nweaver, longtime TTAC commentator, writes:
Assuming GM does go Chapter 11 and kills off Saturn, what happens to part support? I doubt it matters for my case, as a ’95 is old enough and common enough that its pretty much junkyard/recycled/remanufactured for anything major at this point anyway, but what happens to those with newer models?
Sajeev answers:
You are right; any car can live forever after the warranty expires. Thanks to the government’s intervention in GM’s 100k warranty (and Chrysler’s now Lifetime Achievement Award) you can bet your sweet bippy there’ll be manufacturer support to cover these warranties.
But don’t expect a just-in-time inventory management system for Mr. Goodwrench or the MOPAR mob. As a tangentially related Piston Slap article mentioned, get ready to take a number . . . and a reservation with Avis.
Which reminds me of a (fictional?) story my high school Economics teacher had about the USSR’s requirements for stocking replacement parts: the government compensated parts manufacturers by product weight (and weight alone), intentionally flooding the market with new engine blocks. Hence the “little things” that go wrong went unnoticed, unrewarded. Take replacement windshield wipers: the problem forced people to remove wiper arms after parking their car, lest they become a victim in the victimless crime of wiper theft.
I wouldn’t stock up on wiper arms for GM and Chrysler products, but buying stock in parts manufacturers (that supply the likes of Delphi) doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me.
[send your technical queries to mehta@ttac.com]
I’d be afraid at this point to buy new GM with any sort of unique parts. While you will always be able to get basic things, like coils, etc, you might be out of luck if your built in satnav dies, or if you have some parts NOT shared by the other 98% of GM cars.
The Government running GM is going to make Amtrak look like the Japanese Bullet Train.
I wonder now that Government Motors is no longer supposed to love big cars and trucks, that in conjunction with Cash 4 Clunkers GM is ordered to cut back on support for vehicles deemed to be too polluting or gas guzzling…
Badge engineering will turn out to have a bright spot.
Please permit a contrarian opinion. As a kid, we had neighbors who were a dedicated Studebaker family. The extended family kept about 5 of them running in daily service into the early-mid 1970s. I still saw a couple of those cars running later than that, owned by another Stude diehard. During that same era, the editor of Special Interest Autos magazine was running a 51 or 52 Hudson Hornet as a daily driver/magazine staff car.
I realize that the modern GM car is a lot more complex than the obsolete iron of my youth. But my point is that while it may not be convenient, there are a lot of these cars out there, and a lot of parts in the distribution channel. Someone will make a good living buying surplus parts from auctions when dealers either give up or are forced out. Some of the parts will continue to be made by outside suppliers who made them for GM or who buy the rights to reproduce them. And there will be a higher rate of parts recycling from those who eventually dump them cheap or from wrecks. There will be at least one “go-to” parts supplier who will have a big internet presence and a lot of inventory.
So, it may not be as convenient or inexpensive as it is now, but these parts will be available for awhile, so long as the owner has some patience and is willing to do some of the parts-chasing legwork for his mechanic.
No, I think it’s just going to be HARDER and more expensive to maintain a used GM or Chrysler product.
Not worth the trouble.
I have no trouble getting parts when needed for my 1986 Bertone(Fiat) X1/9. If ever there was an orphan, the X1/9 is an orphan. Between aftermarket parts and junkyards I wouldn’t be very concerned.
Heck, you can still get Yugo parts!
http://www.yugoparts.com/YPARTSONE.htm
jpcavanaugh: IIRC that was Mike Lamm’s Hudson. One of the better automotive writers out there.
I couldn’t agree with you more: 6th Planet specializes in Saturn parts and there’s another out there already supplying the consumer.
And in the nearly 30 years I have owned my 63 Valiant I have never had a problem finding parts. It was tight there for awhile in the early 90s, but now there is even a cottage industry in replica replacement parts, trim, rubber,patch panels and all sorts of things once only found in the junk yards. And with the Internet, it’s even easier than it was in the 80s to find what might be needed.
Never had a problem finding starters, switches, plugs, filters, tune up kits, etc from the local Napa or Auto Zone or Pep Boys even.
You are spot on in your assessment.
No, I think it’s just going to be HARDER and more expensive to maintain a used GM or Chrysler product.
Not worth the trouble.
My experience is, it’s hard enough already.
John
Simple economics folks.If the demand is there somebody will fill it.
The Cubans have been dealing with this problem for years.
The interwebs should prevent parts availability from becoming an issue. Proof? Pep Boys and the other big retailers don’t sell wiper blades for E39 BMW’s. The dealer sells ’em… for about $30.
