After market parts ..are they really that bad..

[Fisherman Mike]

I've heard a lot of derogatory comments about after market car parts but are they really that bad.??

 

I have had this impreza sportwagon for about 18 months and to be honest its never run well consistently... its fine for 2 or 3 weeks and then will be lumpy for a few days before clearing up an repeating the cycle..

 

I've had it back to the dealer several times as well as another two Subaru specialists for diagnostics and nothing has shown up on the fault reader.

 

However the last one I went to suggested that it might be a gradual deterioration of the MAF sensor and it would be worth changing it to see if it makes any difference.

 

Mind you at 290 quid a pop I wasn't too keen. I just happened to be talking to an Architect at work who is from Hong Kong and he recommended a specialist autoparts manufacturer in china via a web site called Gasgoo..

 

I made contact with them and although the minimum order was 10 he was happy to sell me one only...I provided the Denso OE part number and the total cost plus shipping from china was $75.00 us. I thought what have I got to lose..

 

It arrived during the week and apart from the serial number is impossible to tell from the original in fact I would go as far to say that the manufacturing quality was slightly better.

 

I fitted it today, 2 minute job and what an amazing difference...the car pulls smoothly in all gears even under load and the resultant improvement in performance is surprising. I even sailed up a 1 in 4 earlier in 5th which I would normally have to gog down to 3rd to get up.

 

Don't know how long the part will last however, but if its only a year or 12k at that price Im going to get another.

[ditchman]

some after market parts are total rubbish..............and some are as good if not better than original..............and a lot of "after market parts are made by the same company that manufacture and supply the the original parts..............its only working regularly with the same make of motor, you find out what is good value and what is rubbish.........

Edited September 27, 2014 by ditchman

[loriusgarrulus]

Bet you are really pleased getting the wagon going at a fraction of the cost.

 

I have bought quite a few things from China off eBay and have always been pleased with the quality. Well worth the extra 3-4 weeks waiting for delivery if not in a hurry. Last good deal was a ghillie suit for OH £20 inc P&P.

[lxtav]

One of the electric window switches went on my izusu rodeo and you can only get it as a complete unit with all the window switches etc on it. Izuzu wanted nearly £300 so went online ordered what I assumed was a pattern part as it cost just £120 delivered from Thailand inc import duties. When it arrived it was a genuine Isuzu part just shows how much the main dealers rip you off.

[Gunman]

I guess getting parts from abroad is the same as with many things .We ordered some taps and dies from India at a cost of £18 pounds each , we were told that was with no name on them , but if we wanted to but them with the name a well known maker whom they supplied in the UK the price would be £28 each , you could well dealing with people who make them for Subaru .

[Chris Bb]

I have heard this of Britpart.

 

Allegedly some of their kit's second rate but some is OEM. I have to say, anything I've bought from them has been OK.

 

Re China & eBay, yes they do seem to be taking over. But again, I've bought a couple of items there were of astounding quality for the price.

[Fuji Shooter]

One of the only reasons I got rid of my Outback was the cost of parts from Subaru. Never thought of going overseas.

[keg]

As with guns, someone has a bad one and it's the worst company in the world.

 

We get it at work yet our returns are less than 0.5%

[Trevorevans]

I have heard this of Britpart.

 

Allegedly some of their kit's second rate but some is OEM. I have to say, anything I've bought from them has been OK.

 

Re China & eBay, yes they do seem to be taking over. But again, I've bought a couple of items there were of astounding quality for the price.

If it moves or seals best avoid Sh&tpart, ask me how I know. Blue boxes take the lead role in many a Land Rover nightmare lol.

[Paul223]

If it moves or seals best avoid Sh&tpart, ask me how I know. Blue boxes take the lead role in many a Land Rover nightmare lol.

Majority of britpart is oem spec reboxed, names like Delphi LUK Siemens Valeo

If your doing a involed job like a clutch change you may think spending the extra cash and buying a more expensive item a wise move, but you'd be missing out on a valeo unit

[brett1985]

I may be able to shed some light in this genuine vs patent debate as i previously spent 6 years at a motorfactors and now work as a parts manager for audi, where i have been for 4 years.

 

There is nothing wrong with patent parts, as anything sold in the uk as a patent part has to meet or exceed OE specification to be legally sold here. That being said, EU regulation makes has no rules as to wether the materials being used within the product are of the same standard.

What tends to be the case is that the patent part will usually have a much shorter life span, and this is reflected usually by the warranty offered by the supplier.

Most factor parts come with a 12 month warranty (apart from type approved cats which have to carry a 2 year one by law), where as most dealer parts have a 2 year warranty.

 

I have, and will continue to fit some patent parts to my audi, even though i work for them. However, the majority of parts i need will be genuine.

 

Be carefull ordering from other countries as they dont have to abide by the oe spec or above ruling and while in some cases you'll get a bargain, you could end up fitting something that could be potentially very bad...

 

Hope this helps a little and goes some way to answering your question mike.

 

Brett