Aftermarket parts quality comments

Thought it'd be a good idea to post off-the-record comments about quality of aftermarket parts somewhere - like here. Point being that sharing your personal experience with OE versus laternative aftermarket parts will help others choose wisely.

As for me I've most often found that OE parts are the best to use if doing the work myself and if I can obtain them at a reasonable price (at some sort of jobber price or discount). Except - always had good experience with MOOG chassis parts, CarQuest "Blue" grade or better parts, most NAPA parts. I had an 'adventure' with wheel bearings last year and as a result now won't look at anything except Timken or SKF.

One thing that's on my mind now is tie rod ends. Noticed "Deeza" and "Mevotech" brankds now available on RockAuto. Any experience with those?

Albertj

I replaced my driver's window motor with the cheap $30 Dorman unit - so far the Dorman seems to be just as good.

Dorman and motormite make pretty good replacement parts. BCA National and Timken bearings only. Gaskets Fel-pro or Cometic only.

NAPA remanufactured alternator was installed along with freshly tended brand-new Optima battery - alternator was then tested defective (failed rectifier diode check) on the car by local AutoZone.

AA wrote:

NAPA remanufactured alternator was installed along with freshly tended brand-new Optima battery - alternator was then tested defective (failed rectifier diode check) on the car by local AutoZone.

I do have to say I have a little over 7 years experience in the parts business and I have seen runs of bad parts from EVERY manufacturer. I've pulled off 4 or 5 AC Delco NEW alternators (same part you would get at your local GM dealer), and they were all bad.

BrianEsser wrote:

AA wrote:

NAPA remanufactured alternator was installed along with freshly tended brand-new Optima battery - alternator was then tested defective (failed rectifier diode check) on the car by local AutoZone.

I do have to say I have a little over 7 years experience in the parts business and I have seen runs of bad parts from EVERY manufacturer. I've pulled off 4 or 5 AC Delco NEW alternators (same part you would get at your local GM dealer), and they were all bad.

I like the ACDelco *rebuilt* alternators better than the new ones.

Albertj

My Riviera's new ACDelco alternator expired at about 30k miles, the dealer rebuilt replacement lasted another 170k+ miles.

Anyone ever use Kemparts?? I see em alot on Rock Auto

Jack the R wrote:

I replaced my driver's window motor with the cheap $30 Dorman unit - so far the Dorman seems to be just as good.

same here and if it does go, it's lifetime warranty so that definitely takes some sting off if you need to replace it. It's not terribly hard on this car either. It's fully accessable with interior door panel and weather sheet off.

Don't waste your time with Mevotech, they aren't a "bad" part per say. But I sell those and MOOG and the MOOG is a better built part, and has waaay better warranty. It really pays if your doing the work yourself because the only thing they don't warranty is the labor to install/remove.

Dorman, and Motormite are also very good companies to get tranny cooler lines, exhaust manifolds, intake manifolds for NA cars, among alot of other things.

Cooling depot , and Spectra Premium are goo when dealing with heater cores, radiators, etc.

Standard Blue Streak is pretty well hands down the best when it comes to any electronics that may be hard to find.

Wilson makes very good quality new and rebuilt starters and alternators. Bosch starters, alts, and water pumps are made in China, we sell them to but see more defective returns on them.

Autoline, and Cardone are also very good for everything from drive shafts to water pumps.

Hope this is useful.

Cardone reman water pumps I would stay away from as well. Pretty high failure rate.

Great thread guys, wish I could contribute, but I can't really remember what brand name parts I've purchased in the past. I do remember getting Dayco belts, tensioner & Idler pulleys which seem to be quite reliable. The Felpro oil pan gasket has a few leaks though. I will definately add moving forward.

Stay away from McCord gaskets, they are pure garbage, might as well use cereal box cardboard.

BrianEsser wrote:

Cardone reman water pumps I would stay away from as well. Pretty high failure rate.

And here I thought Cordone made good Reman stuff, but I'm not in the business to see the amount of returns.

As far as Water Pumps go, what would you recommend.??

What Power Steering pump should i get. I was planning on getting a Cardone pump in the very near future.!!!
Anyone have any comments on their Power Steering pumps.?
Are they to be avoided like the Water Pumps.
Who's product to buy.?

Klix, who distributes Wilson Products, never heard of them, that i know of.

I want to do the following soon for need and PM:
Steering Pump / noisy
Water Pump / just because
When i do my LIM gasket change for PM.

And before any of that I'll be changing the Crankshaft Position sensor.

Timken hubs and bearings are worth the extra $ at the parts counter. I have tens of thousands of miles on my fronts.