I bought them on eBay recently for less than what Pep Boys was charging for most other blades.
There are case studies for this kind of situation.
Take Rover for example. They went bankrupt and ceased operations in Europe about five years ago. Replacement parts for Rovers are no problem at all.
The reason: parts are a profitable line of business. A company bought up all the Rover parts after bankruptcy and has been selling them efficiently ever since.
One caveat however: if a car is too rare, procuring parts is difficult. But if you stick to a mass-market job, I forsee no real problems.
I’m a parts clerk for a major North American automotive parts jobber.
Suffice to say, there’s very little to worry about here. Know that saying “too big to fail?” Well that applies to the aftermarket parts as well. Business for us is booming right now thanks to everyone deciding to repair their current vehicles rather than buy new. But having said that, even if one of the big three disappears or downsizes a whole bunch, the aftermarket can and will step up to the plate to provide around 85-90% of the parts on these vehicles.
The only kind of problems you’ll find yourself running into are parts like inner door panels, and seats, and those sort of “OEM only” items. But in terms of mechanical components and body panels, as well as engine components, we’ll continue to provide them because there’s a market for them. Suppliers will do the work.
When I still had my 1958 Plymouth convertible I always had my fingers crossed that I would never need a windshield for it. The 57-58 Mopar convertibles – and some hardtops – had different compound-curved windshields than the rest of the car lines. It wasn’t so much that I thought it would be impossible, just difficult, time-consuming, and expensive.
Ah, the old “the hard to find parts” myth.
Unless you have a brass-era car, or a one-off Italian race car from the early 50s, most parts for just about any car are easy to find. There are always a few bits that are made of unobtanium. For example on my old mid-60s Jaguar I can buy just about any part, online and have it in my hands the next day. The exceptions being hub carriers and the chrome trim on a factory hard-top. Given that I don’t own the latter, and the former are almost indestructible I think I’m OK. Because of this happy TCP/IP + FedEx economy we live in, I don’t hesitate to hop in my 44 year old car and drive it anywhere. In fact in July I’m driving it down the whole west coast of the US and back again. In 14 years there were only about 70,000 of my car ever made. Given that GM has produced that many, or more of just about every model per year the Saturn Doomsday Scenario will likely have zero impact on part availability for the next 75 years.
–chuck
Yes, I can see a big problem finding parts for my Crown Vic if Ford ever goes TU…
I had a neighbor who had bought the inventory out of the DeLorean liquidation. He made a lot of money for a long time off that one. Later he did the same for Bricklin, but I don’t think that worked out as well.
I can find parts suppliers for the Vauxhall/Opel/Holden Astra online all day long. The problem is none of them will ship parts to me. This is gonna be a hell of an issue years down the line when Saturn is kaput and Opel still doesn’t sell cars in America.
A example is Delorean — only about 8,000 were ever made. After DMC went under, the parts were all shipped back to the US – then nearly all bought by one concern in Houston. If you go on their website, you can buy everything you’d ever need. A few of the rarer parts are pricey — but otherwise not outrageous at all. Also, things like the engine (PRV/Volvo) and tranny, etc — were not unique — and plenty of parts options exist.
I can only imagine with cars that are/were built in much greater numbers — this will be even more so.
jpcavanaugh : Please permit a contrarian opinion. So, it may not be as convenient or inexpensive as it is now, but these parts will be available for awhile, so long as the owner has some patience and is willing to do some of the parts-chasing legwork for his mechanic.
Agreed 110%. Question is: how will the Government honor the warranty of newer cars? Will there be such a thing as “Genuine GM parts” to “keep your GM all GM”?
Just a guess, but I suspect the traditional “aftermarket” will get in this OEM warranty claim game in a big, big, BIG way.
“Genuine GM parts” to “keep your GM all GM”?
That POV died in the 90’s when GM started to outsourced much of its parts and supplier operations… Take my Caddy STS… The radio, several engine sensors and several of the body computers are Denso (a division of Toyota)… The ignition switch is/was made in England. The A.I.R. pump is German.
Almost all of Delphi and Delco parts are now sourced in China… and seem to be made at the same quality level as your average happy meal toy.
The only thing “GM” about most “Genuine” parts is the box they came in.
Just a guess, but I suspect the traditional “aftermarket” will get in this OEM warranty claim game in a big, big, BIG way.
They already have.
Isn’t the wiper blade the victim?
I remember hearing that the Soviet factories had a weight goal for the electric engines they made, within a short time period Soviets had the world’s heaviest electric engines…