What should've been a couple of hours job tops to change the shocks on the GFs Chinqicento, I'm sorry to say has lead to it being dismantled on my drive the for the last couple of weeks because I can't get my hands on a couple of pieces of rubber.
The original bumpstops and dustcovers were perished/destroyed beyond saviour, motor factors have told me they're dealer only parts, one dealer pretty much flatly refused to order in parts for something "so old as a chinq" (a snobbish Fiat dealer - that's irony for you). Another, more helpful dealer told me they could get them in for about a quid each. Great, or so I thought. Sadly, when they turned up, they were blatantly the wrong part, just rubber bushes. The actual bumpstops are 15 quid each and about the same again for the dustcovers. The half decent shocks I brought for it didn't cost me that much...
So, my question is does anyone know where I can source what I'd expect to be a consumable part for a reasonable price?
Failing that, how much of a pikey would I be to disregard them altogether? Dustcover I imagine I could get away with at just the expense of a reduced life of the shock. Not too much of a problem as they'll still probably out last the rest of the car. The bumpstop worries me a bit more, although on one of my own motors, a previous owner hadn't bothered to refit them without any apparent problems...