply . £10 . jeremyc said:
XL Motor Spares, New Malden. Still going, with any number of boxes of assorting imperial nuts'n'bolts.
I LOVE shops like this. Also DIY/hardware stores of the same vein.Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff