*** C/S Bumpers to be discontinued ***

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N.W. 92 GT-S

New member
I just picked mine up and the guy said only 11 left in the system and they will be discontinued and will be no longer be available after those are gone . I might go get another one......
 
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Toxygene

Active member
Wow,

I think there is a Canadian Toyota Parts distributor that is selling all the parts as a kit to do the change over. I wonder if they know about the availablility or if they have some other way of getting more.

Here is their link: SpeedToys

If this is the case then maybe someone should have the bumper duplicated by someone like VIS or some other body kit manufacturer.
 
N

N.W. 92 GT-S

New member
Tazka":y7mjm6ob said:
Wait this means that you can't get one no matter where you live?
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I'm thinking just here in the States. Other parts of the world might have a larger supply. But soon as Toyota is out they won't produce anymore .....
 
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RedCelicaTRD

Moderator
Thats a bunch of bull. When USA runs out, they ship then in from Japan and restock. Just to give you an idea, I checked a few years ago and there was only 5 in the country. Obviously they didn't discontinue them.
 
CMS-GT4

CMS-GT4

Active member
I was thinking about this the other day. I am curious when they will discontinue them though. I think I will keep my old one, for just in case I damage the new one I am going to get. I will always have a backup even if toyota does kill them off.
 
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turbo4wd

Moderator
RedCelicaTRD":1zi0r4ci said:
Thats a bunch of bull. When USA runs out, they ship then in from Japan and restock. Just to give you an idea, I checked a few years ago and there was only 5 in the country. Obviously they didn't discontinue them.
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This is true, at least until the supply in Japan runs out. OEMs don't manufactuer parts for vehicles past a certain amount of time. They usually produce large batches in several runs and thats it. The number of bumpers that were made is based off the projections that X amount would be needed for so many years for so many cars sold.

So bottom line, there is a finite amount of bumpers left. When they're done, they're done.
 
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RedCelicaTRD

Moderator
As long as the part sells, they make more. They don't produce "X" number of units and thats it. If people keep buying the bumper they will make more. Look at the ae86, still going strong with the various bumpers since people keep buying them.
 
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turbo4wd

Moderator
RedCelicaTRD":3h8hb4fa said:
As long as the part sells, they make more. They don't produce "X" number of units and thats it. If people keep buying the bumper they will make more. Look at the ae86, still going strong with the various bumpers since people keep buying them.
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Sorry dude, but I beg to differ. I used to work in the parts & service division at Nissan North America - Toyota runs their division the same way. In fact most major OEMs run off a similar model..

Sheetmetal body panels are created in dies and stamping machines, while plastic parts are made in molds. When the next generation vehicle comes out, all the presses are retooled, and new molds are made. OEMs don't go back and use molds that are 15-20 years old just because 5-10 people a year buy a bumper. Its not cost effective as the cost per unit is extremely high and it literally is a waste of their precious time.

They will create parts based off a number of factors: what type of part it is, how many vehicles are projected to sell, how many vehicles were sold, how many parts have sold relative to how many vehicles over x amount of time (aka parts tempo), and how many parts are projected to be needed after vehicle production ceases. Some OEMs will use a number like 10 years - so they'll produce enough spare parts during the production run of the vehicle to supply a percentage of total vehicles projected to sell during its life cycle for 10 years after the final production year.

They DO NOT keep building parts like body panels "on demand". Other parts that may be shared between vehicles like alternators and water pumps may be built in greater numbers per batch, but they too are not built past a certain point, unless of course that part is still being used today on a current vehicle.

When you reference the AE86 - Toyota sold a few hundred thousand of these cars (probably closer to a million for the entire generation globally) and thus the spare parts supply is going to be massive. On the flip side there were only a couple thousand RC ST185's built.. the spare parts supply for this car is no where near in abundance as an AE86..

So what you're seeing is effectively a handful of enthusiasts who have access to a huge surplus of parts for a large volume vehicle (AE86) while on the other hand, I seem to recall dealers having a hard (if not impossible) time of finding a pair of RC Hood ornaments to sell you....
 
