Sick of sub-par auto parts!

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gunbunny said:
Was. Past tense. I don't know who's doing their rebuilding/remanufacturing now, but the quality is ****.
Sent back 3 power brake boosters from them before I was able to find someone who would rebuild the original unit. Can't tell you how many reman fuel pumps I had to send back.
It got to the point that if I saw Cardone on a parts box, I refused it.
It's not a bargain if we have to do the same job over 3 and 4 times.
As for Autozone, the only thing I'll buy from there is oil, car wash soap, and air fresheners, and I'm suspicious of the oil.
Had a customer bring a set of Autozone brake pads into the shop, wanting us to install them. The ones on the car squeaked like a MF'er.
Autozone covered them on warranty and was willing to reimburse the labor. Once.
We did the job with the understanding that when they squeak again, customer pays labor. Of course the were squeaking within a week, and the customer was pissed we wouldn't redo the job even after we told him and put it in writing.
You already know Autozone tossed us under the bus on that one. Whenever their wholesale rep comes in the shop I run them off.
Click to expand...
Yes "was" is the operative word. You must not be old enough to remember Parts from the '60s, '70s and '80s. In the mid '90s A1's product went to hell in a handbasket. Previous to The '90s their product was the number one rebuilt product around.. as others have stated in this thread, parts are hit and miss anymore. But it wasn't like this many years ago. Consolidation of even the big name brands from yesteryear, like Moog, TRW, Federal, Mogul, Fram, and many more . Foreign companies making Counterfeit Parts all plays into the reason Parts are NFG anymore. I have firsthand knowledge and experience of all of this since I was a Parts Store owner for 30 years before selling out to Carquest. One of the best life moves I ever made. Not long after that Advance Auto Parts bought Carquest. But the Lord has blessed me. Carquest/ Advance still lease the Commercial Buildings from me over 25 years later.. Happy Happy
 
gunbunny said:
Was. Past tense. I don't know who's doing their rebuilding/remanufacturing now, but the quality is ****.
Sent back 3 power brake boosters from them before I was able to find someone who would rebuild the original unit. Can't tell you how many reman fuel pumps I had to send back.
It got to the point that if I saw Cardone on a parts box, I refused it.
It's not a bargain if we have to do the same job over 3 and 4 times.
As for Autozone, the only thing I'll buy from there is oil, car wash soap, and air fresheners, and I'm suspicious of the oil.
Had a customer bring a set of Autozone brake pads into the shop, wanting us to install them. The ones on the car squeaked like a MF'er.
Autozone covered them on warranty and was willing to reimburse the labor. Once.
We did the job with the understanding that when they squeak again, customer pays labor. Of course the were squeaking within a week, and the customer was pissed we wouldn't redo the job even after we told him and put it in writing.
You already know Autozone tossed us under the bus on that one. Whenever their wholesale rep comes in the shop I run them off.
Click to expand...
You are so right. The problem though now is reboxing. You might get an A1 Cardone part in a different labeled box, for example. The parts companies simply do not care whether the customer is happy anymore. All they want is a sale.
 
RustyRatRod said:
You are so right. The problem though now is reboxing. You might get an A1 Cardone part in a different labeled box, for example. The parts companies simply do not care whether the customer is happy anymore. All they want is a sale.
Click to expand...
Rusty...Read my post above yours.......
 

MOPARMITCH said:
Rusty...Read my post above yours.......
Click to expand...
Exactly. Parts houses used to take pride in name brand parts because they were the best available. Now since there basically no name brand parts and everything is junk, it doesn't matter anymore. lol
 
Dealing with this lately, SBC timing sets with the powdered metal top gear. They are too loose of a fit on the journal , degreeing cam, chain went from normal free-play to fiddle string tight when I rotated the crank. Clued in and am working on what is to be done about the million of them on the market that are like this. The 5 sets I tried were all not acceptable. There is 10 thou of flop between the gear and cam.

1751378253001.png
 
jos51700 said:
You bet. The lifetime warranty brake pads will never, ever wear out.

Because they're grinding your rotors into dust.
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Ain't that the truth!
I call Autozone brake pads "Squeak-master 300's" It takes about 300 miles before they start to squeak and grind.
I've had my best luck with Advance and O'Riley's mid tier and higher brake lines. I stay away from the cheaper lines. Besides, after you buy hardware, you're at the mid price point anyway. Might as well get better parts.
We used to have a Federated and Napa around here. Napa closed up, and Federated was bought out buy Fisher Auto and with jacked their prices thru the roof.
 
A "Cadillac converter?" yeah it converts it to a Cadillac...but yeah I knew aof a good Car quest parts store one of the last ofits kind had everything you could buy a gallon of generic paint and paint a car they had a paint aisle etc. it closed down and an Auto zone opended up a stones throw away. Auto zone number 1 is expensive number 2 the people working there are burger counter workers need to be at Mcdonalds...:lol:

i will say this I tend to look up my own parts and order on line Rock Auto ...Summit etc. I have multiple vehicles and have my own parts shelf in the garage

Its just the third worlds way of ripping us "Stupid Americans" off I suppose...

that and they dont want people driving old cars they can fix themselves etc.
 
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Yup. We used to have a great car quest the next town away. Then advance bought them and ruined the chain, ran them in the ground. Advance auto sucked before and they're no better now.
 
Dartswinger70 said:
A "Cadillac converter?" yeah it converts it to a Cadillac...but yeah I knew aof a good Car quest parts store one of the last ofits kind had everything you could buy a gallon of generic paint and paint a car they had a paint aisle etc. it closed down and an Auto zone opended up a stones throw away. Auto zone number 1 is expensive number 2 the people working there are burger counter workers need to be at Mcdonalds...:lol:

i will say this I tend to look up my own parts and order on line Rock Auto ...Summit etc. I have multiple vehicles and have my own parts shelf in the garage

Its just the third worlds way of ripping us "Stupid Americans" off I suppose...

that and they dont want people driving old cars they can fix themselves etc.
Click to expand...

It's the executive shareholder-value-driven Americans ripping off the working-class Americans. They're the ones who came up with the idea to outsource in the first place. Rest of the world doesn't care about us anymore, USA hasn't been "Number 1" for a while now. They'll make stuff for whoever wants them to at whatever quality the company determines.

IMO our country has been economically eating itself alive for decades but those in power want you to think it's the fault of people outside our country.

As far as finding quality auto parts, I just do all my research online now looking at reviews and such before I buy. I can't remember the last time I walked into an auto parts store, everything is overpriced and I can find better/cheaper elsewhere. F 'em
 
If I was a fund manager who had a lot of shares in an auto parts company and realized their quality had dropped to the point some rando could build better parts on the kitchen table, I'd put in a sell order like I'd just received an inside tip they were a Ponzi scheme.

A lot of investors seem to have forgotten Warren Buffet's key rule: Don't buy the company if you wouldn't buy their products.
 
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