Are genuine parts always better than spurious ?

goochy

i work in motor trade - not cars - we always here plp moaning about high prices of genuine parts for franchises we hold however mechanics are always complaining about spurious parts and often know when fitting part that its not genuine . is there really much difference ?

StereoSound

I can't say I've had trouble with spurious sensors for example. I've used plenty of 02 sensors and various other bits and bobs like bushings, wishbones with no problem. However I had trouble with a spurious wing not lining up properly. It was physically to long and thought some creativity to make it fit.

endacl

StereoSound wrote: »

I can't say I've had trouble with spurious sensors for example. I've used plenty of 02 sensors and various other bits and bobs like bushings, wishbones with no problem. However I had trouble with a spurious wing not lining up properly. It was physically to long and thought some creativity to make it fit.

"Creativity"

166man

I find genuine parts (where possible or OEM brand) to be far better than spurious in my own experience. Any suspension or braking related parts I will nearly always go Original or TRW for example.

Previous owner put spurious suspension arms into my car and they are creaking again after 14k miles...............:eek:

GTE

Why is the word spurious used? Its a very negative word for what they are. Were they always so bad or dodgy (posing as OEM) or something that the word just stuck?

Greenmachine

bbk wrote: »

Why is the word spurious used? Its a very negative word for what they are. Were they always so bad or dodgy (posing as OEM) or something that the word just stuck?

AKA pattern parts? The spurious indicates a certain level of unknown. Spurious parts can sometime be more of a catchall part and some case won't fit as well. Functionall they could work fine, if they are external parts the aesthetic could be a poor comparison.

CJhaughey

Its a funny area, take Toyota branded NTK Lambda sensors, and non branded NTK lambda sensors.
I have seen several cases where the apparently identical part from NTK right down to the markings on the sensor itself would not work where a Toyota Branded NTK sensor will work.
I can't explain it but its possible the specification that Toyota order when they place an order for sensors that the tolerances are lower than the NTK factory considers to be acceptable.
For some things like brake pads aftermarket parts may be as good or perhaps better than the OEM parts, for other parts genuine is best or possibly the only way.

George Dalton

CJhaughey wrote: »

Its a funny area, take Toyota branded NTK Lambda sensors, and non branded NTK lambda sensors.
I have seen several cases where the apparently identical part from NTK right down to the markings on the sensor itself would not work where a Toyota Branded NTK sensor will work.
I can't explain it but its possible the specification that Toyota order when they place an order for sensors that the tolerances are lower than the NTK factory considers to be acceptable.
For some things like brake pads aftermarket parts may be as good or perhaps better than the OEM parts, for other parts genuine is best or possibly the only way.

I agree 100% with this post.

There are so many variables when it comes to replacement parts that there is no single correct answer to the question.

TrailerBob

I always work to a simple principle,

Is it vital to the running/stopping of the vehicle? Yes then genuine parts usually

If it's something that might last a bit less but is cheaper, and if it fails the worst that will happen is a noise, or a bit of inconvenience, then pattern parts are good enough for me.

Having said that, I did buy oil and diesel filters in Toyota main dealers today..

dgt

Too many variables to say if one is better than the other. It really depends on the car and the part

Example: Fiat Bravo wishbones from Fiat are £85 from Fiat and last about 20k miles before the joint gives up. The same part from a motor factor (swag) was £41 and is still on the car 45k miles later

colm_mcm

I got 130k out of factory brava wishbones though?

That was until i launched the car in the air sideways over a bump in the road, with a terrified granny coming towards me, landed, bottomed out, then twisted wishbones, made 'S' shapes out of the front shocks and burst the exhaust flexi joint (I went through 5 in the time I had the car)
Good times!

beauf

I think it depends what you mean by spurious. Cheaper no name parts. Or branded as good as or better than OEM parts.

dgt

colm_mcm wrote: »

I got 130k out of factory brava wishbones though?

That was until i launched the car in the air sideways over a bump in the road, with a terrified granny coming towards me, landed, bottomed out, then twisted wishbones, made 'S' shapes out of the front shocks and burst the exhaust flexi joint (I went through 5 in the time I had the car)
Good times!

Ours gave up around the 100k mark... We were hugely disappointed with how long the new ones lasted on both our cars

b318isp

I generally stick to OEM equivalent branded parts (like Febi, Bilstein). There are a number of items that failed on my car from new, which have been replaced - and these replacements have lasted a lot longer. For example, I got about 10 years/100k miles out of the original wishbones, clutch slave/master cylinders, drag links. There is around 15 years/150k miles on their replacements.

hi5

"Generic" is a better word.;)
You usually get what you pay for, wheel bearings from companies like SKF or Timken would probably be better than OEM bearings.

