Am I the only one having problems with replacement items?

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ICEMAN6166
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by ICEMAN6166 »

going to a big chain auto parts is like going to walmart
trying to save by buying cheap stuff that is inferior only aggravates the problem and the stores do not really care.

independent parts stores are going extinct. if you can find one they can get items from multiple sources while the chains only sell from their own.

another issue is because of the age of our trucks lots of parts sit on the shelves in warehouses for a long time.

i have had issues in the past too.
i dont think any one of us is immune to it anymore.
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Toyz
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by Toyz »

It's pretty well a, uh, universal problem! The consumer has become quality control. Even the long-trusted American manufacturers fall into this situation. Obvious problems which never would have left the factory now are sent to the retailers.
Auto Zone is the worst, IMO! They will "warranty" a part for lifetime even though it is sub-par from the start! Just how many beds do you want to remove from late model trucks to keep replacing their "warranted" POS. I watched a lady leave the counter all irate this weekend at a locally owned auto parts. She had been quoted $200.00 for a quality wheel bearing for a Titan. She said she could get it for $165.00 at Autozone. I thought about adding my "wisdom", but quickly determined that by the fact she was there rather than having gone directly to AZ, she pretty well was aware of the potential difference in quality and, as we all do on some items, was "going with the price".
I have spent the past couple of days giving Titans a wider berth!
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Blackwaterforge
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by Blackwaterforge »

Doc Pepper wrote:Am I the only one having problems with replacement items?


I try to buy NOS items if I can find them.
If it cain't be fixed with a sledge hammer it must be an electrical problem!
luckystiff
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by luckystiff »

i would expect a $165 wheel bearing to be quality hahaha. or is it one of those the part is integral to it's housing so you buy the unit and it's 10 times what a bearing should cost. we were going to do lexus sc400 ifs in my neighbors 52 f1. all donors we found needed ball joints as they were 200k+ donors. the problem is the bj is integral to the control arm. uppers not so bad at $180pr. lowers are $475 EACH. so a typical $25-40 wear part means you get to buy a $475 part. this is why cars are more disposable now. between poor quality replacement parts and the fact that often it's to expensive to fix a 7-10 year old car due to designs like this....
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Toyz
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by Toyz »

Moving this a little off topic, and not to step on any toes, here :oops: , but that is my big objection to the Jag conversion. Prices for replacement parts are absolutely ridiculous, IMO. With parts figured in, I suspect Steve's Dakota kit, and even the Porter-built, becomes a practical alternative. That is outside of the fact that Jag parts are often not readily obtainable in case of break-down. Jaguar has a well-earned reputation for parts failures; if you work on them, you will quickly develop a "laundry list" of what you can expect to fail, and at what point.
My luck with after-market replacements has been so-so at best, to the point that hydraulic hoses which failed severely at 60,000 are being replaced with OEM just due to the reasonable expectation of getting another 60,000 out of the replacement. There are probably better quality ones available in the after-market, but who wants to take that chance?
I sold a Vette because my wife didn't care to be rained on in case of showers. It is a little exasperating to have it's replacement rain hydraulic fluid on her and the interior!
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69supercj
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by 69supercj »

You have to be really careful on what you buy from Orielly and I'm sure Autozone is the same way. A lot of their rebuilt stuff is pure junk.
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by luckystiff »

sorry but you're not looking very hard. i can FULLY rebuild the jag front for about $700. most of the donors i've used didn't need nearly that much. $200-300 being typical and thats doing balljoint, control arm bushings, tie rods,etc(wear items that are probably gonna need replaced on most donor suspensions). the only "PAY ATTENTION" when looking part is the rack. they weren't an issue until a few months ago. feb/march my advance could have me a full rebuilt unit in 2 days for $225(i do get commercial price but so can you if you know your parts people). they suddenly became not available through them and the next one on their list is twice as much. no problem as Rock and a rebuilder in SC get $245 for rebuilts. but thats the "expensive" part in a jag donor. and racks for most stuff are about that so even that ain't a kicker. i can get alot of the stuff for jag same day and most any of it next day or ANY of it in 2 days. you can't bargain shop as much in those cases but you CAN get it at reasonable prices. there are literally a dozen of more jag specialty parts houses. and heres a kicker all these failures being talked about above. I have yet to have that with a single jag replacement part. maybe it's because not as many of those wear the made in china logo.

i think steve dakota swap is awesome but theres poor quality parts being made for it left and right. how many generations of drop spindles is it gonna take before they get them right? i've seen a dakota wrecked with my own 2 eyes from a failed parts house suspension part so you get what you pay for there also.

and heres the real kicker i've got about the same in my jag AND explorer swaps as the IC crossmember alone cost.... rember to examine all sides of the coin...ken.....



Toyz wrote:Moving this a little off topic, and not to step on any toes, here :oops: , but that is my big objection to the Jag conversion. Prices for replacement parts are absolutely ridiculous, IMO. With parts figured in, I suspect Steve's Dakota kit, and even the Porter-built, becomes a practical alternative. That is outside of the fact that Jag parts are often not readily obtainable in case of break-down. Jaguar has a well-earned reputation for parts failures; if you work on them, you will quickly develop a "laundry list" of what you can expect to fail, and at what point.
My luck with after-market replacements has been so-so at best, to the point that hydraulic hoses which failed severely at 60,000 are being replaced with OEM just due to the reasonable expectation of getting another 60,000 out of the replacement. There are probably better quality ones available in the after-market, but who wants to take that chance?
I sold a Vette because my wife didn't care to be rained on in case of showers. It is a little exasperating to have it's replacement rain hydraulic fluid on her and the interior!
Rant over; I spent years thinking my Dad had turned into an old "belly-acher"; now I AM HIM!
Paul
luckystiff
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by luckystiff »

and please show me this well known list of parts failures..... i know of NONE where the suspension is concerned. yeah the drivetrains suck for the most part and lets not even get into the lucas darklord of auto electrics side but the suspensions are where those cars shine.....
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by bruceandersson »

Another aspect of this problem is that the quality parts suppliers will still carry the bad stuff. They have to in order to get people in the door so they have the opportunity to sell the good part. I have good friends who own the local NAPA and have discussed this with them. They are stuck and have to offer some customers an option in order to stay in business. They do try to inform the customer about differences but the customer makes the final decision. I also never use rebuilt parts. I look for re-manufactured. There is a difference as a rebuilt part will often only have whatever failed replaced and everything else still has an unknown amount of wear. Re-manufactured parts have all parts that can age/wear replaced.
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Toyz
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by Toyz »

Well stated, Bruce! Wonder what the difference between the 245.00 rack and the " double the price" one is? Next question; with the known "fatigue" rate of the Jag rack, albeit " not a suspension part", is the "half price" one good enough, and for how long? I am not trying to pick a fight, Ken; facts are facts. In an age of questionable parts, it is really common for a supplier to low-ball the price and quality of a somewhat limited and captive market. Will those parts fail? Absolutely! It is just a matter of time. When it comes to critical parts, the big question IMO; is, where and under what conditions?
Keep in mind that Advance quit handling that $245.00 part for a reason. Might it be due to an unacceptable return rate, or the part is no longer available from tha supplier, possibly for th same reason? It is not just Jag, as I previously stated, it is universal. I speak of what I have personal long-term experience with, and that includes Jaguar.
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luckystiff
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by luckystiff »

coming from a retail management and parts sales background i can tell you it's becoming NLA from low volume sales demand. have you noticed how NONE of the parts houses stock stuff like they used to even 5 years ago? half the stuff you could walk in and pick up at any of them 5 years ago is now "i can have it here tomorrow(this afternoon if you catch them early in the morning)" no one is wanting to sit on product anymore. ALL businesses are going that way. my bro in law is corp for Lowes. have you noticed their stores doing revamps in the last few years. they are going to less on hand, but more accessable/visual mode. their stores still "look as full" but now have about 70-80% of the stock they used to. it's cut their "clearance pricing" losses by 30% already.

