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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - Moss things

Check out the new John Twist article in the latest Moss publication (not sure if flyer/magazine or latest T-series catalog). Fascinating read of his history with MG. Moss also has photos of all parts listed by part number now, see the online home page. Pretty cool to see actual close up shots of the parts. George
George Butz

I recently discovered the photo gallery of parts and it has been a great tool for me. I have a number of new parts with no labels that came with the restoration project I bought. The illustrations are often unclear, particularly when they are reproduced out of the factory books and may not match what Moss is currently supplying. Not all parts are there, yet, but there haven't been many I've found missing.

FWIW, I've also used the Anglo Parts online catalog just for their illustrations of some assemblies. Check it out, the drawings are great!
David Littlefield

"Moss also has photos of all parts listed by part number now"
I had a little trouble finding it but it's on the home page down towards the bottom. "Product photo gallery". It looks cool!

Ed
efh Haskell

The big problem with Moss is the growing number of parts that for one reason or another aren't fit for purpose. An even bigger issue is their policy of continuing to sell parts that fall into that category. I'm now aware of dozens of such items, which is why I & others here no longer purchase from Moss. This problem with Moss parts is up for discussion at the MGRA T Type Tech Day in Sydney on the 1st November where the list will no doubt be added to. I also use the Anglo illustrations as a reference. All of my recent purchases have been from either AS or FTFU. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

The problem with Moss is usually the customer. Most people fail to provide Moss with the information they need to correct bad parts. I've always found them extremely helpful if there is a problem with a particular part. And I find they have no more (if not fewer) problem parts than with many other antique car part suppliers. FOr some reason, British car owners expect every part they buy to bolt right on and work perfectly. Well, in the antique car business that just isn't always possible! I don't buy everything from Moss, but I do give them at least half of my parts buying business. And when I go elsewhere, half of the time the parts I receive were sourced from Moss anyway!
Steve Simmons

In my case Steve I spoke to Glen Adams Moss CEO Western Division in April 2014, gave him a comprehensive list & I'm still waiting for a reply. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

If you don't like them, don't buy from them. 98% of our parts are "aftermarket", made in very small batches and are not exact. Same applies to modern car parts- much aftermarket is not a good as OEM (aftermarket Volvo engine mounts and turn lamps are garbage in fact!). If anyone wants totally perfect bolt on parts, buy a new Miata, Mustang, or something in current production. Having been involved with the T-series since 1972, there were about 20% of the parts available today that were available back then. Moss was at the forefront of remanufacturing/sourcing pretty much everything- beautiful upholstery kits, side curtain chrome strips, you name it. ASL dug out a lot of NOS stuff in England, and found original suppliers to reproduce parts. It took us a month to find a used cluster gear in '72. There were no new crankshafts available in the US for many years, and the supply of useable used cranks dried up in the early 80's as well. Moss to the rescue! The few things in the last 40 years that were duds from Moss or Abingdon were always promptly and correctly dealt with. I will grumble about the long term lousy quality of some rubber items of course. Our expectations about general quality, color, finish, etc have risen over the years, and some things may have not kept up. Back in the day, any screw, cable or whatever worked was great, now we want stuff perfect as original at a low price. With the draconian business climate in the US, it is miraculous that any of this stuff can be made here, hence the overseas outsourcing. If Moss had not been around all of these years, most T-series cars in the US would have been left to rot or crushed. Miatas and Mustangs are nice, parts fit perfectly and are perfect, so if someone doesn't like dealing with imperfect restoration/performance/reproduction antique car parts, they should get out of the antique auto hobby, go get that Miata and stop whining. Just my thoughts and a happy Moss customer since 11/23/1972- the day dad bought the TD! Now if someone would reproduce the correct Phillips head screws for the TD instead of the hideous posidrive ones... George
George Butz

I only ever had one(1) Moss product that I got a refund on - their made in India screw on oil filter assembly. The refunded no questions asked.

This post was only to point out their new photo gallery. That was not trivial for them to set up and I've used it already. How about we agree to just keep it that way? JMHO
Ed
efh Haskell

I don't George. Wherever possible I refurbish original parts. Agreed Ed. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

I agree with Peter. If it's repairable, I like to repair it, even when it's 2 or 3 times as much. I have even sacrificed a new part to take what I needed to use it on an old component which could not be repaired.

