Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Corsairdeluxe on May 02, 2014, 12:41:28 PM
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Most american parts are American in brand only,manuractured by jobbers in China. Centric is a chinese brand and may indeed be one of the jobbers makeing American brand parts.In a recent conversation with a car buddy he said he would not buy Chinese.Does this make sense? How is one to know and can there realy be any difference since the are both off the same manufacturing Lines?
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I bought some wheel cylinders which were made in China - non-fitting, misery inducing, slightly out of tolerance junk. Got some from NAPA and they fit fine. Bought some 'Made in China' head light fixtures for my Dodge Intrepid years ago. Same thing - I had to fight, drill, hammer, cuss like crazy to get the junk to fit - tolerances off enough to frustrate anyone trying to use them. I avoid it when I can.
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If the packaging is marked MADE IN ..... that's your first clue as to point of origin. Also, if it is an aftermarket part, look for the appropriate Big 3 logo and a statement indicating that this is a factory approved aftermarket part. GM, Ford and Chrysler have been granting licenses to aftermarket companies around the world for years. To get the endorsement, you have to submit prints, samples, etc just like a Big 3 supplier has to do if they are supplying a new production part. It's the no-brand stuff that shows up cheap at swap meets & flea markets that you really have to watch for. Also, if in doubt about an item, contact the appropriate car company's customer service department. They have lists of who is approved and who is not so they can advise.
Also, remember that it is common for vehicle makers to make running changes in their products and that sometimes you need the "old" or the "new" version of an item as they may not interchange (you have to drill holes, bang them into place, etc).
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At 119k miles on my Dodge Charger, I replaced the front wheel bearings. One of them broke
after a thousand miles and seized up the wheel and need a torch to cut it off of the spindle. I
was able to find a pair of Timken bearings and at 186K they were still fine. The bearings that
failed had a tag inside the grease packed wax paper stating "made in China". I learned my
lesson.