Cheap quality parts ?

[admin]

After doing a bit of work today , I am wondering if anyone has bought any poor quality after market parts ?

I have a 93 Holden Apollo which my missus is driving after her Hyundai went kaboom. It had a full service ( not by me ) less than a year ago in which the leads and distributor cap were replaced.

The other day my missus complained it wasnt running properly and after a look I did a bit of fault finding. When I got to the electrics , I went to remove the plug leads and 2 out of the 4 broke off ! Unfortunately they are the type that go down a hole in the rocker cover to the plug and they simply continued to break in to pieces when I tried to remove what was left
It took me a couple of hours with all sorts of tools to extract the crap in there and when I replaced the cap and leads with a Bosch set it ran perfectly so the plugs are fine. But this lead set ( brand unknown ) was absolutely rooted in less than a year with probably 10,000 km driving.

I paid $120 today for the bosch cap and leads set and am pretty sure I got charged more than that for the cheap shit set by the place that serviced it. Lesson learnt I suppose.

[Godzilla]

Holden Apollo= Toyota Camry.

Yes i have found aftermarket components fail, factory ones are far superior.

Some basic points first.

When a plug end breaks, its a good sign that the car has not been regularly serviced.

If it was the plugs would have been regularly removed and replaced leading to the leads being regularly removed and not binding on and then cracking/breaking when removed.

Tip; with removing any lead ends, twist them while pulling from the rubber boot, it helps break the bond to the spark plugs.

The problem with components is a little complex when it comes to Aussie built Toyota's.

All parts via Toyota are far superior in quality to the general over the counter car parts stores, but on the other hand far more expensive.

The problem i have found is that Toyota Australia sources many components from Australian manufacturers and the quality of parts not as good as the imported Toyota's.

I have found parts such as leads and thermostat's far better from Toyota, my current Camry company car had its thermostat replaced at 200,000Km with a non genuine one, 15,000Km later its stuck open and the car runs far too cool on the open roads.

The ultimate in reliable components are on the fully imported Toyota's, the quality is amazingly good and reliable but shockingly expensive.

[admin]

I had previously removed the old ones before the major service and had no problems at all with putting them on and taking them off ( I asked they be replaced due to some wear from 2 leads rubbing together. This crap set broke completely in to 2-3 places during normal removal....the tubes that go down to the plug just broke to pieces and they also broke at the top as well. Everything else about them looked new , the bottoms of them were completely farked and brittle. They effectively shattered to pieces.

The car has been reguarly serviced. I just cant believe the state of these things after 10,000 km's and not even a single long trip.

[Godzilla]

Better believe it.

Welcome to non genuine over the counter cheap parts.

Next time buy the factory ones, then fit and forget them.

One day try a RYCO oil filter and compare it to the genuine Toyota ones.
Watch your oil pressure take ages to build up under start up, tearing up the engines internals right at the most critical time when there is no pressure and oil coating internally.

As a side note, Ford factory parts are as bad as the over the counter ones. The only blessing is that they are as cheap as chips.

[Moof]

As a side note, Ford factory parts are as bad as the over the counter ones. The only blessing is that they are as cheap as chips.

I have heard that some ford dealers have been importing cheap copies of some original parts and packaging them as originals and selling them as genuine. They were being investigated.

[Godzilla]

There is a place up in Camberfield that specializes in importing aftermarket, non genuine panels, lights and indicators etc.

Brand new parts still in the cartons, ridiculously cheap compared to the factory parts.

Try fitting one and making it line up.

Thanks for the inside tip moof, i always had a feeling.....

[mate]

There is a place up in Camberfield that specializes in importing aftermarket, non genuine panels, lights and indicators etc.

Brand new parts still in the cartons, ridiculously cheap compared to the factory parts.

Try fitting one and making it line up.

Thanks for the inside tip moof, i always had a feeling.....

What do you think happens to folks cars who insure with AAMI, cheapest quoted panel shop gets the job, use imported non genuine parts, and you get the job. Most car owners have NO idea at all.
have a look at VL commodores on the road, many have pink tail lights. These are non genuine.

[Godzilla]

Yes agreed.

But hard to resist, i needed a front indicator lens for a Mitsu last week, dealer quoted $165, these blokes sold me one for $25.

Now how can you resist that.

Who cares if it fades after a few years, at that price you can afford to keep changing it. LOL
Besides it would be well sold and gone before the cheap parts showed their ugly head.

AAMI are well known for driving panel beaters quotes down to the ground, the last time i spoke to my panel beater about them he said the best way to deal with them is jack up the quote to allow for the negotiations when their assessor arrives.
If the quote misses anything that may show up during the repair another dispute often begins.....
Panel beaters hate them, and owners of cars get a real shortcut repair job.

@Sanity, working on cars has taught me what i can get away with and how long it will last.
I have often commented on Toyota owners sticking to genuine parts where affordable.
The only non genuine parts i use are clutch kits, brake pads air cleaners and fuel filters.
If i cannot afford the new genuine part, id rather source a good second hand one rather than a cheap imported part.

[NoService]

yes i agree i have had some really dodgey aftermarket stuff installed only to have it break/fail in months, hence why i installed a genuine toyota timing belt when it came time.

no sence in paying big bucks to instal inferior parts.