[GTO]

Ever heard of FCP Euro? About time you do.

Very uniquely, if you buy anything from them, you are basically purchasing it once and they will keep replacing the part forever. Downside = you pay for the return shipping (especially challenging from India) & their pricing is a little higher than competitors. If you're a BHPian from USA, you can thank me for this thread

Here is one of the many Reddit threads on FCP Euro. They aren't faking it. Forums worldwide talk about FCP Euro sending them new engine oil, brake pads, clutch plates, suspension items etc. ANYTHING you buy from them has a lifetime warranty. A fellow has actually returned the clutch of his Porsche Carrera GT! Everything, except:

The only exclusion to this program is empty containers with contents that can not be physically returned. For example aerosol spray cleaners and additives that have been discharged or emptied.

A look at their terms & conditions. Check out the things people send back on their Instagram page. The company is legit & their program is legit. Period. Engine oil etc. is a loss leader (few people will go through the headache of returning oil) and they hope the profits they make from your orders will more than cover the occasional damper or brake pad replacement. And that the odds of a repeat replacement of a full transmission are pretty low in a typical car ownership period of 5 - 10 years.

Even if you don't order from them, read up on the company. It's an extremely unique USP.

BHPian Androdev recently ordered S-Class struts from them and suffice to say, he'll never need to pay for them again:

Originally Posted by androdev

Unfortunately, I received one of the struts in a damaged condition. The seller FCP Euro was OK to send a replacement and even reimburse the duty payment (excellent customer service - was not expecting a refund of duty which was substantial) but required me to ship the damaged item back to them. They even gave me a prepaid FedEx shipping label to use - talk about customer service! However the procedure to ship an item out of our country is so complicated and after a couple of failed attempts, I requested FCP Euro guys to waive the return to which they agreed.

Company history. This is no fly-by-night operation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MLYw-JQH1c

[androdev]

I found FCP Euro to be an excellent place to identify top-tier OEM brands supplying the part you need. As FCP Euro gives lifetime replacement guarantee, they stock and sell only top-tier OEM brands. This information is very helpful to know which brand to buy or to ask your local garage to use parts from reputed brands.

To actually buy from FCP Euro (or any other portal) and benefit from their lifetime replacement guarantee is a big challenge for people in India due to shipping hassles - at least I haven't figured out how to take care of return shipment towards a replacement.

[Jeroen]

Very interesting! I had never heard of them. But yes, they appear to be genuine.
They also claim they are losing money currently. So at some point in time that is going to be a problem.

Here is a recent article with some good additional explanation on how it all works.

https://nomoneymotorsports.com/2022/...sumables-real/

I might give it a try next time I need anything for my cars. Here is the thing though, buying from the USA in Europe, means high freight cost, I will also need to pay VAT, import duties and handling charges. I have bought quite a few parts from American Rockauto for my Jeep. For some parts it worked out considerable cheaper and for some others not at all.

Also, it means that it will take 2-3 weeks for your parts to arrive. For jobs that you can plan, or parts you want to keep in stock no problem, but not if your car is undriveable. Europeans will not wait for car parts. Everything is availed the same day. Garages don’t store parts, but get parts supplied 2-3 times a day, in many countries here.

But it is certainly an interesting different approach to car parts. If I do use them, I will post about them

Jeroen

[wildsdi5530]

I've seen the video blogs of FCP and thought they were a garage. The speakers were very knowledgeable and the videos well researched. Do watch their channel in Youtube.

[sagarpadaki]

Also, their Youtube channel has amazingly detailed DIY's for maintenance of cars.

https://www.youtube.com/c/fcpeuro/videos

[Mustang_Boss]

Could someone explain how this works?

Engine oil, brakes are consumables and would cost the company to replace. Even if i assume, they refilter engine oil, there are costs associated with it. How could they even make any money?

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Mustang_Boss

Could someone explain how this works?

Engine oil, brakes are consumables and would cost the company to replace. Even if i assume, they refilter engine oil, there are costs associated with it. How could they even make any money?

They will lose some money in the case of consumables but might stand to gain overall. Their prices are also a bit higher. Non consumable parts will be backed by manufacturer’s lifetime warranties in some cases. Overall they are attempting to build a USP hoping it to be viable. My experience dealing with them was very pleasant - it’s the Indian cross border shipment issues that gave me the headache.

[VineetG]

Hi,
Have been using FCP Euro to order parts for my BMW. Brake Pads, Wipers, Brake Sensors, Bushes etc.

I order online and get it delivered to my brother's place and he carries them when he comes to India.

