parts availability

[sapplebee]

I've just received an A9X Torana as a Xmas gift to add to my collection. Unfortunately, the passenger side mirror isn't on the car or loose in the box. I've contacted the shop it was bought from (which is interstate!) and they've directed me to deal with Biante direct. Local hobby shops however, are of the opinion that I've got buckleys chance of getting a new mirror. from your experiences, what is the best way for me to go about getting my hands on one?

[Oh Five]

Contact Biante, i tried to fix my brock 28c once as the side rear window wasnt in properly, i smashed it(trying to fix it). and contacted Biante. No sorry cant help you. About 3 weeks later Richard contacted me and had one for me.
So i reckon you should be right.:)

[chups]

i had an incident in which some cars were damaged (bonnet pins, and arials) i emailed biante and i havent heard from them.

[diecastdude]

These things could well become damaged whilst in transit but I have often wondered if any quality asurance or proper inspections are carried out before shipment of course it will always be said that there is, however on more than one occassion I have recieved defective models which has resulted in my now strict policy of only dealing with shops and inspecting the models before I purchase. This policy has further strengthened my suspiscions because on many occassions I have sifted through 2,3 and 4 models in the shop to find one that in my opinion is perfect (no paint chips, overspray, crooked fittings etc etc) Of course it should be said that Biante have always replaced the defective model and the retailer who sells a defective model should be doing the same after returning the defective model that he received as part of his stock to Biante. If the dealer is not replacing defective models then find another dealer and alway inspect at the counter before handing over your cash.

[Nick Short]

Sapplebee, as I understand it, the law in Australia is the same as in the UK, that retailers are obliged to replace anything sold in defective condition, and as diecastdude suggested, it is their responsibility to then obtain redress from Biante, not yours. In practice it can be difficult if the retailer refuses to accept his legal responsibilities, and things become even trickier when limited edition things like Biante models are concerned, as it isn't always possible to replace a faulty item with another.

[blazer]

I cannot understand why biante would not cash in on the spare parts. As i understand it the tooling required to manufature the components that go into making up the cars cost alot of money. Why they wouldnt capitalise on this has got me. I see several postings from people wanting spare parts or wanting to modify there cars (Eg bigger wheels) Cmon Biante be like the real car manufacturer's and offer a spare parts division

[SammyHagar]

Hi,
when i first bought the road going cobra and got it home i noticed it was missing an exhaust tip, so i email biante and told them about it,and they said that they`d send another one to me,which they did,i had to wait maybe a month or so for it but it still got here...so like oh five said contact biante and see what they can do for you:)

thanks

[roity]

I think it becomes a lot of trouble to deal with lots of spares so they are reluctant. I once asked about 1/18 police light bars and was told no I cannot be supplied with them. :rolleyes:

I reckon for every run of cars they should do a limited run of spare bits, and I guess they also want to protect there rights on there own products as well.

:D

[admin]

Let me clarify the parts situation.
I have read all the above and the general inference seems to be that we will not supply parts. This is totally incorrect as most of you know.
However, when we do get requests for parts 2 years after the model has come out, or from people who have purchased models from NON authorised stockists, we are under no obligation to supply anything.
Our poilicy is quite simple.
If you buy it from us, contact us and it will either be replaced, a part supplied or a refund issued.
If you buy it from a Biante stockist, notify them. They will then contact us and the same proceedure as above applies. If you buy a new Holden and something breaks, you dont ring Holden do you? You go back to the dealer you bought it from.
We have always asked our stockists to check the models in front of the customer at point of sale and also advise the customers to do the same.
It is impossible to make a never ending supply of spare parts for every model. There are parts available for several weeks after the stock is shipped and then they are junked.
A clear description also helps. For example, the starter of this thread, emailed us last night (Sunday and also closed for Christmas) for a mirror for a Torana SS hatchback. Huh?? Is it a Palias A9X..released well over a year ago, a Brock Patterson car, also released a year ago, or a Flamenco Red A9X released about 6 months ago.
Question....why didnt the store find this mirror missing before now, is it a model issued to them by us in the first instance or has it been bought in from elsewhere, etc etc.
And why havent they done what they are supposed to do...contact us for a resolution...not flick pass it off onto the customer to do it? As for "local hobby shops saying I have got buckleys", maybe if they carried out the sale process professionally and looked after their customer, there would be no problem. Maybe its too hard??
Also, when contacted for bits for people to play around with to make "specials", do you thinks we should supply bits?
If we had supplied every request for a left hand XY mirror that had "fallen off" or "My girlfriend broke it" or "it wasnt in the box", there would be 900 twin mirrored Ultra White XY's out there instead of 134.
So Sapplebee, send us a correct description and if we have one, we will send it, even though from our point of view, your car's well out of warranty.

