Chinesium in two takes

[toolmanmike]

It's our business model we can't get anybody here to build it cheap so we can make a profit so we send an alternator to China and say how cheap can you make one of these? I say man we could make one of those for $3.. You're like cool we'll take a thousand of them for six bucks each... Then we put them on Amazon for $46 each.. ca-ching....$$$$...
When we're making the money we call it the American way when somebody else is making it well that's cheap China junk and it's all the Chinese fault...

I agree. John Deere here in town is sending their Cab assembly to Mexico simply because it's cheaper. In a couple years someone will get a huge bonus because they found out that we can build them here cheaper and back to town they will come. Years back they were going to do that with frame components until someone didn't see the transportation costs involved on the report.

 

[jos51700]

I made the realization a long time ago that 150,000 mile used OE parts were still better than new Chinese Trash.

 

[Dartnut]

Just because it's made in China or anywhere else doesn't mean it's junk.
They all have quality standards that they are supposed to adhere to... that of course is if their quality control is on board.
AMD body panels are just one example.
The thing that I would be concerned with is using child labor to produce products.
A lot of these countries use child labor because it's cheap and it lowers production costs.
In some countries, there isn't any child labor laws and people work for cheap and do what they have to to survive.
That's sad.

That being said, companies that manufacture parts in North America aren't always perfect either.
An example is Edelbrock manifolds that have bad core shift or heads that aren't ready to bolt on out of the box and need the valve job corrected.

Jobs and manufacturing being outsourced to another country is more a function of company greed and profit margins than it is on producing and selling an inferior product.
Whatever it takes to get them another percent or two makes them happy and screw everyone else...

If the same item with the same quality was made in North America was up to 20% more costly than that of an overseas product, I would buy North America every time.
Over that, and the water gets muddy...

 

[67Dart273]

You get what you pay for. I just wish there were more USA made products to choose from as I would be happy to pay double or triple the price for a quality part.

You get what you pay for IF you are paying for quality stuff. THERE IS NO MORE "USA." Most all of it is import crap

A guy on another forum I hang with was talking about getting some new Ed intakes for Ford Windsor. "They are unuseable." It might not even be that they were cast in this country.

 

[toolmanmike]

Just because it's made in China or anywhere else doesn't mean it's junk.
They all have quality standards that they are supposed to adhere to... that of course is if their quality control is on board.
AMD body panels are just one example.
The thing that I would be concerned with is using child labor to produce products.
A lot of these countries use child labor because it's cheap and it lowers production costs.
In some countries, there isn't any child labor laws and people work for cheap and do what they have to to survive.
That's sad.

That being said, companies that manufacture parts in North America aren't always perfect either.
An example is Edelbrock manifolds that have bad core shift or heads that aren't ready to bolt on out of the box and need the valve job corrected.

Jobs and manufacturing being outsourced to another country is more a function of company greed and profit margins than it is on producing and selling an inferior product.
Whatever it takes to get them another percent or two makes them happy and screw everyone else...

Agree!

 

[ir3333]

well...i agree with Dartnut.A lot of American companies build offshore cheap and then ship back to north america with a hefty mark up.They have standards to meet or their company will fail.When we started installing Chinese tractor trailer windshields they didn't fit...so we stopped buying them.A year later they were as good or better than PPG at a much better price!
Lots of high quality stuff is made offshore at excellent prices but some doesn't measure up either.
Paying top dollar no longer means high quality...so watch out and watch it!

 

[Dale Davies]

Just because it's made in China or anywhere else doesn't mean it's junk.
They all have quality standards that they are supposed to adhere to... that of course is if their quality control is on board.
AMD body panels are just one example.
The thing that I would be concerned with is using child labor to produce products.
A lot of these countries use child labor because it's cheap and it lowers production costs.
In some countries, there isn't any child labor laws and people work for cheap and do what they have to to survive.
That's sad.

That being said, companies that manufacture parts in North America aren't always perfect either.
An example is Edelbrock manifolds that have bad core shift or heads that aren't ready to bolt on out of the box and need the valve job corrected.

Jobs and manufacturing being outsourced to another country is more a function of company greed and profit margins than it is on producing and selling an inferior product.
Whatever it takes to get them another percent or two makes them happy and screw everyone else...

If the same item with the same quality was made in North America was up to 20% more costly than that of an overseas product, I would buy North America every time.
Over that, and the water gets muddy...

True enough, to a point. Take Rosemount for example, a supplier of instrumentation products. Many transmitters are manufactured in China but have to meet North American and European QC standards. A North American or European manufacturer has to form a partnership with a Chinese business person. The western owners dictate the QC that must be met, and the Chinese will comply. The problem comes with intellectual property theft. Once they see the design, they set up another company and change a minor part of the design to get around patent violation. Of course the partner to the western interest is not listed on the Chinese copycat company records. Under the table payments. This company sells substandard products cheaply. This is where we get poor heads, intake manifolds and other parts. Bolt patterns sometimes do not line up as something in interpretation gets lost. You purchase things like LED flourescent replacements. Some work out of the box and some do not and some do not last.
I bought a submersible well pump that is 220V. They all come with a starter with a capacitor to match the motor. Mine came with a 110V plug and wire. Getting to the point that cost is not a factor. When I see Made in China, I run! Not only that but purchase of China made crap supports their human rights abuses and efforts to occupy other lands.

