A&R Autospares

You'd be mad to go to Halfords or Motaman if you live anywhere near these guys. Really good service, really knowledgeable staff, and often as cheap as a buying parts online. In fact, I often find that once you factor in the postage, it's cheaper to get bits from A&R than buying online.

I've been buying bits from them for about 7 years now, and they've helped me out on numerous occasions, especially when it comes to finding a non-standard part for a non-standard car. They once saved me £30 by identifying the correct bog-standard Ford seal-kit for the clutch master cylinder on a TVR - paid them about a fiver instead of the £35 wanted by a TVR specialist!

If you ring up in the morning then anything they haven't already got in their sizeable store will be there by lunchtime. It's rare to find a shop that is really good value AND offers the best service, but these guys certainly score on both counts.

I'd thoroughly recommend anyone who values local businesses to give these guys a go rather than heading off to Halfords - you'll pay about 2/3 the price and be buying from people who really do know what they're talking about.