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Quality of aftermarket parts??

3K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  nitronate33 
#1 ·
Two questions, actually...

Is there a manufacturer of aftermarket parts that is consistently high quality, or does it totally depend on the the type of part needed?

Is there an online source for said parts thats consistently offering good values and reasonable shipping, or generally is it better to shop locally at AutoZone and the like? I'm always willing to buy local if I can, even if I pay a small premium doing so.

If an item is double locally, I might look elsewhere...

Thanks,

Dave
 
#3 ·
No point in dropping in OEM parts into a 20 year old car.

Rockauto.com is in my opinion one of the best sites out there. 5% coupon code always too.

Dorman seems to be a trusted brand. Good parts and good price, they make a lot of problem solver type stuff as well. Have bought everything from control arms to leaf springs and oil seals. All great stuff and usually the best priced.
 
#4 · (Edited)
No point in dropping in OEM parts into a 20 year old car.
I totally agree with this, and especially with my 25-30 year old cars :D Of course in the case of my second gen tercels, a good bit of my parts end up being OEM anyway... from other junked tercels ;)

I have used a wide range of suppliers from rockauto, but I like fel pro and beck arnley the best. A good rule of thumb is to check where the AM part is made, US/Japan might be a better bet than china, but sometimes china is all you get...

One exception I make are critical areas like head gaskets, I try to stay with the Toyota versions as they tend to be made better, in my experience.
 
#5 ·
"One exception I make are critical areas like head gaskets, I try to stay with the Toyota versions as they tend to be made better, in my experience."

The exact point of my comment. OEM is better always. AS an original owner of my car I haven't had a car payment in 15 years so I can afford to use the parts designed for it. I went after market one time for a rear wheel complete bearing assembly and while the install went OK the studs were about 1mm out of place and it was difficult to get the rim back on. I returned it to AZ and ordered an OEM one. I plan to keep my car as pristine examples are harder to find. The owner of the dealership where I purchased it tries to buy it every time I drop by because he knows how well it has been taken care of.
We have a 40 year old Mercedes Benz diesel in the family and it has been treated in the same manner. OEM for it as well. MB still has parts available for it.

I do realize that most members here are younger and this may be their first car so they don't see the need to invest in the upkeep using OEM.

My neighbor down the street has one of the Tercel 4 wheel drives. I think it is an 84 but someone bumped into it so it has the grill and headlights of an 85. She will not sell it, I have tried many times to purchase it. Fantastic auto.

W95c
 
#6 ·
The exact point of my comment. OEM is better always.

I do realize that most members here are younger and this may be their first car so they don't see the need to invest in the upkeep using OEM.
Well, to me it really depends on the part, if it's an easily accessible consumable item, I don't see the point of an OEM part, but on the other hand if it is a pain to replace...

Mind you I'm mostly in my Tercel mindset where you can't even get OEM parts anymore. With the Camry I'll be more likely to at least research replacing things with OEM.
 
#8 ·
Toyota doesn't make all the parts, and they buy lots of parts from other manufacturers. For example, Aisin water pumps, Mitsuboshi timing belts, Koyo pulleys, Denso alternators Akebono brake pads. You can often find better prices and warranty terms from those OEM manufacturers in the aftermarket.

Then you may develop personal preferences over the years. For example, I prefer NGK wire sets and Iridium spark plugs, Gates belts and hoses, Fel-Pro gaskets and seals, Permatex RTV and greases, Akebono ProAct ceramic brake pads, Centric brake rotors (C-Tek or Premium), Timken wheel bearings (reboxed OEM Koyo or NSK), Valvoline Synthetic brake fluid (low moisture activity), Walmart Supertech Mercon-V ATF (suitable for Dexron II/III), etc. Others develop their preferences already mentioned, also including Denso spark plugs, Sil-glyde greases, K&N filters and Amsoil or Royal Purple oils and ATFs.

Nothing wrong with using OEM parts however, especially if you can buy them online or from site sponsors at substantial discount. Some parts you have no choice but OEM.

No particular preference, but for example ToyotaPartsMan here is a dealer parts department manager in Georgia (Newman Toyota), and another one I see occasionally is an aftermarket store 1ATony.

Here is a list of supporting vendors of TN including AutoGuide who help make these forums possible. http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/136-supporting-vendors/

Aftermarket parts 1ATony
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...1/784482-monroe-quick-struts.html#post7078186

You can PM (send a private message, under "Contact Info" tab in the link below) ToyotaPartsMan if you want to buy genuine Toyota parts.
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/219261-toyopartsman.html
 
#9 ·
Toyota doesn't make all the parts...
Almost all automakers contract out parts production, most of a Toyota is not made by Toyota at all. It's what spec Toyota demands of the OEM, which has historically been extremely high. You can buy a part from an OEM that is not as good as what Toyota spec'd from that same OEM. Toyota also works closely with their OEMs, this is in contrast to several other top selling auto makers who demand a part at a price/quality and are not interested or involved in how that happens.

With very few exceptions Toyota parts are higher quality (often much higher) than aftermarket. Can you get aftermarket as good as genuine? Yes but you have to be vigilant. And that list certainly doesn't include the myriad of questionable replacement parts you routinely recommend.
 
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#10 ·
I've had good luck with the Beck/Arnley brand. I also try to get the aftermarket brand that originally made the parts for Toyota, like Denso or Aisin. I occasionally have to go to the Toyota dealer to get other parts. Really depends on what it is. Most of the parts I purchase are for the Camrys of three of my kids, so I try to find the right balance between the highest quality parts for the least amount of money. I tend to stay away from some of the E-Bay no-name brands, or very obscure brands I have never heard of, especially if the price is ridiculously cheap. A lot of parts from China are nothing but junk, but some of the Chinese stuff is perfectly fine. It may depend on who is calling the shots at the Chinese manufacturing facility. In the end, you usually can't go wrong with the Toyota parts, as others have said.
 
#11 ·
highest quality for least amount of money on rockauto or elsewhere. i've had good luck sourcing OEM parts when necessary on eBay from various dealers. they all compete there and you can get great prices, usually better than 25% discount and many give free shipping.

for many common parts, there are higher quality aftermarket options at cheaper prices than OEM. you just have to know your stuff and do your research. for example: pads, rotors, exhaust, wheels, suspension to name a few.
 
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