The classic Aussie cars at risk of becoming ‘obsolete’

A massive shortage of key car parts for a beloved Aussie brand is causing major headaches for enthusiasts, mechanics and smash repairers.

A 1969 Holden Brougham, owned by Tom Stoewer, president Kustoms of Australia Gold Coast Car Club.

Holden owners are scrambling to find parts for their beloved vehicles, with some parts for classic rides being classified “obsolete”.

Auto-repairers have struggled to get hold of new Holden parts since General Motors stopped producing the vehicle in Australia, leaving some cars unable to be fixed after crashes.

Adam Hughes from Morayfield Smash Repairs & Towing Parts said Holden parts are getting so difficult to source for repairs that he’s recently been buying extra parts for his own 2004 VZ, for when he needs to do his own repairs.

“The wait on an order for Holden parts can be anywhere from two weeks to six months,” Mr Hughes said.

“Sometimes the parts will be on backorder with no ETA.

“Then it’ll cross over and the part can become obsolete.

“The backlog from Covid-19 where we struggled to get parts in has continued.”

Mr Hughes said sourcing aftermarket or non-dealer supplied parts is also ‘hit and miss’.

A 1969 Holden Brougham, owned by Tom Stoewer, president Kustoms of Australia Gold Coast Car Club.

“This problem translates to all manufacturers, not just Holden,” Mr Hughes said.

“Dealerships don’t carry the stock they used to.

“They’ve consolidated to having business and distribution centres in the capital cities, which is also causing delays on orders.”

Tom Stoewer, president Kustoms of Australia Gold Coast Car Club said while he and his members are not having issues sourcing parts at the wreckers and Facebook marketplace, a real issue exists finding Holden parts when an insurance claim is involved.

“The issue with repairers is that a lot of insurance companies won’t allow second hand parts in repairs,” Mr Stoewer said.

“Say you prang a 1977 Holden, they don’t have new parts anymore.

“You could have an issue with your insurance company saying they can’t guarantee on signing off the claim without a new part.

“The only parts are second hand and at the wreckers.

“That’s where the instance companies are baulking.”

Mr Hughes said the difficulty in sourcing new and aftermarket Holden parts is a sign of where times are at, with transport issues from Covid-19 still impacting the market, along with instances of ships transporting car parts sinking containers in transit.

Adam Hughes from Morayfield Smash Repairs & Towing Parts said Holden parts are getting very difficult to source and order. Picture: File

“With Holden, they have a 10 year statutory service on their parts,” Mr Hughes said.

“Once a model is built they have to supply your spare parts for 10 years.

“The last VS model came out 10 years ago and if those parts are not in the country, they’ll be in Germany.”

Tom Stoewer, president Kustoms of Australia Gold Coast Car Club said while he and his members are not having issues sourcing parts at the wreckers and Facebook marketplace, a real issue exists finding Holden parts when an insurance claim is involved.

“The issue with repairers is that a lot of insurance companies won’t allow second hand parts in repairs,” Mr Stoewer said.

“Say you prang a 1977 Holden, they don’t have new parts anymore.

“You could have an issue with your insurance company saying they can’t guarantee on signing off the claim without a new part.

“The only parts are second hand and at the wreckers

“That’s where the insurance companies are baulking.”