Quality Products Now and Forever at Moss Motors

Some weeks ago, a customer phoned to compliment us on the quality of a Moss interior kit he had received.We at Moss always enjoy hearing from our customers. It helps us maintain the level of quality expected from the leader in British sports car spares.This customer’s comments on his TR3 interior lot brought to mind a recurring question. In a broad market place, what is the best balance of price vs. quality?

Our interior kits are an interesting subject because their construction is something of a mystery to many people. Although some British sports cars were supplied with 100% leather seats, the cars catered to by Moss Motors were not. In an age when “export or die” was the catchphrase, many English-car makers used leather only on the exposed surfaces as a means of controlling costs. Cost control was very important, as each car was built to suit a certain price range in the market place. Moss duplicates the original leather/vinyl combinations in an effort to produce the most accurate reproduction possible. A side benefit in this case, is a retail price considerably less expensive than a 100% leather seat kit.

Quality is a matter of perception. Our caller was pleased that our seat kit is an exact reproduction. Another person could misunderstand the description “leather seat kit” and complain that our lot is no good because it uses some vinyl. The actual quality of construction is the same in either case, but the perceived quality is different. Our goal at Moss Motors is to produce the highest quality, most original part to satisfy all customers’ perceptions of “good quality”.

When Moss decides to stock a new item, there are three avenues of supply which can be pursued. “Factory” parts are the exact same parts as originally fitted to the car. They are manufactured by the factory or an outside supplier to the factory such as Lucas electrics and Lockheed brakes. Examples of factory items recently added to the Moss line are MGB convertible tops and rubber floor mats. These tops represent the ultimate in fit and ease of installation. They rubber floor mats for early Bs have not been available for many years, but instead of supplying some cheap, ill-fitting replacement, we waited for the proper part to become available.

Aftermarket parts are those which are produced as an addition to, or as a replacement for the original. An Amco battery box liner or Weber carburettor are examples of aftermarket parts. Due to the wide variations in quality from one supplier to the next, our purchasing staff spends a great deal of time determining which are the best products available. The Weber side and down draft kits we carry include manifolds and linkage supplied by TWM Induction. Their quality and technical support are far superior to the industry standard. AsBritish sports cars become older, the availability of factory and aftermarket parts declines. To make matters worse some of the existing parts do not meet MossMotors’ standards. Although we make every effort to stock original parts, there are cases where we feel Moss can produce a better quality part. In many instances, we have done this and sell the part for less money than the original. We are justifiably proud of the job done by our product development staff. Any part for which there is a reasonable demand is fair game for reproduction. The forged MG T- series crankshaft we sell is far superior to the original item, yet it sells for the price of a used original.

A considerable amount o( lime is spent not only on developing new products, but also on insuring that the quality of existing products is maintained. Tooling for a simple looking part can be prohibitively expensive, particularly if there are multiple components to the finished product. Our product people have been known to reject very expensive samples and insist they be retooled before going into production.

Customer comments are an important source of information for us. Complaints are taken seriously and do lead to improvements in product quality. Why do we spend so much time looking for new sources, improving existing products and listening to customer input? The answer is simple. Pursuit of excellence is no lofty ideal. It is a way to do business. As long as you, the customer, continue to support Moss Motors, we feel obligated to produce even better standards of quality.

Originally published in the 1986 Spring Issue of Moss Motoring under the title, “The Pursuit of Excellence”