Hi new Atom 3 owner but a bit confused about the full membership statement

[awr1x]

Hi all I've been looking at the forum now for a few months before purchasing my first Atom with wishing to keep the full Atom service up I joined the club after reading that discounts were to be had on parts accessories and services by Ariel, Last week I phoned Ariel and asked for a price for an Tilton brake bias controller Ariel parts department said just under £130 delivered so I said yea but I'm now a member of the Atom club how about my discount on parts he said definitely no discount on parts or accessories never has been and never will be ,anyway I bought it thinking it would be a made to measure part that would be cut to size and ready to fit that's why it's £50 more expensive than demon tweaks one ,but no it's the exact same kit they sell so my first experience with my new club membership is ripped off ,so the statement made on the joining page is definitely not true

[hamtt]

Send it back and just buy it from demon tweaks. Under Distance Selling Regulations you can return pretty much anything to a retailer for no reason if you bought over the internet/phone within 7-14 days for a full refund.

The logic being you should have the right to inspect an item as you would in a shop before buying. 

[Alex Brandon-Smith]

Hi awr1x, welcome to the club. The discount we secure with Ariel has always been on labour rates only, not parts themselves. On the opening page, this gives you some information about some of the things we can secure like insurance and sometimes special club pricing for other things like Overboard bags etc. hence the factory saying there has never been discount on parts.

You may sometimes find parts cheaper from other sources and as Hamid says you have a right to return items bought under distance selling regs. The benefit of buying from the factory is that obviously they can help you should you have any issues with the fitting etc. The factory are also great for tyre prices and generally being pretty helpful.

Therefore, being in the club won't get you discount on parts from Ariel, but you will get service discounts and it may get you discount on other things and will give you loads of help from other people and access to other information on mods/parts/tricks etc.

Hope that clears some of it up!

Just to explain a little further, much of the information on the club website is out of date and a new website should be launched in the coming weeks which will be much clearer, have better information and missions statements etc. along with much more on events, photos, news, merchandise etc. Keep checking back in and hopefully you'll find a much improved place to come and hang out shortly...

Alex

[awr1x]

Thanks for your reply

[awr1x]

Full club membership will get you past the doorman and into the 'back room' of the website and forum, as well as a whole host of member benefits such as access to all parts of this website and forum, discounts on servicing and labour rates with the Ariel Factory, special prices on parts and acccessories, discounted insurance and special deals on kit to wear when you're out driving your Atom. It'll only cost you £20 a year plus a joining fee of £8, so for less than the cost of a tank of fuel, you're in.
I must have read it wrong  it didn't realise the SPECIAL PRICE was a lot more expensive than other suppliers I just assumed it was a discount on parts supplied by atom

[hamtt]

Can I get a mention of my website/discounts on the new site somewhere?

[Alex Brandon-Smith]

[quote="hamtt"]
Can I get a mention of my website/discounts on the new site somewhere?
[/quote]

Hamid, we are going to have an area on the forum for third party suppliers to put up posts etc so you can keep people abreast of the developments etc. and any special pricing for products which work well with the cars. We'll be working on the forum after the new web launch. The main issue being that we can't be seen to endorse any particular parts specialist in case of issues with the product but we will of course be happy to make members aware of the people who help give choice to the club members mate.

[Toilet Duck]

awr1x, welcome to the gang!

It's best to do some homework or ask on here regarding prices from the factory. Some things are massively more expensive from the factory compared to other suppliers, the classic one being rod ends. From the factory the big 5/8" ones are circa £50+ each, whereas you can get motorsport rated ones for under a tenner from here:

http://www.mcgillmotorsport.com/5-8-x-5-8-right-hand-male-xmr10-ultra-high-performance-rod-end-60/


Good luck!

[smokin]

TD, not a like-4-like compare, but I agree with the sentiment. Hamid has the same rod ends that the factory supply here http://www.skunkwurx.co/ariel-atom-parts.html?cat=49 Not under a tenner but still cheaper.

Most parts on the Atom are available elsewhere, it is, after all, a kit car you can't buy in kit form.

[Toilet Duck]

[quote="smokin"]
TD, not a like-4-like compare, but I agree with the sentiment. Hamid has the same rod ends that the factory supply here http://www.skunkwurx.co/ariel-atom-parts.html?cat=49 Not under a tenner but still cheaper.

