Quote (ZK9GT @ Dec 15 2014 07:41pm)
Wow if you believe this, really wow. Dorman is Chinese, Taiwanese, RP of China, all the worst places you can think of. They are not made of the same material as O.E. parts. Basing your argument that the after market parts are equal to O.E. parts is just so wrong.
Now I think almost everyone missed Caedus point. While most of you guys are well informed on cars, parts, labor, costs, ect. ect. The average person that does not has no choice but to succumb to a mechanic. Now seeing that there are exceptions to the rules you will find a few bad dealers but more so you will find a lot more private repair shops are a lot more crooked and will try to find a way to screw you more than a dealer. A dealer has a reputation to withhold and if you are not happy with their standards, you have a multi-billion dollar company ready to reimburse you whatever your unsatisfactory level is. Other shops like Firestone, Goodyear, Sears, also have a reputation to with hold because they hold such high standards. Needless to say you can also get screwed at one of these places if they are not managed correctly and up to expectations.
Now for the average JSP user. We have no conflict figuring out our vehicle problem, worst comes to worst, lets go to the motorsports and car discussion for help. Now lets say you poor old grandma did not have the resources that we have, she doesn't know any better and her best advice is to go to the dealer, which she does, more than likely she will be very satisfied with the service and well taken care of.
Not every part they make... They do make some parts for certain OEM's. Have you ever seen a Ford parts manufacturing plant? No. It is mostly outsourced. In certain cases, usually after x years the supplier is allowed to sell the part under their own brand. Electronics are the big no-no. Most all aftermarket automotive electronics are produced overseas with poor QC. A perfect example of what I'm talking about is the recent intake that Dorman released as a direct replacement for the LS6 intake. They actually bought the molds from Wilson intakes (Makers of the top shelf F.A.S.T. composite intakes that cost $1000) and started molding their own OEM replacement LS6 intake. It is $300 brand new at a time where used LS6 intakes are rising in price to $500 or more due to scarcity. On a back to back test it made 4hp less than an OEM LS6. Theoretically you could split it and install the top shell of a 90mm FAST and after some port work it would be the exact same intake. It still has the Wilson patent # on the bottom side. You have to know the individual part you are looking at.
This was posted by someone on GM Inside News. Ford has done the same thing with Motorcraft. None of the other manufacturers have enough market share to really make it profitable as far as I know.
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The AC Delco product line was conceived by some Old GM marketing whiz as a way to allow GM access to the immense (discount) aftermarket which exists outside the dealer network.... without pissing off the dealers in the process! But piss them off it did, and still does!!
The dealers believe(d) that GM should route all of its parts business through the dealer body, for obvious selfish reasons, without regard to the reality that the consumer who buys his spark plugs (for example) from Pep Boys has already decided he isn't going to purchase them at the dealer. The only way for GM to capture part of that business is to make sure there are GM plugs - by some name - on the shelf at Pep Boys.
Giving the products different part numbers and different packaging than what they get in the dealer channel is supposed to make it easy (for the dealer) to explain away the sometimes substantial price differences that exist between the two channels.