[chups]

Warranty? i didnt know they had warranty. but still, i have some VTs missing bonnet clips, do you have any lying around? i think only 2 are missing (HRT car (red clip) and the faulkner car (blue clip) i am also missing an arial off of one of the cars, im not sure which one it is (i think its the gardner car) if admin can not supply these parts (as the cars were made a number of years ago) if there is anyone out there that has modified a car and has these bits left over please email me.
and i know i modify dicast cars but i do not need these parts for a project! i need them to fix the cars in my actual model collection.

-Chups-

[perry]

Originally posted by admin

A clear description also helps. For example, the starter of this thread, emailed us last night (Sunday and also closed for Christmas) for a mirror for a Torana SS hatchback. Huh?? Is it a Palias A9X..released well over a year ago, a Brock Patterson car, also released a year ago, or a Flamenco Red A9X released about 6 months ago.

So Sapplebee, send us a correct description and if we have one, we will send it, even though from our point of view, your car's well out of warranty.


Admin, there was no left hand mirror fitted to the Brock SS hatch... and the red and white A9X's are both modelled on the original, ie: a black mirror.

I believe the warranty starts from time of purchase. Its not his fault that a store still has stock. My local GamesWorld (authorised stockist) still has brand new VT Coupe concept cars in 1:18, Valvoline Commodores 1:18, Brock Toranas 1:18, etc etc...

There is also a requirement to hold spare parts, and this link also holds a lot of info on warranties and refunds... worth printing out: (note: .pdf file)
ACCC Guidlines for Warranties (http://www.accc.gov.au/pubs/Publications/Industry/ Retail/Warranties_refunds_Dec2001.pdf)
Now, i understand it would be uneconomical to hold a spare door or interior, but mirros and aerials are always going to break.

With the 65 Biante models ive purchased, ive only ever had trouble with the aerials and mirrors (about six times).

[admin]

So how long do you think it will be before you finish having trouble with your mirrors and aerials Perry? I will get some more made especially for you.
You expect us to still have parts for Red Xy's? You probably do.
I also dont need you to quote me my responibilities.... I do have spares for consumable bits...but not for people who lose them or break them long after they take them home.
Or for someone who buys it cheap from a swapmeet because it is broken/incomplete and then expects me to make it brand new again.
Anyone of our customers or store owner who, within a reasonable time asks for a part, will have it supplied, fitted or a refund if not available.
Not quite sure what other language I can put this in so that you can understand.
I know all the hatchbacks have black mirrors. Maybe there is a reason I ask which one. I dont think its too hard to say which colour is it.
What if, as on the XC, we have different shaped mirror mounting pins depending on which car you get (as we updated as we went along.)
Do I just keep sending out mirrors until we get to the correct one.
Maybe youve got nothing to do all day, but we have.
AND ...........apart from all that, it is the stores responsibility to request the item...not the customer.
Like I said..read my reply.......please!

[sapplebee]

Dear 'Admin',

For some reason you seem to have taken my queery as some sought of personal attack. As I stated in my email to you, the vehicle was bought for me interstate as a gift from my mother. Not being a car enthusiast, she didn't notice the mirror was missing. As I also stated in my email, there isn't any glue residue around the hole (the driver side mirror feels firmly attached like it has been glued) nor was the mirror loose in the box. These reasons make me believe the mirror wasn't attached correctly during the manufacturing process, but I could be wrong!

