Why's it take so long? vw?

[supercharged spaniel]

I ordered a new G40 radiator and expansion tank from vw on wednesday.  They said they'd ring me with some details on when they'd arrive.  Turns out the rad will be here on 3rd of December and the expansion tank on the 23rd.  Why the long wait?  What exactly is it am waiting for?  Does the Rad come by boat/car and someone carries the expansion tank lol?  Just out of curiosity really, what the hell goes on when you order stuff?

[metz]

I'm guessing theres a ten year old indian boy moulding the expansion tank out of old plastic pop bottles by hand.

[PeteG40]

depends whether they have stock in country or in germany and then i suppose germany have more than one supplier supplying them!

[MartinB]

Yep, some stuff has to take 5 working days as it comes from the motherland.

Edit: just read - 23rd December? bloody hell, that's a while to wait?

[supercharged spaniel]

Yeah well they're both back order. I don't get how when as far as I know they're coming from the same place but one takes considerably longer?

[Robin]

when stuff is on back order it can take AGES, i had to wait 2mths for a new scuttle panel for the G, well not really a scuttle panel, more like the thinnest EVER plastic shitty sheet!

[MartinB]

Fucking hell!

Yeah, I guess with backorders they may even have to make the product if they're completely out of them. Different suppliers etc.

[hayesey]

probably waiting for the manufacturer to make a batch up?

[Nick_S]

Yep, most likely awaiting delivery of stock from suppliers to VW.

[supercharged spaniel]

Surely they won't make new ones up lol cos then nowt would go obsolete but maybe as yous have said they take delivery from suppliers who hold them elsewhere?
Robin I know that part you mean but I got mine next day. I suppose it's just what stock they have and where it is. I waited 3 weeks for a back box recently  

[hayesey]

stuff goes obsolete when the manufacturer stops making them or vw tell them they dont want any more

[GSBellew]

As above, they are awaiting production, we get this all the time with Merc parts in work where we're ordering obscure parts for the hearse / limo conversions that would not normally be stocked as spares, it can be several months to get trim parts in unusual colours and that is on current models.

In relation to parts being made obsolete, they will make any parts for as long as the demand is there for them, they will even re-make obsolete parts if they get enough requests for them.

[supercharged spaniel]

they make them to the exact spec as they were previously though?

[GSBellew]

Yes, every time someone asks a dealer for a part and they put the request into the system it is logged, enough requests for a particular part will cause a new batch to go into production.

If your dealer won't listen there is always the classic parts centre in wolfsburg 

[sinister polo]

i no that bmw guarantees that they can get any part for any of thier models regardless of the age,
they even have a team dedicated to heritge parts and the production of them!