But if a part is not what it should be, email Moss and at least it will get noticed. It might not get resolved for you, but over time, if they have a choice, it will probably get resolved for someone else later.

Oh and I am pretty sure most of the parts we see are sourced from the same places, even FTFU. Doug does do a pretty good job of dealing with the stuff that is unacceptable and trying to find/make replacements when he can. So he is like a quality control person on retainer. :-)
Christopher Couper

Original restored parts are almost always better than repros. There are a few items that don't make sense to restore, but not many.
Steve Simmons

In total agreement that original/NOS/used parts the best if you can find them. The internet has sure made that a lot easier! George
George Butz

I think a list if items that have issues is a good idea. It appears that they do not pull the items they know have problems, but rather continue to sell them. As they are so good about refunds, etc., it should actually end up saving them money by not having people order the no-good items, only to have to return them. I would prefer not buying bad items in the first place. A list with dates, etc would be most helpful.
N Tesla

I started this web page years ago but I don't buy enough parts to keep it up to date. Sometimes they fix the part and I would never know and other times good parts get replaced by bad parts.

http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/mgtd/mgtd_parts.htm

So if anyone would like to send me their data (findings) I am glad to post it here. Either a part that is not so good today or one that is noted as bad but recently you obtained a good one.
Christopher Couper

Couldn't agree more Mr Tesla. Chris I'll update my list & send it to you. The refund is fine but the real killer for us down under is the bloody outrageous shipping costs which AREN'T refunded! And we get to pay 3 times, once when we buy the part, then when we return it & again before the replacement arrives, often to find it's also a dud! (Sorry Ed. I know I said I'd bite my tongue... but SH) Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Chris, that page is nice. A problem is that most of these parts are made in tiny batches by different suppliers at different times. There is going to be a lot of variation between manufacturers as well as even within the same batch. Of course what may be fine for a driver may be terrible for a concours car, so a review may help. Dating the purchase of a review on the page may help. George
George Butz

Exactly the problem, and I don't see how Moss can do a better job when each batch that comes in is different than the last. We aren't talking about OEM quantities here, so retaining specs and quality over time isn't always possible. Besides that, even when these cars were new the factory replacement parts didn't always fit or function properly. We have far higher standards today than we ever have, at a time when getting correct parts made for old cars is increasingly more difficult.

If Moss checked every part that comes through their door, the parts would cost several times more and then there would be threads complaining about the price instead. In my opinion, there is good reason why there is only one big supplier in our hobby - no one else is willing to do it because it's really, really hard!
Steve Simmons

One big supplier Steve? How about Abingdon Spares, Brown & Gammons, Cambridge Motor Spares, Anglo Parts, FTFU & the list goes on. Bigger sure doesn't mean better. My point is if you are going to do it then how about doing it right! Fit for purpose means just that. The part MUST be fit for purpose. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

I totally agree with George I remember back in the 70's you had to go to old dealerships and repair shops hoping they would have what you needed. Moss had some parts but not the array available today. I have seen and talked to number of Moss employees and all of them say the same thing. If it’s a bad part we want to know about it and get it corrected.

Peter I can understand your frustration relating to the shipping. But I'm sure you have issues with some of the other suppliers also.

Ed
ECS Stanfield

I agree with everyone's statements. Note I had two entries for the toolbox felt myself. At one time Moss sold me some terrible stuff. I found a better set at AS. But later I heard from someone that they got good stuff from Moss again.

The best way to do this would be for some social website where we could all post our experiences. So for example I had a bad experience in 2014 with the tool box felt and then someone posted later that they have a good experience with the same product.

This way I don't have to do a bunch or extra work and the site could be a living and breathing entity. Note we sort of do that via this forum but it's hidden amongst posts and it would take you forever to filter through all the posts trying to figure out what that issues might be for a part and where your best chance of finding a good one would be.

