Premium car parts rip off
Discussion
DCLXIV said:
1. Jaguar can get away with charging more
2. Jaguar will have to buy their parts from Ford, who will no doubt charge a premium rate
1) That's true.2. Jaguar will have to buy their parts from Ford, who will no doubt charge a premium rate
2) Is that true? Ford won't be making these parts, and I doubt that the Jag purchasing team purchase them from Ford.
Did the OP price up the part at an independent motor factors ? Recently purchased a drop link for a 2004 Honda Accord, from a back street motor factors in Derby, which cost £13, which compared to the Honda dealer price of £87 !!!! The thing is that the one I put one, looked to be a better design that the broken one.
HustleRussell said:
Because once you've considered the labour cost to fit the bushes, fitting inferior copies is a false economy. I find you have to pick your aftermarket parts very carefully because while some represent decent value, most are cheaper for a reason unless you can get OEM manufactured ones from another source (which, as the OP had found, happens often).
Agree. I've had some really good non-manufacturer parts and saved a bundle, but you've got to be careful, especially when it comes to their country of origin. IIRC there was a problem a few years ago with pattern parts for Vauxhalls, Vectras I think, with badly made front suspension components with weak spot welds that rendered the car dangerous.
People forget that an OEM has to have availability a lot longer than the aftermarket and has to have all parts available not just the ones that other people copy. That’s why manufactures need greater margins, all the cost of design, stocking, Warranties, good will out of warranty, parts obsolescence, etc., etc. Then somebody comes along and copies your design! Can’t do it with other products try copying perfume or handbags and see where that gets you.
Now it’s fair to say you don’t always know that the aftermarket part isn’t every bit as good as the OEM but for sure you can guarantee that the OEM bit is.
The best example I can give is where there is a catastrophic failure say on steering or brakes that ends up in court, it is for the person who fitted / supplied the part to prove that the part didn’t fail, if the part is OEM then you have done the best you can and it is not your responsibility.
I am also seeing examples of counterfeit parts that are dangerous that come in packaging that looks like the genuine thing.
All of that said the price difference between Jaguar and Ford is a little hard to justify other than Jaguar probably have greater distribution costs, stocking costs, greater obsolescence due to less x types than Mondeos.
One final observation is that manufactures don’t make enough from the sale of the car to have a viable business model, you could increase parts cost but then the price of the cars would go up with a reduction in investment and developments of new models and systems.
Now it’s fair to say you don’t always know that the aftermarket part isn’t every bit as good as the OEM but for sure you can guarantee that the OEM bit is.
The best example I can give is where there is a catastrophic failure say on steering or brakes that ends up in court, it is for the person who fitted / supplied the part to prove that the part didn’t fail, if the part is OEM then you have done the best you can and it is not your responsibility.
I am also seeing examples of counterfeit parts that are dangerous that come in packaging that looks like the genuine thing.
All of that said the price difference between Jaguar and Ford is a little hard to justify other than Jaguar probably have greater distribution costs, stocking costs, greater obsolescence due to less x types than Mondeos.
One final observation is that manufactures don’t make enough from the sale of the car to have a viable business model, you could increase parts cost but then the price of the cars would go up with a reduction in investment and developments of new models and systems.
Don't forget that lots of manufacturers OEM equipment is developed outside of that manufacturer. For example, TRW brake system, Gates belts, etc. The aftermarket also test and develop parts to improve them through the product's life.
Having worked in the parts industry, I wouldn't think twice about fitting parts from a reputable parts manufacturer such as First Line or Blueprint. A fraction of the price for something which is at least as good and you've got a genuine choice in the seller that you deal with.
Having worked in the parts industry, I wouldn't think twice about fitting parts from a reputable parts manufacturer such as First Line or Blueprint. A fraction of the price for something which is at least as good and you've got a genuine choice in the seller that you deal with.
Sogra said:
People forget that an OEM has to have availability a lot longer than the aftermarket and has to have all parts available not just the ones that other people copy. That’s why manufactures need greater margins, all the cost of design, stocking, Warranties, good will out of warranty, parts obsolescence, etc., etc. Then somebody comes along and copies your design! Can’t do it with other products try copying perfume or handbags and see where that gets you.
Now it’s fair to say you don’t always know that the aftermarket part isn’t every bit as good as the OEM but for sure you can guarantee that the OEM bit is.