Most parts on the Atom are available elsewhere, it is, after all, a kit car you can't buy in kit form.
[/quote]

Fair enough smokin. I wasn't saying they are exactly the same (who knows, they might even be "better" ), but I've used the ones I linked to to replace worn factory rod ends and they are still going strong, no sign of any wear or play. I know other Atom owners have fitted them as well. At least we all have a choice 

[smokin]

[quote="Toilet Duck"]
At least we all have a choice 
[/quote]
Well that's gonna save me a few quid next time mine have play - cheers TD

[Rocket Man]

has anyone ever tried the aurora stainless steel series?

http://cad.aurorabearing.com/viewitems/ll-products-commercial-male-rod-ends-english-units/rod-ends-corrosion-resistant-ptfe-liners-availab-3
or
http://cad.aurorabearing.com/viewitems/ll-products-commercial-male-rod-ends-english-units/ned-corrosion-resistant-precision-self-lubricating

[hamtt]

[quote="Alex BS"]
[quote="hamtt"]
Can I get a mention of my website/discounts on the new site somewhere?
[/quote]

Hamid, we are going to have an area on the forum for third party suppliers to put up posts etc so you can keep people abreast of the developments etc. and any special pricing for products which work well with the cars. We'll be working on the forum after the new web launch. The main issue being that we can't be seen to endorse any particular parts specialist in case of issues with the product but we will of course be happy to make members aware of the people who help give choice to the club members mate.
[/quote]

Hi Alex,

I didn't mean any endorsements as such but just a mention in teh section where other suppliers and discounts are also mentioned. Looking forward to seeing the new site.

[hamtt]

The whole rod-end issue has been looked at many times and as far as I'm concerned its a big no-no to use anything except the Aurora rod ends. The only matching/superior rod-ends I could find were NHBB, and they cost more. Its easy enough to find and supply rod-ends for £10 each but I refuse to do so.

In the earlier days of the Atom different rod-ends were tried with major failures:
https://www.arielatomchat.com/forums/content/brammo-ariel-atom-2-rod-end-replacement-129/

The problem is not to do with the quality of the joint itself, but how the load is applied on the bearing as it is positioned in the Atom. Most unbranded or generic bearing manufacturers do not either publish and conclusively test to the specifications they claim for the loads the housing of the bearing will stand up to.

When you pay for a premium rod-end such as the Aurora or the NHBB then you're basically paying for all the testing and QC that goes in to the product. The Aurora rod-ends all come individually packed with date and serial codes so theres no chance of contamination and if an item does fail the batches can be identified for investigation.

For a few hundred quick, especially if you track the Atom, its probably one of the worst shortcuts you can take in Atom ownership. I'm all for saving costs but some things just aren't worth taking the risk.

[Toilet Duck]

[quote="hamtt"]
The whole rod-end issue has been looked at many times and as far as I'm concerned its a big no-no to use anything except the Aurora rod ends. The only matching/superior rod-ends I could find were NHBB, and they cost more. Its easy enough to find and supply rod-ends for £10 each but I refuse to do so.

In the earlier days of the Atom different rod-ends were tried with major failures:
https://www.arielatomchat.com/forums/content/brammo-ariel-atom-2-rod-end-replacement-129/

The problem is not to do with the quality of the joint itself, but how the load is applied on the bearing as it is positioned in the Atom. Most unbranded or generic bearing manufacturers do not either publish and conclusively test to the specifications they claim for the loads the housing of the bearing will stand up to.

When you pay for a premium rod-end such as the Aurora or the NHBB then you're basically paying for all the testing and QC that goes in to the product. The Aurora rod-ends all come individually packed with date and serial codes so theres no chance of contamination and if an item does fail the batches can be identified for investigation.

For a few hundred quick, especially if you track the Atom, its probably one of the worst shortcuts you can take in Atom ownership. I'm all for saving costs but some things just aren't worth taking the risk.
[/quote]

The rod ends I linked to are sold by a motorsports supplier and they are designed for this application. I track my Atom and have not had any issue using the XM rod ends, and I know other owners that use them. I certainly wouldn't use bargain basement eBay special rod ends, but at the end of the day as long as they are decent quality and made of suitable materials then there shouldn't be an issue. It's good that owners get a choice, and if some feel happier paying £50+ for one rod end then that's fine.