So at sometime in my Jetta's past, someone whacked the drivers side mirror. It was still there, just the housing was cracked and it vibrated slightly when going down the road. So here I am, 3 or 4 years in and I decide to do something about it. I buy a replacement mirror from Rockauto a few months ago and finally take the time to install it. It looks really cheap but the install goes ok until I try to install the adjustment knob. Seems that the post the knob snaps onto is the wrong size (too big) and the factory knob will not fit.... That's what I get for $22.79.
Junk...
So next run to the JY I will look for a mirror for $30...
Nuff' said...
That's BS though. There's no reason for such crap to be sold. It's 2014, how hard is it to manufacture something to the right specs?
I don't get why "we" put up with such nonsense. China is laughing at us.
Junk. All of it. Try adjusting the aim on an aftermarket headlight sometime.
Made in China crap? They seem to think that if it is close, that's good enough. At work we have had stuff made for us in Taiwan and it is amazing how many times it takes for them to get it correct. China is probably worse.
ebonyandivory wrote:
I don't get why "we" put up with such nonsense.
This is exactly how the British Motor Trade Association came to be. Replacement parts for MGs, Triumphs and the like left something to be desired, so some shops decided to get together and do something about it. What can one little shop do? Help identify problems and, hopefully, relay that info to the importer/distributor/manufacturer/whatever.
I have been BMTA's chairman of the board for a while. The communication seems to help. Maybe one day we'll have a similar group for later cars that can also use some attention.
David S. Wallens wrote:
ebonyandivory wrote:
I don't get why "we" put up with such nonsense.
This is exactly how the British Motor Trade Association came to be. Replacement parts for MGs, Triumphs and the like left something to be desired, so some shops decided to get together and do something about it. What can one little shop do? Help identify problems and, hopefully, relay that info to the importer/distributor/manufacturer/whatever.
I have been BMTA's chairman of the board for a while. The communication seems to help. Maybe one day we'll have a similar group for later cars that can also use some attention.
I have bought many, many parts for British cars from several of the vendors who are in BMTA. One of them should not be allowed to be a member their stuff is so bad. But, they always have it in stock. I bought several body parts (fenders and sills) from one vendor that are OEM and are high quality. The fit was perfect. But the rear valance panel from the same vendor was a piece of crap. It is aftermarket as I guess OEM is not available. So even the good guys cannot sell what is not available.
BTW, when my trusty Nissan truck got hit, I ended up paying the difference out of pocket to the body shop to use Nissan parts. The body shop guy said their labor to make aftermarket fit correctly was more than buying OEM in the first place.
There are almost no useable parts of that type made for VWs. Its pretty much all junk, no matter what specific part it is. Junkyard or used OEM is about the only way to go.
Bill, when you have a minute, drop me note about your parts issue.
There is an organization in the collision repair industry for collision repair parts. Certified Automotive Parts Association, aka "CAPA". These are parts that are tested for fit and performance and are guaranteed. Used quite often in repair at shops. http://www.capacertified.org/
So the Chinese et al are making the body panels in a process different than the oem companies?
Aren't they stamped steel? Is it THAT much harder ($) to make it right?
Personally I'd rather pay $170 for a panel made correctly than $135 for a piece of E36 M3.
But then again, I'm old-fashioned like that. "Spend a little more in the store for a tag in the back that says ‘USA’" and all that!
Klayfish wrote:
There is an organization in the collision repair industry for collision repair parts. Certified Automotive Parts Association, aka "CAPA". These are parts that are tested for fit and performance and are guaranteed. Used quite often in repair at shops. http://www.capacertified.org/
Cha... Bribe, errrr grease their palms, errr make a donation to them and their sticker can be on the same E36 M3ty parts without the sticker.
Ranger50 wrote:
Klayfish wrote:
There is an organization in the collision repair industry for collision repair parts. Certified Automotive Parts Association, aka "CAPA". These are parts that are tested for fit and performance and are guaranteed. Used quite often in repair at shops. http://www.capacertified.org/
Cha... Bribe, errrr grease their palms, errr make a donation to them and their sticker can be on the same E36 M3ty parts without the sticker.
Interesting hypothesis. You have a lot of experience with those parts?
Ran across this with my Miata. Minor front end damage that insurance said to replace the hood. Aftermarket replacement hood installed and I find out that it's steel and very heavy. Went back to body shop and insurance and had to prove to them that Miata's came OEM with an aluminum hood and that's what I want installed. They put an aluminum hood back on it and found out that the OEM aluminum hood was actually less expensive than the aftermarket steel hood.
ebonyandivory wrote:
That's BS though. There's no reason for such crap to be sold. It's 2014, how hard is it to manufacture something to the right specs?
I don't get why "we" put up with such nonsense. China is laughing at us.
"We" put up with it because "we" price shop against four different suppliers and choose the one that is the cheapest, without wondering why it is so cheap.
I should point out that non-fingerquotes we won't tolerate that crap, and have no qualms with dumping suppliers that send crap. Because there is no money in doing things two or three times.
Don't blame China, blame the consumer buying on price over every other variable. China makes what people want. Don't forget they are only the third Nation to put a human in space and get them safely back down. they can make anything you want to any specification or standard you want. It's just that most of the E36 M3 people specify for them to make is just cheap crap. You want quality? They can supply it, but you have to pay for it just as if it were made here at home and that my remove their margin on low(ish) volume parts.
I've seen just as many complaints about US sourced fiberglass parts on many cars. They're all crap and don't fit, but in that case it's not necessarily the cheapest part either.
I don’t' hate on China for making cheap E36 M3. I hate on the Walmart mentality of speccing cheap E36 M3 and people being happy to buy it so they can get two cheap widgets for the price of one decent one.
Right. If you think the wailing about crap parts is loud, just wait til you hear the cries about cost increases when the quality goes up.
"We" (on the whole) damn ourselves, period.
Adrian_Thompson wrote:
I don’t' hate on China for making cheap E36 M3. I hate on the Walmart mentality of speccing cheap E36 M3 and people being happy to buy it so they can get two cheap widgets for the price of one decent one.
Which is why RockAuto is a dirty word. As is AutoZone. Purveyors of garbage.
David S. Wallens wrote:
ebonyandivory wrote:
I don't get why "we" put up with such nonsense.
This is exactly how the British Motor Trade Association came to be. Replacement parts for MGs, Triumphs and the like left something to be desired, so some shops decided to get together and do something about it. What can one little shop do? Help identify problems and, hopefully, relay that info to the importer/distributor/manufacturer/whatever.
I have been BMTA's chairman of the board for a while. The communication seems to help. Maybe one day we'll have a similar group for later cars that can also use some attention.
The J-Tin society NEEDS this. So much crap out there "designed" to fit one Japanese car or another.... often times the quality is crap and further work is required.... for fitment