I thought that by stating the vehicle was a SS Torana Hatchback was enough information for you considering the 'race' Toranas didn't have passenger side mirrors and the LH/LX sedans you produce have a silver mirror stem as opposed to the chrome one one the Hatchbacks that I have seen. Being new to this hobby, I didn't know that different colours were made at different times!

I posted this queerie on the forum as your web site stated that you were closed for business until 30 Dec. I was concerned that should the entire vehicle need to be replaced for whatever reason, the Xmas rush might see you out of stock. Naturally enough, I wanted the defect corrected with the least amount of trouble to both of us. I posted this queery to get the opinion of EXPERIENCED customers on how they would handle my problem as i am VERY new to collecting model cars.

The information you have requested is:
1:18 Flamenco Red LX Torana SS with A9X option.
It is number 1696/5000
The mirror is the passenger side mirror. It has a chrome stem and is matt black in color.
It was purchased in the Modbury area of Adelaide (please refer to my email for the stores name) on 18th Dec 2002.

As for your concerns about why the shop "flick passed" it back to me. I can't answer that question for you. As I stated in my email, they told me their procedure is for me to contact you direct. If that breaches your normal complaint processes, I would suggest that you contact them to sought it out. I agree with you when you say that retailers should look after us consumers better. Hopefully, by my bringing this problem to your attention, you can get together with your retailers and correct the way they deal with your consumers.

I hope when you state "even though from our point of view, your car's well out of warranty", you were still of the belief that my model was an old one. Not one that was released 6 months ago and is still on the shelves of many authorised stockists. I find it hard to believe that a 6 month old model, that was bought brand new less than a week ago from an apparently reputable store, is out of warranty so soon?

Finally, I apologise if my posting in this forum, or in fact my email has caused you offence. I thought both were written politely and without prejudice. I only wanted to see an obvious defect in my model car corrected with the least possible fuss to both of us.

Could you please reply to me by email (you have my email address) when you have decided the best way to correct this fault.

Thank you.

[chups]

I agree, i do not EXPECT admin to replace parts broken by the collector, i asked for the spare parts incase admin had some lying around, if i bought the model and the piece was missing then yes, i would expect it to be replaced, but not if it was broken after purchased.
Perry, maybe admin were asking which colour it was to find out the age of the vehicle (Palias A9X..released well over a year ago, Flamenco Red A9X released about 6 months ago.)

[admin]

Sapplebee...I took no offence ....dont know why you thought that.
I am just trying to explain the procedure....again.
As I stated in my replies above, all we need is the exact details of the model and we have a chance.
I definitely will contact the store concerned, as it is their job as the contact with the customer, to make sure all is done to keep you happy.

[perry]

Originally posted by admin
So how long do you think it will be before you finish having trouble with your mirrors and aerials Perry? I will get some more made especially for you.


No need to be sarcastic.

Ive never broken one, but have had six fallen off "in transit" somewhere between china and perth. It will always be a problem as its a delicate part with very little surface area for gluing. Not something that can really be changed, as the part needs to be accurate. The specific problem is the mirrors on the LX toranas, and the aerials on the LJ's.

I simply mentioned it as i know its a problem other collectors have faced also. Maybe some feedback for you, unless of course you dont want feedback...

Originally posted by admin
I also dont need you to quote me my responibilities....

It was for the members of this forum's reading, not directed at you. Im not niave enough to assume you dont know this information.

[Malik]

These cars have warranties? wow.. see now ya learn something new everyday...

anyways.. my actual question was for admin... just curious but is there a list somewhere of authorised biante stockists in Australia?


Ta in advance..

[oldxr]

Hey Admin, i seem to have lost all 4 minilite wheels of my Moffat Brut33, any chance of some replacements.:D :D