Beware - R1038 gasket for your car?

[porky]

Generally speaking you are right Slave. Most well known brands are OEM manufacturers for the auto industry, in other words BMW dosnt make oil filters, so they contract with a reputable manufacturer like Fram / Gud etc for their requirements, so buying these reputable brands means you are getting the exact same filter as you would from the agents, just a differant brand mark and packaging.

However, there are rogues in the market, certainly I will buy Ferodo brake pads or Gud filters because there is a history, but I am a bit dubious of some of the "Po Ping Pong" products which are half the cost of the likes of Gud / Ferodo etc - somewhere I just feel they must have cut costs.

porky2009-06-01 07:12:18

[Slave]

Quite Porky.

 

The known brands (Gud, Fram, Ferodo, ATE) are usually good quality at a good price.

 

Several years ago, I drove an Opel Monza. Very good on fuel, exceedingly heavy on brakes. I went to the agents and they wanted R450 for a set of brake pads. (It was a fortune back then). When I informed the sales person, he loftily told me that ATE was not OE on Opel.

 

So I went and spent the R150 on ATE anyway. About two years later, we bought an Astra. Brand new. When it came time to put in new pads, I pulledout the old ones and went off to LSS. Guess what, the calliper and pads were ATE.

 

Agents deserve what they get.

[Danger Dassie]

Had the same thing with my Suzuki Samurai I used to drive, Delta told me their pads were the 'genuine' thing, thats why cost R1200.

Guy brings the box, it says Ferodo. I laughed at him and went to Star Brake & Clutch, bought the exact pair for R350.

[joevan]

Many, many years ago, I applied for a job as a production manager at a factory which produced brake pads.

On the trip around the factory, I noticed that at the end of the line, some pads were being packed in white boxes, while some were being dumped into large bins.

When I asked if the pads being dumped into the bins were rejects, I was told no, these are going to a motor manufacturer (No names) for new cars, and the ones in boxes were going to spare parts dealers. Same production run!!

Go figure!!!!

joevan2009-06-01 09:09:27

[Christopher Brunsdon]

 

Many' date=' many years ago, I applied for a job as a production manager at a factory which produced brake pads.

On the trip around the factory, I noticed that at the end of the line, some pads were being packed in white boxes, while some were being dumped into large bins.

When I asked if the pads being dumped into the bins were rejects, I was told no, these are going to a motor manufacturer (No names) for new cars, and the ones in boxes were going to spare parts dealers. Same production run!!

Go figure!!!!

[/quote']

 

This is true of all industries. When I was still in the bed industry, when to Steinhoff factory to watch beds being made. Saw how they would take a couple of beds and then sew on a edblo label, then some King Koil labels and then Sealy labels. Same mattress, different prices and sales comissions.

 

[porky]

Many' date=' many years ago, I applied for a job as a production manager at a factory which produced brake pads.

On the trip around the factory, I noticed that at the end of the line, some pads were being packed in white boxes, while some were being dumped into large bins.

When I asked if the pads being dumped into the bins were rejects, I was told no, these are going to a motor manufacturer (No names) for new cars, and the ones in boxes were going to spare parts dealers. Same production run!!

Go figure!!!!

[/quote']

This is true of all industries. When I was still in the bed industry, when to Steinhoff factory to watch beds being made. Saw how they would take a couple of beds and then sew on a edblo label, then some King Koil labels and then Sealy labels. Same mattress, different prices and sales comissions.

 

Yah, its common.

 

Probably very prevalent in the cycle industry as well.

 

I was at a pressure vessel manufacturing facility for heavy duty earth moving machinery in Austria once, all the pressure vessels were exactly the same, some just went into preprinted "brand" name boxes and others into generic white boxes sold to general traders all over the world.

 

Sadly the public is not always aware of the "alternatives" and the brand supplier will be quick to spin a few scare stories to keep him buying his line, but many brands today are no more than advertorial offices and accounting departments, everything is simply outsourced to OEM manufacturers, and often the product is just a generic knock off in pretty packaging with a big budget ad campaign.