 

[barbee6043]

We have a rebuilder just down the road, they did my starter for my Cummins/three times better and half the price.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I spent 3 hours calling everywhere in Colorado to find a starter for my jeep XJ that is made in America. Or remanned in America.
Couldn't find one. There were ones that were owned by American companies, but nothing is made or fixed in America.
I'm going to take a used one off of a parts jeep I have instead of sending more money over seas. Every dollar counts.

American made is better, plain and simple.

Try a shop that rebuilds electric motors.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Where do you find rebuilders anymore? You purchase an alternator or starter and get charged a core charge, so someone is rebuilding. Ask the parts store about an alternator kit. Not available is the story. Used to be able to get them anywhere, and the rebuilders have them. Used to be able to get wiper refills with just the rubber and the stainless supports, slide them in. Cost $5 for a pair. Now you have to buy the blade. Cheap in $CDN is 15, each. Then you get into the fancy crap that does not last and costs $40 each.
Nor hard to figure out, profit margins. A reman alternator cost me $275CDN for my '99 Chev. A rebuild kit would probably be $50. At 20% markup, their bank account balance looks a lot better with the reman. Mine looks like **** though!

Rock Auto offers wiper refills. Store them inside and out of the sun, they'll last years.

Guess where the popular OEM mini style RAM starters are built? Those are super easy to rebuild BTW. Alternators have 3 moving parts minus the brushes. Rotor and 2 bearings. Replace the 2 bearings and 2-3 brushes and you got a new performing alternator if your no wear diodes are good.

The mini-starters were always imported...the OEM supplier was Nippondenso.

It's our business model we can't get anybody here to build it cheap so we can make a profit so we send an alternator to China and say how cheap can you make one of these? I say man we could make one of those for $3.. You're like cool we'll take a thousand of them for six bucks each... Then we put them on Amazon for $46 each.. ca-ching....$$$$...
When we're making the money we call it the American way when somebody else is making it well that's cheap China junk and it's all the Chinese fault...

Note that the Powermaster "one wire" alternators are Chinese.

 

[pishta]

Labor cost is what is killing "Buy American" We all know what union wages demand and WE are the ones who are demanding it. Talk to the UAW who put GM and Chrysler into BK and then complained about it. Buy a used "Made in USA" OEM '73 water pumps and press in a new wet bearing, but know where the bearing came from..."Made in China". Wanna buy American? Buy almonds. But be aware that a lb. of almonds takes 1900 gallons of fresh water to produce, that will never make it to thirsty So. Cal. Meanwhile So. Cal residents are rationing irrigation of lawns to 3 days a week and are asked to reduce their consumption by 30%. Worry if if makes you feel better for a cause , but you'll die younger. Guess where 70% of all US almond sales go to? Yup, overseas.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Like our western railroads originally were... We're the ones who set the standard for cheap parts and they make them... And then we blame them for cheap parts lol...

I don't blame them for anything. Speak for yourself. I blame Americans wanting the cheapest things and wanting them NOW.

 

[RustyRatRod]

We are a Wal Mart society. Buy cheap junk and when it breaks, go buy another. Harbor Freight stores come to mind. How much of what they sell is Chinesium? Yet we still continue to buy their junk. And brag about it.

Yup. A disposable society.

 

[barbee6043]

We consider cheap, because some of us can't always afford the high priced.
The rich man will always buy the best, He can afford it. BUT if the "best" is not available,he is as screwed as the poor man!
Now we have all learned that cheap is hardly ever GOOD!
We were sold out to China and continue to be.

For the last three summers I have replaced the starter solinoid on the lawn "tractor". I can not find one made in the USA. I am tired of changing them.
Somehow I blame LEAD!!!!????

 

[Jarlaxle]

Labor cost is what is killing "Buy American" We all know what union wages demand and WE are the ones who are demanding it. Talk to the UAW who put GM and Chrysler into BK and then complained about it. Buy a used "Made in USA" OEM '73 water pumps and press in a new wet bearing, but know where the bearing came from..."Made in China". Wanna buy American? Buy almonds. But be aware that a lb. of almonds takes 1900 gallons of fresh water to produce, that will never make it to thirsty So. Cal. Meanwhile So. Cal residents are rationing irrigation of lawns to 3 days a week and are asked to reduce their consumption by 30%. Worry if if makes you feel better for a cause , but you'll die younger. Guess where 70% of all US almond sales go to? Yup, overseas.

Fortunately, high-quality bearings not from China are still available.

 

[RustyRatRod]

We consider cheap, because some of us can't always afford the high priced.
The rich man will always buy the best, He can afford it. BUT if the "best" is not available,he is as screwed as the poor man!
Now we have all learned that cheap is hardly ever GOOD!
We were sold out to China and continue to be.

For the last three summers I have replaced the starter solinoid on the lawn "tractor". I can not find one made in the USA. I am tired of changing them.
Somehow I blame LEAD!!!!????

You got that right. Not all of us live in multi million dollar homes and tell others to stop bitching about high prices all the time. Pretty insulting. There a few around here that could learn a thing or two from a good rap in the mouth.

 

[Dartswinger70]

We are a Wal Mart society. Buy cheap junk and when it breaks, go buy another. Harbor Freight stores come to mind. How much of what they sell is Chinesium? Yet we still continue to buy their junk. And brag about it.

Some of their stuff lasts longer than expected though. But yeah I've known a guy a real douche nozzle, , all he owns is junk but hell look at what you have ask how much it cost ya then say "I could have gotten it cheaper.." I am usually like "yeah well you don t do any work so cheap tools suit you well..."