Does anyone have a source for bumper plugs?
07-27-2006, 04:30 PM
#1
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Does anyone have a source for bumper plugs?
My new-to-me 83 Urq is missing a front bumper plug. The folks who sold it to me told me they would replace it, but are having difficulties sourcing one. I already searched, no leads there.
What are my options? TIA!
What are my options? TIA!
07-27-2006, 05:49 PM
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Since I couldn't find any plugs...
Since I couldn't find any plugs. I took them all out.
Better to have no plugs, than only one plug!
(Sort of related to the joke "What worse than eating a worm in an apple? Eating half a worm!")
Better to have no plugs, than only one plug!
(Sort of related to the joke "What worse than eating a worm in an apple? Eating half a worm!")
07-28-2006, 09:35 AM
#4
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The originals a NLA (surprise, surprise), but I believe someone found a good generic replacement at
a local hardware store. Hopefully they will chime in with details.
07-29-2006, 02:30 PM
#6
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It makes no business sense to make them. We should be happy that they at least offered those parts
for sale on this last sale. Alot of the other parts that are now NLA were just scrapped. For instance, I got a new, in the crate, 3:89 Torsen transmission from a scrapper a few years ago. He got a whole container load of stuff that VW/Audi had scrapped at a parts depot in Chicago. Much of the stuff he threw away because he didn't know what it was. He knew that he could get something for the transmissions, so he sold them on ebay. Who knows what else has gone that way...
I think Audi did the right thing this time. They needed to get rid of these parts. Now at least they are in the hands of enthusiasts. Even if they end up selling the stuff for twice what they paid for it, it will still be less than the list price. If you look a the stuff, it was all parts that you probably would never need, even if you had a Sport. Who would need a new ABS harness for a Sport? Or a new temperature gauge. That isn't stuff that wears out, or that would likely be replaced even in a restoration.
There are ways to get the parts on that list. I know that a bunch of people in this forum have gotten parts, including myself. Personally, I just ordered stuff for my car, not parts that I am looking to sell, although I was tempted by a few Sport parts. Not the seats for 2000 Euro though...
I think Audi did the right thing this time. They needed to get rid of these parts. Now at least they are in the hands of enthusiasts. Even if they end up selling the stuff for twice what they paid for it, it will still be less than the list price. If you look a the stuff, it was all parts that you probably would never need, even if you had a Sport. Who would need a new ABS harness for a Sport? Or a new temperature gauge. That isn't stuff that wears out, or that would likely be replaced even in a restoration.
There are ways to get the parts on that list. I know that a bunch of people in this forum have gotten parts, including myself. Personally, I just ordered stuff for my car, not parts that I am looking to sell, although I was tempted by a few Sport parts. Not the seats for 2000 Euro though...
07-29-2006, 06:29 PM
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Thats the whole point of a heritage or classic department.
Sometimes you do what doesn't make money for the sake of keeping your customers happy. Making something simple like bumper plugs would be nothing for Audi from a cost point of view.
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07-29-2006, 09:14 PM
#8
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One would think so. Audi Tradition, the department that owns the race cars, museum cars, etc.
gets no direct financial support from Audi corporate unless they need a car for a show, special event, etc. Like I said before, as long as Audi has the museum cars and the footage from the "glory days" that they can show off, that is all they care about. Supporting a few hundred old cars won't sell many new cars. Definitely not enough to make a good business case. It would be interesting to have a poll in the B7 RS4 forum to see if it would make any difference to buyers of new RS4s if they knew that there would be no support for their vehicles in 20 years. I doubt if any of them would care.
Selling new cars is where the money is, not in $15 bumper covers. BTW, I bought a new set of bumper bolt covers for my car before they went NLA. I guess they are turning into collectors items now...