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Rick89GTS

New member
turbo4wd":3mg6bz0q said:
RedCelicaTRD":3mg6bz0q said:
As long as the part sells, they make more. They don't produce "X" number of units and thats it. If people keep buying the bumper they will make more. Look at the ae86, still going strong with the various bumpers since people keep buying them.
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Sorry dude, but I beg to differ.....
Some OEMs will use a number like 10 years - so they'll produce enough spare parts during the production run of the vehicle to supply a percentage of total vehicles projected to sell during its life cycle for 10 years after the final production year...........
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Paraphrasing you but that's my understanding also. IIRC, a manufacturer is required by law to have parts availability for 10 years. After that, it's up to them. Can't recall where I read that though.... :shrug:
 
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RedCelicaTRD

Moderator
I'm not going to disagree with you on the fact that alot of parts do get discontinued after a few years. I see it everyday since I've worked at Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Mopar and Hyundai dealers (since we're dropping names :wink: ) However, it simple economics, if you keep selling the part, keep making the part. Since most parts are outsourced to other companies it doesn't take any time away from Toyota to have them made. They put in an order, parts get made. If a supplier wont make the part they sometimes will go to other people (i'm sure you've seen some of the fun stuff that happens when you get multiple suppliers for one part). I've ordered parts that are "discontinued" from Toyota and still gotten them. It does take time, you get a notice that says "supplier ship direct" but the part gets manufactured. I'm sure that brand new engine wiring harness that I got a year ago that was supplier ship direct wasn't sitting on a shelf, waiting for the past 16 years for me to order it up. And besides, when alot more people order the part doesn't it change the "part tempo?"
 
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turbo4wd

Moderator
RedCelicaTRD":1oq4upeg said:
I'm not going to disagree with you on the fact that alot of parts do get discontinued after a few years. I see it everyday since I've worked at Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Mopar and Hyundai dealers (since we're dropping names :wink: ) However, it simple economics, if you keep selling the part, keep making the part. Since most parts are outsourced to other companies it doesn't take any time away from Toyota to have them made. They put in an order, parts get made. If a supplier wont make the part they sometimes will go to other people (i'm sure you've seen some of the fun stuff that happens when you get multiple suppliers for one part). I've ordered parts that are "discontinued" from Toyota and still gotten them. It does take time, you get a notice that says "supplier ship direct" but the part gets manufactured. I'm sure that brand new engine wiring harness that I got a year ago that was supplier ship direct wasn't sitting on a shelf, waiting for the past 16 years for me to order it up. And besides, when alot more people order the part doesn't it change the "part tempo?"
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I agree with you on the subject of vendors. Often times once an OEM is done producing parts themselves, a vendor may come in and obtain the rights to continue producing parts (if they weren't already). However in my experience, this is extremely rare when it comes to bodywork for low volume / limited production vehicles, because they're almost always developed in-house, unlike something like a water pump which is contracted out to a separate manufacturer.

So I stand by what I said, I don't think you'll see RC bumpers available as long as people buy them - Once they're gone, they're gone. I'm sure at this point, there's a surplus of them at some PDC in Japan, and because the rate of them being sold per year worldwide is probably close to single digits, there's a fair chance that supply may last..

But I wouldn't count on there being any in 10 years time.. :wink:
 
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RedCelicaTRD

Moderator
I agree, in ten years we're all gunna be screwed. However, I think theres alot more then single digits being sold each year. Think of how many CelicaTech people buy them each year, then the people who don't post and then the people across the world. It all adds up and helps the part get continued production. I would think we have a few more years left, but the end is getting near....
 
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etantshi

Moderator
I think they'll be gone within two years. Maybe less than that. Once they're gone they're gone, and all you have left is the aftermarket. You'll probably still have a good supply of hoods, because many don't do the hood and the bumper, they just do the bumper.
 
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