I can reminisce the times when it was pretty straightforward to purchase replacements for cars. If it was from a British owned manufacturer, your car would most likely have a Lucas Alternator and Starter Motor, and each of these, dependant on a small number of variations, could be compatible with just about any other car. Besides that, things like electrical connectors, fuses, bulbs etc were all pretty general. Obviously, if you owned a Ford; that would have its own kind of electrical equipment, and Vauxhalls would be fixed with Delco electricals, but again, these were very standardised, and so they were highly interchangeable.

These conditions made it much more simple for car owners. It also must have made life much more simple for Car Parts Distributors, because. 1 starter motor would perhaps fit a dozen or more models by different manufacturers over over a long time period. I seem to remember a lot of other things, including Wiper blades, instruments and switches all being identical across a wide range of manufacturers. Even the old Champion N9Y Spark Plug or corresponding would fit & operate the large majority of cars. A hand full of different oil filters would also fit on 90% of the cars on UK roads.

Since this time, manufacturers have followed the tendency of individualising the components going into their cars. I can appreciate and see the benefit of doing that with components like instruments & lighting, because these offer a much better quality and aesthetic feel than sitting in a car which has obviously been produced by obtaining an array of general parts & fitting them together. To a degree, I can also allow for this individualism in things like spark plugs, due to the fact that engines are becoming much more refined & have much more accurate requirements in order to function right and at maximum efficiency.

However, I’m certain a lot of items could and should be made standard, but the manufacturers have been following a deliberate strategy of individualisation for a reason, because this is a good way to commit unsuspecting vehicle owners in to very high price replacement components and consumables.

The new Flat Wiper blades which have emerged on the market in the last few years have been a good example. I heard of one vehicle owner of a German car paying near to eighty pounds for a set of original fit rubber Car Wiper Blades from the car franchised dealer. At that time I could have bought up to 4 pairs of high performance Silicone Wiper Blades, and had some change, AND had the advantage of the 12 month warranty that comes with most Silicone Wiper Blades.

It can’t be beyond the intelligence of car manufacturers to get back to industry standards for things like Wiper blades, Starters, alternators, oil filters etc. They don’t all have to be made in one factory, however a standardised design would cut development costs, increase compatibility, provide more competition & benefit us, the consumers.