The best example I can give is where there is a catastrophic failure say on steering or brakes that ends up in court, it is for the person who fitted / supplied the part to prove that the part didn’t fail, if the part is OEM then you have done the best you can and it is not your responsibility.
I am also seeing examples of counterfeit parts that are dangerous that come in packaging that looks like the genuine thing.
All of that said the price difference between Jaguar and Ford is a little hard to justify other than Jaguar probably have greater distribution costs, stocking costs, greater obsolescence due to less x types than Mondeos.
One final observation is that manufactures don’t make enough from the sale of the car to have a viable business model, you could increase parts cost but then the price of the cars would go up with a reduction in investment and developments of new models and systems.
Excellent post sir.Now it’s fair to say you don’t always know that the aftermarket part isn’t every bit as good as the OEM but for sure you can guarantee that the OEM bit is.
The best example I can give is where there is a catastrophic failure say on steering or brakes that ends up in court, it is for the person who fitted / supplied the part to prove that the part didn’t fail, if the part is OEM then you have done the best you can and it is not your responsibility.
I am also seeing examples of counterfeit parts that are dangerous that come in packaging that looks like the genuine thing.
All of that said the price difference between Jaguar and Ford is a little hard to justify other than Jaguar probably have greater distribution costs, stocking costs, greater obsolescence due to less x types than Mondeos.
One final observation is that manufactures don’t make enough from the sale of the car to have a viable business model, you could increase parts cost but then the price of the cars would go up with a reduction in investment and developments of new models and systems.
One thing that always stuck with me from college, was the cost of keeping a part on a the shelf for a year. Apparently after all the sums were done, it is 73% of the actual nett cost of the part. This covers stuff like rent, rates, heating, lighting , wages... and the fact that the money invested in the initial purchase, could have been spent on another item which would not have sat on the shelf for a year.
Things have moved on now I suppose with lean stocking, just in time delivery, daily orders, automated reordering, Volvo even deliver up to 3 times a day from memory, depending on the dealers location.
Christ I feel old, it was 32 years ago I started college
ModernAndy said:
Don't forget that lots of manufacturers OEM equipment is developed outside of that manufacturer. For example, TRW brake system,
Ah the ubiquitous colette caliper in manufacture since the days of Lucas Car Braking RIP Nee Girling RIP now TRW http://www.trwaftermarket.com/en/Products/Disc-Bra... I quote : TRW Automotive has manufactured over 350 million calipers to date which gives us unparalleled expertise in the aftermarket.I remember a discussion with a Chief Engineer John Ford, where he told of the Merc A class brake fiasco.
Merc Engineers rang up lucas and gave them an approximate spec for the car, and Lucas sent over FOC a fiat brake that should get their prototypes moving. A few weeks later and they needed a few more, so Lucas sent over the same brake with Lada on the casting instead of fiat. Merc refused to use them, even when the Lucas engineers took the drawings and showed them that they were the same, demanding that they design something new for them. In the end they changed a few of the drawings so the tolerances were tighter, and got on with selling them the same brake.
ModernAndy said:
Having worked in the parts industry, I wouldn't think twice about fitting parts from a reputable parts manufacturer such as First Line or Blueprint. A fraction of the price for something which is at least as good and you've got a genuine choice in the seller that you deal with.
I wouldn't fit First Line any more - I've had a few too many parts that were the wrong dimensions/poorly made compared to OE.jamoor said:
Krikkit said:
I wouldn't fit First Line any more - I've had a few too many parts that were the wrong dimensions/poorly made compared to OE.
Indeed, first line is dodgy, blueprint isn't though.Are things like bushes actually made by the car manufacturer anyway, or do they have other suppliers that make and sell them? For example Yamaha charge a fortune for wheel bearings, which are made by Koyo so you can buy the exact same part from another supplier for a fraction of the cost.
RizzoTheRat said:
Are things like bushes actually made by the car manufacturer anyway, or do they have other suppliers that make and sell them? For example Yamaha charge a fortune for wheel bearings, which are made by Koyo so you can buy the exact same part from another supplier for a fraction of the cost.
Of course not, they make the chassis, sometimes the engines (although even the parts for those are bought in) I think BMW may stitch their own leather seats.Everything else just comes in from outside, some factories I have seen actually have their makers inside their factories assembling things like dashboards for them.
jamoor said:
Captain Muppet said:
Which one of them replicates the OEM durability testing and validation on all parts?
Blueprint parts are usually made by the original manufacturers, so I'm not sure how mich testing they would need to do.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff