Recently there have been posts about the vbp ball joints that were of inferior quality. I received a part with such chinese type balljoints too, and since i paid big bucks for this part, this really pissed me off.

Maybe we can join forces and post about other bad parts supplied by companies that were not the quality that you expected/paid for or were basically unsafe.

 

Just remember before you call them that Customer Support is in India.......

 

The trashing of AMERICA continues unabated....

 

This is exactly why I always buy my parts form VanSteel...their prices are a little higher, but they are all quality parts. Dan is the most honest person you'll meet. I talked to him about the issues with the ball joints lately - he says he's only had one complaint about his ball joints and thinks they are good (they are Dana's). He said that Moog joints were better, but the Dana's are also very good joints. I'm exchanging my Dana's for the Moog ones and paying the difference. He only sells quality parts, I can assure you of that. Go with VanSteel

 

While I totally support made in America as an idea. I also feel that I need to say not all parts made in china are junk. Many of the big brands you know and trust are getting parts from China. The poblem is that there is good and bad and it's hard to tell what you are getting.

 

The more reasons to make a list. Come on, i bet you have all seen them.

Ok here goes : this summer i bought a steering box overhaul kit that included the pitmanshaft and sectorgear. It turned out that the pitmanshaft was undersize. They were sent to me by Corvette South. I complained to them but never received an answer.

 

Let me "wake" some of you up with a list that's been running here for some time now.

For the most part I see only engine parts, but the following list is really somewhat upsetting for sure!!

1-Eaton Valves=China
2-King Bearings=Israel
3-Sealed Power Valves=S.Africa
4-Mahle Pistons=China/Mexico
5-Callies Cranks=Japan/China
6-Eagle/Scat=China
7-Keith Black Pistons=Mexico
8-Speed-Pro "Racing" Valves=Brazil
9-Ferrea's Valves=Argentina
10-S.I. Valves=China
11-G.M. "GMPP" Performance Valves=Pakistan
12-Detroit Gasket/Corteco/ROL=Spain-Taiwan
13-Corteco "Motor Mounts"=India
14-Zoom Clutches=China
15-Delco Dist. Parts=Singapore
16-Mr. Gasket=China
17-Manleys Rods=Israel
18-Melling Timing Chains=India
19-Dorman Harmonic Balancers=Korea
20-ACL Bearings=Australia
21-Weiand (Alum) Water Pumps=China
22-Stanadyne (Moresa) Lifters=Mexico

This is a partial listing of names we've just "stumbled" upon during the course of business! Many of their parts are still "Made in the USA", but many are NOT. I'm sure there are "hundreds" of others.

Thanks, Gary in N.Y.

P.S. I want to add here NOT all these parts have issues, it's only to make you somewhat aware of "what's what" in this business!!!

 

For the record it is about parts with issues.

 

LMFAO

I just thought of some ironic things to add to that list.

Ford trucks- Mexico
Monte Carlos- Canada
Delco Alternators and starters- Mexico
Valeo Alternators(used on the newer vettes)- France
Harley Davidson Starters - built by Denso( a company based in Japan) but built in Kentucky
Harley Davidson voltage regulators- built by Transpo (based in Florida) but built in China

NOW FOR THE REAL TWIST

Mitsubishi alternators- most of the ones found here are built in Pennsylvania
Denso alternators - most of the ones found here are built in
Kentucky
Denso remanufactures starters and alternators- California & Iowa
Toyota trucks- Indiana

Buying American is not as easy as it used to be.

 

Add to your list: Timken bearings, Fronts, inner and outer - Poland (don't know about the rears). Seals - Taiwan. A/C Delco rotors - China.

 

My AC Delco Rotors are made in the USA...says so right on the box.

 

Maybe you got some older stock? Companies are changing their sourcing all the time. The fronts I just put on were Bendix and made in the US, and were the last two my parts house had in stock. The manuf. dates on the boxes was 4/14/2003. I can't find Bendix rears anywhere. I just got an e-mail back from a vendor two days ago that the AC/Delco Rotors (rear) they had in stock said made in China on the boxes. I would buy the AC/Delco parts but not my first choice if they are Chinese. I wouldn't think that a vendor would say that if not true. It is not a selling feature by any means. Are there date codes on your boxes? How recent was the manufacture?

I was only passing along what a parts vendor responded back to my e-mail to them.

Maybe some other parts vendors will respond and set the record straight one way or another. I would be happy to hear that their rotors for C-3s are still US made.

The same thing can be said of the Timken (front) wheel bearings for the C-3. They are currently made in Poland, but there are still some American made ones available if you can find them.

 

I got them from thepartsladi off of ebay, and each box said they were made in the USA. I do recall that the back of the boxes said that the manufactured date of the rotors was like in 2003...so I think the ones I got were older stock.

 

That is exactly who I got the e-mail from two days ago. The Delco part number is 18A101 on the rotors. They have a set with pads at a good price, but before buying them I sent them an e-mail, and got the response that the rotor boxes said made in China on them. Looks like things have changed and Delco is outsourcing. the partsladi's eBay feedback is flawless and they seem like very honest people to do business with. I just want to make sure I go with US made parts unless there is no alternative reasonably available. Every time I have gotten a part made in China the Quality Control has been poor to non-existant.

 

I recently bought a Holley fuel pump for my car to replace an older Holley fuel pump. The old pump was a nice aluminum pump and made in USA. The new pump was a piece of crap flash chromed and made in china. The old one could be indexed in several directions and it I was able to index it correctly for my corvette. The new one could be indexed also, but there were not enough to make it work in my car. I boxed it up and sold it at a car show. I would not buy another holley fuel pump personally.

 

Yeah, because when I bought them off of ebay, the auction specifically stated that they were made in the USA and were not cheap chinese rotors. It said that in writing, which is why I bought them. I guess I got lucky with those USA rotors...maybe they only carry the new reproduced ones in China now. I assume they had old stock on the USA AC Delco Rotors and were selling whatever they had left...and I was able to get a hold of four of them.

 

Well, this is an interesting thread but we better not **** off the Chinese. We don't want to have go to war against them one day. Before we would be able to, we would probably have to buy all the parts needed to make our planes, tanks, ships and guns from them. They might get really mad at us and raise our prices so high we would not be able to afford to defend ourselves. A lot of our industrial capacity is going over there. Think about it.

 

My buddy has sold Delco batteries at his shop for years. Back when they were U.S. built they rarely had any come back dead & still had any warranty left. Now they're made in Mexico & he can't say that anymore...

 

Don't misunderstand my following comments; I am generally disturbed by what I perceive as the [poor] quality of products coming from many Chinese sources. However, I believe that the Chinese would make whatever is specified for them by U.S. companies who order their products. If those procuring companies had good, thorough specifications and an adequate means of checking critical quality issues, we wouldn't be having this concern. The U.S. companies buying "crap" quality are just as responsible [or more so] than the companies making such junk.

 

I am all fore American products and I avoid purchasing any Japanese or Chinese products when I have a choise. I there in no choise I just do waht the rest of us do and purchase. I will try to go with brands that put some money in Americans hands.

I have never supported or believed that that American products, and mostly our cars, were ever inferrior. Just in focus of American Autos take a look at what is classic and what has a lasting quality that get passed down to multible owners.

Now before anyone lables me as a hippocrit (sp) I do own BMW's and only as choise and never because I thought American Auto were less. I have also owned a few Cadillacs and will again. I have never owned a Japanese car and I never will.