Hawk brake pads are known as the best money can buy - one set I resold to a RivPerformance member after using a long time. You know parts are good stuff when they hold their value better than the car!

ATE Superblue DOT 4 brake fluid is superior to OEM and anything you can buy in a store (much higher dry and wet boiling points), and it really doesn't cost that much.

Gates serpentine drive belts can last 100k miles, even under the added stress of a modded engine.

Cardone parts are pretty good, it's just their water pumps don't seem to match the same standards as the rest of their parts.

GMB, Duralast and Master Pro are all good pumps.

I just looked at a GMB Water Pump for my 98 and it cost's 33.95. (Lifetime Warranty - no core required)
That seems awful cheap, I'm not complaining if that is a mfg that can be trusted.
It is listed as New, not Reman. That's why i questioned the price.

From Advanced Auto parts website:

• New precision-ground, one-piece bearing assembly sealed to withstand contaminants and lubed for life to provide long, trouble-free service
  
• Patented unitized ceramic seal for leak-free performance
  
• 100% of all the manufactured water pumps are leak tested after assembly
  
• Exact OE fit
  

I've used them on countless vehicles without an issue. They are just low priced due to age..

Thanks for your input Brian,
i appreciate it. I'll buy later this week or next, while i have the cash and replace it, or pay someone to later when I'm doing other maintenance.

I need to change mine too.. It's making a horrible scraping noise. I've been putting it off since winter.

Rickw wrote:

BrianEsser wrote:

Cardone reman water pumps I would stay away from as well. Pretty high failure rate.

And here I thought Cordone made good Reman stuff, but I'm not in the business to see the amount of returns.

As far as Water Pumps go, what would you recommend.??

What Power Steering pump should i get. I was planning on getting a Cardone pump in the very near future.!!!
Anyone have any comments on their Power Steering pumps.?
Are they to be avoided like the Water Pumps.
Who's product to buy.?

Klix, who distributes Wilson Products, never heard of them, that i know of.

I want to do the following soon for need and PM:
Steering Pump / noisy
Water Pump / just because
When i do my LIM gasket change for PM.

And before any of that I'll be changing the Crankshaft Position sensor.

I had over 200K miles use on my water pump before it needed replaced, if I were you I'd listen for noise or look for weeping and if there's no symptoms I would leave it the heck alone, even with over 100K.

Albertj

Rickw wrote:

BrianEsser wrote:

Cardone reman water pumps I would stay away from as well. Pretty high failure rate.

And here I thought Cordone made good Reman stuff, but I'm not in the business to see the amount of returns.

As far as Water Pumps go, what would you recommend.??

What Power Steering pump should i get. I was planning on getting a Cardone pump in the very near future.!!!
Anyone have any comments on their Power Steering pumps.?
Are they to be avoided like the Water Pumps.
Who's product to buy.?

Klix, who distributes Wilson Products, never heard of them, that i know of.

I want to do the following soon for need and PM:
Steering Pump / noisy
Water Pump / just because
When i do my LIM gasket change for PM.

And before any of that I'll be changing the Crankshaft Position sensor.

My main warehouse is Uni-Select. I know they service all Bumper to Bumpers in Canada. However I am not sure about south of the border. I am certain the Wilson starters are made/remaned in the U.S.A. so I am certain they would be just as available.

Steering pump there are 2 main choices being Autoline, and Cardone. I would suggest Cardone in this case. They do very good on reman rack/pinion as well. I would steer clear of Bosch water pumps for sure , I had 2 "NEW" ones fail on me in less than 6 months on my Alero. Bought an Autoline and haven't had a problem since. Fel-Pro is hands down the best place to get gaskets, well Federal Mogul in general just plain kicks ass for parts.

http://www.federalmogul.com/en

Good:
Gates belts and hoses
Airtex new H2O pumps
Standard Ignition parts (not their 'cheap' line)
most parts from NAPA
Raybestos brake components (again, avoid the 'cheap' ones)

bad:
most parts Autozone has in stock, unless you specified one of the good brands above.

I have to disagree, mostly because a lot of the "Duralast" branded parts they carry, are nothing more than a reboxed lines. If you go in buying a $15 one year water pump, of course you're getting crap.

I currently work for Zone, and worked for Advance for 6 years prior. The problem is people shop by price, not brand.

BrianEsser wrote:

I have to disagree, mostly because a lot of the "Duralast" branded parts they carry, are nothing more than a reboxed lines.

There is no way to tell what's in the box, though! After many repeat jobs, I avoid Duralast whenever possible.

Sorry to insult your place of employment. Overall they are a decent company, but parts quality over the years has completely turned them into an emergency only store to me, and I will strongly recommend against them at all opportunities.


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