any parts shortages/shipping?

[ugly_90]

I have a relative in Miami, he's a mechanic doing mostly work on import cars there. He let me know that some electronic modules for some popular makes are severely backordered now, and they have been for awhile. In order to keep those vehicles on the road, those modules are being component-level repaired and/or reprogrammed, which wouldn't have been cost effective before.

I know another fellow in Cambridge, ON, who regularly does electronic repair. He has a customer that would regularly replace a specialty thermostat on a piece of HVAC equipment.  That thermostat used to cost $150 or so. The few that are still available now are $750, and he's now had that module repaired instead.

I know of many other delays in new industry equipment due to microchip shortage or shipping problems. Has any of this affected LR spares lately, particularly later models?

[headdamage]

Just in time is just not keeping up these days. I'm hoping that his leads to more in country manufacturing but that is likely wishful thinking.

[SpeedyJ]

I work in the bicycle industry. The supply chain issues are what we manage these days. It's been everything for about 15 months. We have thousands of bikes that are pre-sold but on backorder. Last summer we couldn't by 26" inner tubes at any price. Newly released bikes are backordered into 2024. Shimano, the largest supplier of bicycle drivetrains and brakes is currently 22 months out for OEM orders. It's completely re-shaped how we do business.

We're managing ok, but only because we bought early and aggressively, have access to several top tier suppliers and made moves early on in the pandemic. We saw other retailers blink last spring and they're still paying for it.

It's nuts and it's unlikely that we'll clear through the back-log until at least mid-2023.

[binch]

It's not just hi-tech that's have the supply issues.    We see issues with many car parts for the classic sports cars, and it's not due to interest.    Shops working with reduced # of employees or separation guidelines, raw material for making the parts, manufacture or milling of parts.    It's all been affected.
That said....our shop has never been as busy as it is this past year!!!   We could easily have 4 mechanics working full time now......if we could find four mechanics LOL

[ugly_90]

I seem to remember an article a few years back in ' Practical Classics '. It was for a specific model of antique british car. They sand-cast a replacement aluminum door handle themselves. I've seen photos of the same in Pakistan for a thermostat housing on a Toyota or something.

as long as it isn't a moving part, it should be possible to copy or repair. Most older (pre-2000?) electronics are much simpler, those parts can be had from Digikey or Newark online.

You'd be in a bit of a jam with some electro-mechanical part however. Front hub with ABS in the old 1997 Malibu I had? You might be able to take that apart and get it back together ok, but I think its sealed. Parts like that might be a showstopper if you wanted ABS to work.

In most cases, if its manmade, man made it, and usually man can repair or replace it.

[Matt H]

Global production is down. Shipping is bottlenecked at ports because ports have been understaffed. Even if they could unload the materials there is a shortage of heavy trucks to move stuff. Also there is nowhere to put it because warehousing has been redesigned as a 'just in time' model and has no excess capacity.

I work in the road maintenance/fleet industry as a Mechanic/Repair Foreman and I can no longer give any concrete ETAs unit availability due to a lack of parts.

[ugly_90]

It doesn't look like this supply shortage is easing anytime soon. I ordered a Proto tool bag several weeks ago now, and it's been backordered a few weeks more. I ordered a replacement ratchet movement for a 3/4" Proto ratchet, and i'm not seeing that anytime soon either. And that's just the Proto tool parts.

I think it's concerning for keeping vehicles on the road. I've heard of a shortage in farm tires, and other parts. Stories of some farmers buying working equipment to scavange for parts to keep other ones going.

It's getting to be like in Russia. Years ago, a used car was worth more than a new one, because you could actually take delivery of the used car. The new one you've ordered might not be seen for years, if at all.

It may be a good time to maintain a stock of critical spares for your Landrover, if you hadn't done that before. I've been amassing a horde over the last decade so far, and am quite prepared on spares.