Interslice

Anyone ever used meyle hd parts long term? Stuck their ball joints, drop links, and wb bushings in the van before I sold it but never got to say how they fared out. They felt good and solid out of the packet.

goochy

the thing is genuine parts are so expensive so are they worth it ? theres a big difference between paying 200 euro and say 450 euro finding out what brand the car makers use seems the best thing .theres a merc specialist in south dublin who only uses genuine parts sure he could make more money selling / fitting genuine parts and it most make it harder to compete with main dealers. it seems the genuine parts for some brands are better than others.

maudgone

Genuine parts :D:D. A myth.

quadrifoglio verde

Interslice wrote: »

Anyone ever used meyle hd parts long term? Stuck their ball joints, drop links, and wb bushings in the van before I sold it but never got to say how they fared out. They felt good and solid out of the packet.

I've heard great things about meyle hd droplinks for the 156

flutered

stuff on new cars always last better, check the milage you get from a set of tyres on a new car, check on how many miles less the replacements go, body parts from yoy local motor factor are always harder to fit than branded parts, lamps make no difference as they are always come from the same factory in turkey, well one time they did, the only difference was the branded ones came in a fancyier box, that was a while back, alas i cannot get the paws grimy no more unfortunatly

flutered

goochy wrote: »

the thing is genuine parts are so expensive so are they worth it ? theres a big difference between paying 200 euro and say 450 euro finding out what brand the car makers use seems the best thing .theres a merc specialist in south dublin who only uses genuine parts sure he could make more money selling / fitting genuine parts and it most make it harder to compete with main dealers. it seems the genuine parts for some brands are better than others.

two main dealers near me has vans from two different motor factors calling a few times a week

Andrewf20

My main dealer cat converter cost 1000eu and lasted about 50k miles. I have a bosal cat in now with approx 60k on it. Still going strong and only 600 eu.

E36 Beemer.

joujoujou

flutered wrote: »

stuff on new cars always last better, [...]

No, not always.

Planned obsolescence more and more often. :cool:

goochy

the main dealers might use motor factors for consumables and also are likely to use spurious parts for non franchise vehicles thats what we do

pablo128

goochy wrote: »

the main dealers might use motor factors for consumables and also are likely to use spurious parts for non franchise vehicles thats what we do

My job supplies aftermarket parts to some main dealers regularly. For the same brand they are a main dealer for too.

sprite0

Sometimes there is no difference. Visited the Ferodo factory (Brake Pads) in the UK several years ago and was surprised to see them putting their pads into Halfords boxes. Used to do basic service on my own cars at the time and would have bought Ferodo or Mintex Don pads over the cheaper!!! Halfords pads. Turned out I was basically paying a premium for a Ferodo box as the pads were identical. This type of thing happens all the time.

Tazio

166man wrote: »

Previous owner put spurious suspension arms into my car and they are creaking again after 14k miles...............:eek:

Was that the Proteo Red 156 ??
Cheers,
Cathal

166man

Tazio wrote: »

Was that the Proteo Red 156 ??
Cheers,
Cathal

Yeah it is/was. They were actually parts I bought myself (can't remember which place I got them though) and I didn't get around to fitting them before the engine went. I gave them to the buyer in Wexford and I believe he fitted them.

I will not be going for spurious again, TRW/OE equipment from now on...!

Bloody great car though...Its a credit to you!

ectoraige

sprite0 wrote: »

Sometimes there is no difference. Visited the Ferodo factory (Brake Pads) in the UK several years ago and was surprised to see them putting their pads into Halfords boxes. Used to do basic service on my own cars at the time and would have bought Ferodo or Mintex Don pads over the cheaper!!! Halfords pads. Turned out I was basically paying a premium for a Ferodo box as the pads were identical. This type of thing happens all the time.

Just because they are produced in the same factory doesn't mean they are produced to the same specification or quality. My workplace produces parts for dozens of customers, some parts require higher levels of engineering and inspection than others which directly feeds into the price.

CJhaughey

sprite0 wrote: »

Sometimes there is no difference. Visited the Ferodo factory (Brake Pads) in the UK several years ago and was surprised to see them putting their pads into Halfords boxes. Used to do basic service on my own cars at the time and would have bought Ferodo or Mintex Don pads over the cheaper!!! Halfords pads. Turned out I was basically paying a premium for a Ferodo box as the pads were identical. This type of thing happens all the time.

Ferodo is a brand owned by Federal Mogul, and make lots of different pads, the boxes may have been Halfords but the pad compound may not have been the same as Ferodo.
Pad compounds vary quite a bit depending on intended use.
Fast Road are different to budget pads and different to Premium street compounds.
I wouldn't bet that pad compounds are the same in all ranges.
TMD make a lot of different pads in their ranges, Textar, Mintex, Don and Pagid are all brands made by TMD,
Are they all the same as the OEM pads that TMD make for all the manufacturers?
There is no clear answer to be honest.

GTE

Greenmachine wrote: »

AKA pattern parts? The spurious indicates a certain level of unknown. Spurious parts can sometime be more of a catchall part and some case won't fit as well. Functionall they could work fine, if they are external parts the aesthetic could be a poor comparison.

That's exactly what I mean, because that doesn't mean they are fraudulent or counterfeit; just ****e.