So if anyone has some ideas here I am willing to support it from a technology perspective.
Christopher Couper

Yes, one big supplier. Most of the aftermarket parts sold by others are sourced from Moss, or exist because of Moss' efforts. I don't buy exclusively from Moss, but I'm thankful that they exist or else this hobby would have been very different, and much more difficult than it is today! But if you're unhappy then just buy elsewhere. But don't be surprised if you get a part with a Moss number on it! ;)
Steve Simmons

I suspect most repro parts are made by the same company, possibly in China, and then sold by a handful of suppliers. I bought new bumpers and over riders from the Welsh MG Company. The proprietor said his were the same as ones from all the major suppliers only cheaper. Considering all the repro bumpers appear to be of the same, incorrect shape doesn't this suggest they are all made on the same press tools? I think the only differences between the various suppliers is service and price. I bought a dynamo lookalike alternator from Moss Bradford which burnt out four times. Moss replaced it immediately each time and paid for postage. Eventually they apologised for the quality of products from one of their suppliers and reimbursed me in full. I have absolutely no issue with the excellent service they gave me.


Jan T
J Targosz

I do buy elsewhere Steve & so do most of the guys I know who are restoring T Types here in Oz. At a T Type Tech Day held in Sydney early last year ALL of of the 35 plus owners attending complained about Moss. I'm not alone in this. I do have the marbles to say it out loud. While Al was alive & running the company, the quality control that I seek DID exist. As many parts were common to a great many English cars they were able to be sourced at a reasonable price. The difficult bit was knowing what other cars could also provide the rapidly diminishing M.G. parts. This is how I & others were able to keep the cars on the road in the sixties. The juggernaut that Moss has become didn't exist then, it wasn't even a gleam in Al's eye! It began in much the same way as FTFU did. An enthusiast wanting to help other enthusiasts. That ethos is now dead & gone. It's just business & the principal Moss apologists are part of that business.

Once the retailer finds & affixes an M.G. tag onto a OEM part, the price goes through the roof. Fortunately there are still people here who have a vast knowledge of the parts that can be sourced from other lesser known makes, as we were the second largest market for T Types. I know of at least two such legends & they are more than happy to share their knowledge & continue to be a great help to me & to many others. They are not in the business of giving you the business! My principal complaints about Moss are that they continue to sell defective parts or parts that are not fit for purpose knowing that is the case, that their shipping costs are exorbitant & that even their CEO doesn't keep his promises. I believe the point of this forum is to share TD & TF knowledge across the globe & also to prevent the owner restorer from being ripped off. If you went to the market to buy an apple, paid for the apple & they delivered an orange you wouldn't be very happy... or would you? No amount of fettling is ever going to turn it into an apple!

Great initiative Chris & one that's long overdue. You have my wholehearted support along with that of dozens of other Aussies. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Jan,
I also bought the repro bumpers and overriders from the Welsh MG Company and the bumpers were labelled "Made in Taiwan" and the overriders were labelled "Made in China". I'm always very pleased with the Welsh MG Company and their postage charges to Germany were very reasonable not like some of the other culprits out there.
Taiwanese products are usually quite good and I have done a lot of work in Taiwan during my engineering career. I think they are better geared up for quality than the Chinese.
Just my opinion.

Regards
Declan
D Burns

Has anyone bothered to read the fascinating John Twist article or look at the pictures I mentioned? Or is it more fun to be a troll and flame people or companies? Seriously, may be time for me to move elsewhere. George
George Butz

Yes George. I commented on the excellent Moss picture gallery way above before this thread was hijacked.
efh Haskell

Hi Declan,

If you or anyone else is near Wrexham it is well worth visiting the Welsh MG Centre. They are in one of the 1960s car showrooms with petrol pumps to the front, which are long since gone. The showroom was littered with new MG parts, mainly for MG Bs but the really interesting part was out the back. Here was a MG graveyard with rows of scrap MG Bs, midgets and the odd Magnette. Just like a 1960s scrapyard!

Cheers


Jan
J Targosz

Good link George, a very useful resource.

Got a giggle from "Once the retailer finds & affixes an M.G. tag onto a OEM part, the price goes through the roof"

I guess you've never shopped for Jag parts. ;) MG parts are one of the cheapest out there. One time I went to a local parts house to order a tail lamp lens. I was quoted $85. After I picked myself up off the floor, I questioned the price. He flipped through his book again and realized he was in the Ferrari section. The MG tail lamp was $18. The kicker is, it was the same lens, same part number, same box, same supplier!
Steve Simmons

This thread was discussed between 19/10/2015 and 29/10/2015

MG TD TF 1500 index

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