I don't intend to use their lifetime warranty

They have an excellent selection of parts for European vehicles and carry Tier 1 brands like Lemforder, Bosch, ATE, ZF, Textar etc.

They are a big favorite among US customers of European vehicles.

Also check out partsgeek.com for an even larger assortment of parts in USA

rgds

[abhi9044]

I've seen them recommended by many Youtubers. Earlier today I was watching a video of S80 which had a head problem. The mechanics opened up the head and reused the head gasket since parts availability is an issue.
So decided to check if FCP Euro has it. And it's there. 25-30K for a head gasket along with all the seals in the engine seems like a nice deal. FCP Euro is definitely a blessing for Euro car owners. Even VW parts are available.

[ritedhawan]

I have subscribed to their YouTube channel for quite some time. That channel has an eclectic mix of DIY, Buyers Guide, explanation of DSG .etc. video's.

Initially I thought it was '1aauto' replicant. But when I came to know about their 'Lifetime replacement guarantee' , it was clear that they have a distinct USP. However, how it can be brought into effect in Indian context is the big question? I think the website only deals with parts associated with European car makers. That could be an advantage for prospective buyers here when it comes to procuring European car maker parts. But in order to get the benefit of the 'Lifetime replacement guarantee' one needs to return the previously bought part from them , how that can be brought into effect is the big question. Because if that cannot be brought into effect, then that 'Lifetime replacement guarantee' cant hold true and thus negating the very USP which sets them apart from others, especially in Indian context.

[Jeroen]

Just a small word of caution here. Many European cars have a different variant for the same model on the USA market. E.g. my Jaguar was built for the US markets and differs on various aspect to its European version, including weight. But certainly a number of part are USA specific.

So if you have a European car, not from the US market make sure you are getting the correct parts. Here in Europe you can get the parts for the European and US market very often (eg my Jaguar), but the Americans tend to stick parts only for the European US variants.

Jeroen

[bhargav2015]

I have also followed them for opinions on VAG cars since I owned them in the past [sold my Fabia, gave away the Superb during Covid and parted with the A6 3.0 TFSI, all in a span of 3 years; the only one that remains is the Yeti 4x4 in Dad's custody].
However, the Americans have LHD cars. The moment they put my A6's VIN to check compatibility of a part, due to differences in the part numbers, it went south from there on. For a 100 positive responses in their favour, there are 3 or 4 adverse ones. Happens everywhere to the best of businesses.

[anshumandun]

I have not dealt with FCP Euro but experienced similar model while purchasing Auxiliary Lights from Rigid Industries US. They too have lifetime warranty on their products but they are one step ahead: they do not require the part to be returned to them if you are an international customer!

When the polycarbonate cover of my light got cracks due to stone hits (aux lights are installed on my Versys 650), I wrote to them to claim warranty. They asked me to destroy the lights by hammering them or cutting them and record it on video and share with them. I did that and they shipped me new pair of lights in one week!

Second time, one of the lights got some short circuit and it started blowing up every fuse that I installed. So I wrote to them again. Same exercise and I again have a new light from them.

Customs did put a duty on the lights but when I showed warranty invoice with 100% discount, the duty was taken off so had to pay nothing for it.


A snip from the video of destroying the light.

I am assuming I have a lifetime supply of aux lights from Rigid

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Just a small word of caution here. Many European cars have a different variant for the same model on the USA market. European US variants.

Jeroen

I ve been buying quite a few parts from Pelican Parts, Mini Mania and ecs tuning, all from the USA for my Mini Cooper S 2012 model which must be amongst the first few Mini Coopers to have been sold officially in India. The good thing with all these sites is that you can specify the model and specific variant of the car you have and they have a pop up which shows you if the part fits or not. And they also have a very proactive and quick email help desk.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I ve been buying quite a few parts from Pelican Parts, Mini Mania and ecs tuning, all from the USA for my Mini Cooper S 2012 model which must be amongst the first few Mini Coopers to have been sold officially in India. The good thing with all these sites is that you can specify the model and specific variant of the car you have and they have a pop up which shows you if the part fits or not. And they also have a very proactive and quick email help desk.

Excellent. But not all sites have this option and if you are not aware you might be ordering the wrong parts. I have ordered a lot of parts from Rockauto, but they go by Make, Model, year and it’s only American market cars. Fine for my Jeep, as it was imported from the USA into the Netherlands, but it is an original US car.

For my Jaguar sites such as SNG Barrett will always ask you for the European or US version. And then there is the small issue of right versus left handed drive. You would be surprised how much difference that makes, also under the hood!

Jeroen