everyone is doing it.

for the rest on jag stuff i guess we'll agree to disagree. i can tell you of the 5 donors i've pulled in the last coupla years none have needed more than a coupla hundred bucks in replacement wear parts and even then it was preventative maint. and stuff i would probably replace on most other donors. maybe it has something to do with i get my donors from a guy that parts nothing but xjs and those are still heralded more than the xj6's and usually have owners with deeper pockets. i will say i haven't had the same luck with jag rears wear parts from donors. we bought 3 in a package deal recently and 1 of the 3 has useable calipers and rotors.
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by DJ Bill »

It is even the big boys having problems...Bought a drivers side door pillar patch for a 61 from DC, only guys who stocked it.....it took three tries to get the correct side, as the parts were misbagged at DC. That is even with a long phone call to the returns department and the guy there admitted he had never even seen this part before and had no clue as to where it went. The final correct part came in a bag marked RH but it had been crossed out. Their entire stock of pillar patches is mislabeled, and to someone familiar with these trucks it would have been an obvious error. He also stated he had no control over how a part would be shipped, that was up to shipping.

Oh well, we got the right part a week late, truck welding was delayed by a week. They are so big there are no longer professional, knowledgeable parts guys familiar with our trucks manning the phones.
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Toyz
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by Toyz »

That is partly because their knowledgeable old-timers are out on the road selling and answering questions at swap meets. I really wonder how much worse things will get once the remaining old timers who know parts are gone!
With the exception of a bunch of our younger forum members, the dearth of practical knowledge of our vehicles appears to be on the rise!
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by luckystiff »

Toyz wrote:Well stated, Bruce! Wonder what the difference between the 245.00 rack and the " double the price" one is? Next question; with the known "fatigue" rate of the Jag rack, albeit " not a suspension part", is the "half price" one good enough, and for how long?


hahahaha seriously where do you come up with this. PLEASE SHOW ME documented knowledge that jag racks have "known fatigue rate" issues. if it's that common it should be easy to find. the 90s xj6 had a different rack that are more prone to it but not the donors in these swaps. i have a friend who has been a jag certified tech for 30+ years who says he MAY have replaced 10 racks in these cars in 30 years.

if you have some VALID documentation on this i'd love to see it.

oh and i can have the racks rebuilt within an hour of my house with a LIFETIME WARRANTY. and the rack thru advance thats twice as much same company same part number plus 2 digits....
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by TxStang2010 »

Snap On for a timing light , best warranty there is and quality #1
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by SLICKCOLLECTOR »

i got some door weatherstrips from Obsolete in OK city and installed that trash. same crap as LMC. to thick and the door don;t shut properly. this is after i told him my experiences with LMC junk and he said try mine. well i did and when i told him i didn't car for his trash he told me that is all i could expect. everyone is selling the same and he couldn't take the parts back after they were installed. i told him to go f**k himself and let it go at that. the door anti-rattler kit was some trash, everything i bought from him was some cheap ass junk. i will never buy anything from that a**hole again. this is what i am spending my money on!

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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by chris401 »

Its not just you. I havent done a truck tire to gutter yet but have found Dennis Carpenter to be best quality and the higher price. Been through all the double jobs I care to do as an auto tech. I prefer to buy new or used quality once.
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Re: Am I the only one having problems with replacement items

Post by NUMA NEWBERN »

GET USED to POOR quality stuff in ALL segments of MFG. I've worked since 1972 in a Georgia Lawn mower MFG plant, we were bought out by a National/Global Nawthern company, they came in & gutted our plant formed out to CHINA parts that originally was stamped/cut/machined/welded UNDER OUR ROOF. Working in the department I do, I see ALL the poor quality FROM China, welds breaking under minimum stress or NO stress whatsoever, POOR quality steel, all the while seeing my fellow workers put out to pasture, ALSO seeing this company KNOWINGLY send defective products TOO the retail market, well just a few months ago they told us our plant is being sold, so what used to be quality parts being designed & produced IN the U.S. & IN Ga. the company is now importing China junk.
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