Mercedes is making money off of restoring old classics, by charging big $$$$$ for restorations, service, etc. They have gullwings, the classic SLs, etc. What classics do Audi have? Do you think Audi could make money restoring Ro80s, 100 LS's, NSU Prinz's or ur quattros? Not likely. Considering that the nicest ur quattro that I have ever seen in now selling for (what I would consider an astronomical price of) $45k+, you would be hard pressed to charge $50k to do a nut and bolt restoration of an ur quattro, which is probably what a proper restoration would realistically cost to make one "as new", even if you could find enough people actually willing to have it done.
Selling new cars is where the money is, not in $15 bumper covers. BTW, I bought a new set of bumper bolt covers for my car before they went NLA. I guess they are turning into collectors items now...
Mercedes is making money off of restoring old classics, by charging big $$$$$ for restorations, service, etc. They have gullwings, the classic SLs, etc. What classics do Audi have? Do you think Audi could make money restoring Ro80s, 100 LS's, NSU Prinz's or ur quattros? Not likely. Considering that the nicest ur quattro that I have ever seen in now selling for (what I would consider an astronomical price of) $45k+, you would be hard pressed to charge $50k to do a nut and bolt restoration of an ur quattro, which is probably what a proper restoration would realistically cost to make one "as new", even if you could find enough people actually willing to have it done.
07-30-2006, 05:21 AM
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I dont know, it'll take a toll. Audi has their head up their ***
I just advised my mom against buying a Q7.
I won't be replacing my A8L with another Audi, nor my wife's A6. I have sent about half a million dollars in car sales to Audi in the last 4 years. She always wanted a Mercedes and I think I'm going to advise her to buy one.
Mercedes got to where they are now by providing the support necessary to maintain their vehicles. If I Look on ebay, I can find a classic mercedes from sale from almost every year of the 60s and 50s and they are in great shape. Those are the little subtle things in a corporation which is why there are hundreds if not thousands of S series in Austin.
I run my own business and know that its the little things you do for customers which keeps them coming back. In the case of some of us old school guys who do drive newer Audis, but have a vested interest in keeping quattros on the road its something as cheap as bumper plugs. For many people is nice coffee machines, free loaners and plasma TVs in the waiting room. But I can get coffee machines, free loaners and Plasma TVs at both the BMW and Mercedes Dealerships as well as bumper plugs for my 25 year old car.
I won't be replacing my A8L with another Audi, nor my wife's A6. I have sent about half a million dollars in car sales to Audi in the last 4 years. She always wanted a Mercedes and I think I'm going to advise her to buy one.
Mercedes got to where they are now by providing the support necessary to maintain their vehicles. If I Look on ebay, I can find a classic mercedes from sale from almost every year of the 60s and 50s and they are in great shape. Those are the little subtle things in a corporation which is why there are hundreds if not thousands of S series in Austin.
I run my own business and know that its the little things you do for customers which keeps them coming back. In the case of some of us old school guys who do drive newer Audis, but have a vested interest in keeping quattros on the road its something as cheap as bumper plugs. For many people is nice coffee machines, free loaners and plasma TVs in the waiting room. But I can get coffee machines, free loaners and Plasma TVs at both the BMW and Mercedes Dealerships as well as bumper plugs for my 25 year old car.
07-30-2006, 05:37 AM
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Re: It makes no business sense to make them. We should be happy that they at least offered those pa
I have to disagree Steve. The list includes sport roofs, drive shafts, brakes, control arms.
The roof would be bought by someone contemplating a replica and depriving the owner of an original car a possible repair. The other parts are maintenance or collision repair necessities.
From what I hear the parts are pretty much all gone, watch ebay.de to find their market value.
e.g. An RR center console, price on the list 80 Euros, is up on ebay.de for 450Euros. Ironically more than dealer pre-fire sale.
- Mike Hopton
The roof would be bought by someone contemplating a replica and depriving the owner of an original car a possible repair. The other parts are maintenance or collision repair necessities.
From what I hear the parts are pretty much all gone, watch ebay.de to find their market value.
e.g. An RR center console, price on the list 80 Euros, is up on ebay.de for 450Euros. Ironically more than dealer pre-fire sale.
- Mike Hopton