Afternoon All,

I've been lurkin' trying to work out what VW I want & where is best to purchase custom parts (narrowed beams, air ride, etc). Ive stumbled across "Airkewld" & "Franklin's VW Werks" but I was wondering if you can advise where might be best/who has a great range of parts? At this stage I'm looking at a 60's beetle as it suits what I want to achieve best.

I'm mechanically minded enough to install stuff, but not so much when it comes to fabrication.

Thanks very much!
Allbones.

Where are you based, that would help.

Apologies, I'm in Ipswich, Near Brisbane.

Das resto parts, Volks .com.au, vintage vee dub, just to name a few

justkampers are great to deal with
http://www.justkampersaustralia.com/ 

You'll find the places that have been mention are way better than you local auto parts shop for prices. i priced a kombi aircleaner from autobahn and nearly fell over when they told me the price.

Click on the sponsor banners above mate . Happy shopping

I second the comments above; Won't go back to classic vee dub again v.poor customer service.

Bought some panels from justkampers the other week and was pleased with the result, so happy to recommend them.

Quote:

Originally posted by tar76 You'll find the places that have been mention are way better than you local auto parts shop for prices. i priced a kombi aircleaner from autobahn and nearly fell over when they told me the price. Click on the sponsor banners above mate . Happy shopping

Leon's Motors/ Pheonix Trikes is just off Granard Road at Coopers Plains, doesn't carry heaps of parts but normally has the essentials. Especially Weber jets which are quite hard to find. Das Resto Haus down the coast is listed as a Airkewld Australian dealer, they had some real nice gear at Valla.

Thanks for the recommendations above. Yep we are the Australian Airkewld product distributors (have one air ride kit in stock currently for IRS type I, swing axle kit coming soon plus 4in beams etc leaving the US next week). We focus on quality parts that we use on our customer's restorations and own cars.....so when doing your research and cost comparisons, just make sure you are comparing apples with apples

All the best, have fun with the resto!
Al
dasrestoparts.com.au

I purchase most of my parts from the states, piersideparts are good, you can see the postage costs before you go to the checkout, always cheaper that in australia, just check with a engineer in australia about the legallity of narrowed beams or air ride kits before you import or fit them to your car.

^ Always cheaper? No, not necessarily!

Definitely recommend checking with the crew at Das Resto Parts for what you need first before going overseas, Al will definitely look after you!

buy it where its the cheapest. Not paying twice the price for something here when can have it shipped to my door. My attitude to this started when i ordered parts from victoria years ago and also ordered parts from california on the same day. Guess which parts got here in four days and which delivery took over three weeks.

Its like grocery shopping, one shop isn't great for everything.

As long as you are aware of the different vw outlets, websites etc, get quotes around. One thing might be cheaper at one place, but at the same time, more expensive. etc.

I have stopped buying here as the service is mostly poor with a lot of average advice, if you look around it is always cheaper to import it, i do it all the time. normally about half price plus postage, you have to get the best rate for that, example, just bought a lot of earls fittings from there retail shop in the states, exactly half price, this seams to be the average for australia, take the US price and double it.

Make Cip1 your friend

As a suplier to the VW performance market I resent the fact that according to vwo60 all prices are double of what you would expect to pay . I have set up my business here to purely help with the running costs of my own motorsport costs . I took it upon myself to create a store to help out the other VW people in Australia as there was no performance orientated shops that kept the stock I do . And it has grown into a great business as I now give back to the VW community in Australia in the way I support and sponsor this website and events with money I take out of my racing budget . Without the support of the Australian public and the business here , these events would not exist . So next time you attend an event , try to support the business that support these events . As for people wanting the best possible price , I am all for value for money , however is does not help the short sightedness of some people on here that do nothing to promote and grow the VW scene in Australia , ROD.

Quote:

Originally posted by Dasdubber Just be aware of the freight - Pete from Airkewld charged us $735 for air freight for the last air ride kit we had sent over for a customer. We then pay GST and duty etc (unless you go through the process of AUS-US FTA documentation for each shipment). I'll shoot you back a PM, we have a sea freight order leaving Airkewld next week but can air freight as well (be prepared for the cost). Happy for you to shoot Pete an email for a quote to compare. Every australian company has to factor in markup for both business viability and also to cover the losses in returns and warranty probs. Eg. a customer ordered the wrong air ride kit from us a while back, we wore the $350 international freight to get the right bits here as well as $100+ in domestic freight. Its all good when things go swimmingly but remember to factor in that risk when you buy direct as it costs a lot to send stuff back Sorry to get this topic off track, its a debate that will continue. I've come from all sides of the arguement (consumer, trade customer and now supplier). Shall get back to you shortly. Cheers Al

No probs, was trying to explain it to others as well so I appreciate you understanding. Air Freight seems to be very hit and miss (the first two air ride kits cost us $375 each)....sea freight is a more known quantity but even then, each individual shipment we send is subject to $150-250 freight forwarder professional fees (even if the goods are only worth $100!) plus AQIS inspection fees, plus a host of other costs that customs and the government sting us with.

Some people look at a US price for an item, then look at the Australian price for that same item and think the margin is all profit....trust me the margin after overheads is very very different! I can understand why people shop overseas and can't complain if people do. That is why we try where possible to set our pricing according to what it will cost an individual to buy and send something to oz (with gst as it lands). If we can't stay competitive, we can't whinge, we just won't stock those items.

Sorry to keep the banter going! I'll stop now
Al

Good point Rod, guys like you and our other sponsors on here put a lot back into the local vw scene!

go C.O.D Shane, but you might not always get what you order.

back to square one. Know what you mean.

Rod is good, if he has room in his container and able to get it, he will.
you then pay.
Tops to him.

I tried to purchase some sway bars for my ghia from one of the importer/respondants above, two phone calls and two emails and three weeks of trying to spend my money in Australia, no response at all after all the promises that he was different from the rest, i had a response from your oposition overseas withinn 6 hours and the parts were here withinn 5 days, at a cheaper price than what was available in Australia, i do not sponser anybody by paying any more than i have to, the oposition is over seas, if you want to send your parts as cheaply as possible you can use one of the freight /car fowarder that advertise in any of the Australian car mags, the only time i purchase anything here is if it is the same price or cheaper, At Valla i bought a vintagespeed black mamba shifter, it was well priced, if i could have bought it over seas cheaper landed i would. PS i just bought a large box of karmann ghis trim pieces from Karmannghia.com and was charged $58.00 and it arrived in six days.