Lancia Motor Club

I'm looking to replace the timing chain (1300). Having checked out the 'usual suspects' there is a disparity in price that makes me wonder if there's a quality difference. Ricambio sell chain plus tensioner shoe for £204, but Pieces-Fulvia, who I used recently with satisfaction, offer the same at about £125 (with UK VAT added). I've asked both if they can tell me the maker of the chain they sell. Anyone have any intel about this topic?

I have no experience of Ricambio. Pieces Fulvia are usually very good and reliable. Fulvia chains were typically made by a company called Regina and they can last more than 100 K km if the engine oil is changed very regularly. There are also other chains available wtih mixed results, i.e. they stretch at moderately low mileage, and this is not adequaltely compensated by the chain tensioner.

Thanks v much. Got a quick reply from Ricambio: "There is no brand name I’m afraid, we source these from a third party not a manufacturer." My feeling is that if theirs was somehow superior quality top manufacturer and better than inferior ones out there, they would know and want to put it in the description.

There are many items I might buy where the provenance isn't too important. However, at the risk of stating the obvious, a timing chain is most definitely not one of them!

I would have thought that Tanc Barrett or Omicron would be your best bet.

The Appia consortium buy a lot of spares from these people.
https://www.oldlanciaspares.com/fulvia_eng/engine.php
Clarkey

Thanks v much, I had them too on my radar and sent them a quote enquiry (which is how they seem to sell) but haven't had a response so far. Also of course TB and bigO, all around the same price. It was the Ricambio price outlier that promoted my post but they didn't convince me that what they were selling was any better than the others. I'm absolutely not in the business of shaving cost on that critical item but equally not inclined to pay a lot more for an item whose supplier can't tell me its origin. As I've got more than the just the chain itself on my shopping list it's helpful if I can get all items from the one supplier.

I find I get a much quicker response from Enrico at www.oldlanciaspares.com (Cavalitto) if you email him - info@lanciaricambi.it

The service is very excellent and I often get parts delivered within 48 hours of an order.

As with any supplier in the EU, you might or might not have to pay duty (25%) and I generally find that lower value orders (below E100?) are not charged but higher value ones are. Not sure why but perhaps someone here knows!

I also don't know how it works, but can report that just as with the exhaust pipe section that I bought from Pieces-Fulvia last month (cost <e100), the timing chain and associated bits (>e100 and just a bit >£100) have now been delivered DHL and I haven't had an invoice for UK VAT. So far. :)  But maybe later.

As mentioned before there is no customs duty chargable on orders from EU suppliers (remember the 'oven ready deal'?). You should, in theory, have to pay 20% UK VAT, but that seems to depend on the supply chain your package comes via. If the mail order supplier does not exceed the VAT registration limit for their UK supplies (circa £90K) then VAT might not apply. A bit of a lottery......

I have bought from Enrico for many years and can vouch for the fact that he does not sell inferior quality parts. Indeed on occasions he has recommended that I go elsewhere for a particular part because at the time he was not happy with the latest batch from 'his' supplier.
As to price I have never felt he was overpriced or greedy.
Chris 

This is what I work with (allowing a margin for appropriate currency conversion)

"The purpose of the de minimis value is to help small businesses by exempting low-value shipments from costly customs procedures. These shipments are cleared for import without the need for a formal declaration. This value is set for each country. In the UK, the de minimis value is £135."

Note you have to include carriage costs into the £135.

Agree, fully.