Another good brand gone Chinese.

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Last month i bought Subaru hydraulic lash adjusters from Rock auto, they were Beck & Arnley units Made in Japan, nice units, well finished and nicely machined.
Now i need another set for another engine and no more B&A only DNJ and Sealed Power.

I know the DNJ are just cheap Chinese junk so i checked Advance and they have Sealed Power also in stock at a store 30 miles away so i bought them with a code and got a cheaper price then Rock.
I thought i was getting a good deal on good parts, i thought wrong!

On the Sealed Power box "Made in China". Poorly ground contact face with a lousy finish, i wouldn't put them in an old B&S lawnmower engine if it used them.
Another quality brand gone down the flusher, heading to the local Subaru dealer to buy OEM.
This makes me sick!
 
But if youre only going to keep the car for a few years, why spend more?

Another first-world job lost to the third world. Last one here turn off the lights...
 
I take a lot of pride in my work, the last thing in the world i want is a comeback due to cheap junk i knowingly put in the engine.
Fortunately most people understand and accept my position, if they don't i don't want the job because in the end its going to be me that did a lousy job not the cheap parts that failed.
Quote:
But if youre only going to keep the car for a few years, why spend more?


Its not my car but the thing is mint with only 80K on it, i suspect this nice little Subi will be around a long time.
These 2.2 engines are noted for lash adjuster issues after some years so i at least want to put good stuff in it that will last as long as the originals.

Quote:
Another first-world job lost to the third world. Last one here turn off the lights...

I know, what a shame this is. Honestly internal engine parts being made by once reputable companies made in the third world, it seems nothing is sacred any more.
Its got to the point that now i am pressing bearings out of pulleys and buying high quality US or Euro bearings to avoid Chinese bearings in new pulleys.

I bought a new Gates tensioner pulley "Made in Canada" only to see Made in China on the bearing, what's Made in Canada the box and the plastic?
Two years ago i had to redo over a dozen pulleys that all failed when the temps got below zero, every one the same (good) brand and had a cheap Chinese bearing and failed the same day!
I actually heard the bearing fail when i started my Expedition that day.

These miserable companies making a few extra buck using junk Chinese bearings cost me a lot of time, lost money and a few PO customers.

Sorry for the rant but this really, really sucks with these parts!
 
I was joking about the keep the car a short time... Was just thinking about the other thread...
 
you know, I think China has a long term plan in place to drain the US's manufacturing capability. They are waging war on us with out using guns
 
Sealed Power is owned by Federal Mogul.Thats really all that needs to be said....
 
But remember it's the short term mentality in the US that is the real cause of these issues.

No need to dog on the Chinese when we all know precisely what to expect. It's those who run the US companies who are at fault here.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
I bought a new Gates tensioner pulley "Made in Canada" only to see Made in China on the bearing, what's Made in Canada the box and the plastic?


I know what you mean, but good bearings are hard to find anyway. About two years ago I had to change the OEM tensioner pulley on my Mazda because it was making noises. The bearing was made in Japan by NSK. But the cheap plastic dust shields failed at containing the grease inside the bearing, it was bone dry inside.
I changed the pulley with Dayco, which of course had a Chinese bearing. It lasted two years and had exactly the same problem as the OEM bearing.
I finally found Gates metal pulley and put it in, along with a new serpentine belt, so that once the cheap bearing fails, I can replace it with a good quality one and hopefully be done with this thing once and for all.
 
I just had a two-year-old timing belt tensioner fail on a VW. It had less than 15k miles on it. $1400 to redo everything.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I was joking about the keep the car a short time... Was just thinking about the other thread...

Yes i thought about that after i posted.
Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
No need to dog on the Chinese when we all know precisely what to expect. It's those who run the US companies who are at fault here.

I agree its fault lies with the US manufacturer out sourcing to make more profit.
If something isn't done about it soon like a 500-1000% import tax on these cheap third world goods we as consumers will no longer have a choice to buy American.

Personally i would make that lifter cost $50 ea through taxation. Then put every dime collected from it to pay down the national debt.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I was joking about the keep the car a short time... Was just thinking about the other thread...

Yes i thought about that after i posted.
Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
No need to dog on the Chinese when we all know precisely what to expect. It's those who run the US companies who are at fault here.

I agree its fault lies with the US manufacturer out sourcing to make more profit.
If something isn't done about it soon like a 500-1000% import tax on these cheap third world goods we as consumers will no longer have a choice to buy American.

Personally i would make that lifter cost $50 ea through taxation. Then put every dime collected from it to pay down the national debt.

This is getting dangerously political....

Also, keep in mind that during the 1930s, in the USA, trying to stop free trade made life worse, not better.
 
Not political at all! This has nothing to do with any one party or person. This is only about being flooded with cheap Chinese goods including car parts and the need to stop it.
Quote:
Also, keep in mind that during the 1930s, in the USA, trying to stop free trade made life worse, not better.

Imposing a huge import tariff on Chinese goods is not the same the as the Hawley-Smoot Tariff act which imposed a tariff on almost every nation exporting goods the US including our allies and first world producers.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Not political at all! This has nothing to do with any one party or person. This is only about being flooded with cheap Chinese goods including car parts and the need to stop it.
Quote:
Also, keep in mind that during the 1930s, in the USA, trying to stop free trade made life worse, not better.

Imposing a huge import tariff on Chinese goods is not the same the as the Hawley-Smoot Tariff act which imposed a tariff on almost every nation exporting goods the US including our allies and first world producers.

I was saying that taxing Chinese stuff to death is political.
 
+1
I remember a story from years back about one of the defense contractors getting a bad load of rivets. Wrong temper steel..something like that. Anyway, they began to fail after a period of time, endangering everything built from them.

Who would think skipping or skimping on a lowly little rivet could have such drastic consequences? But though little, they're fundamental. Maybe true. Maybe not. But the point remains the same.

Bearings. Pulleys. Belts. Steel. GIGO. This philosphy has dire consequences that have already begun to surface. Problem is it's not always possible to go back when there's no back around anymore.

Iron Laws are not a good thing to be toying with nor carelessly disregarding, as pols are want to do. Particularly in hierarchical systems. Gravity is constantly on the alert for any signs of weakness.

Who is John Galt?
 
Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
It's those who run the US companies who are at fault here.


Exactly, they actually greased (I guess the PC word is lobbied) politicians to admit china to WTO and the rest is history.

Simple greed.
 
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Originally Posted By: RedCorvette
It's those who run the US companies who are at fault here.


Exactly, they actually greased (I guess the PC word is lobbied) politicians to admit china to WTO and the rest is history.

Simple greed.



I guess overpriced Union labor or actual consumer demand for cheaper prices would have anything to do with it?

Do not want to derail a good Archie Bunker style ranting but ignorance is high if they think the whole blame is some "Fat Cat" corporate type.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Not political at all! This has nothing to do with any one party or person. This is only about being flooded with cheap Chinese goods including car parts and the need to stop it.
Quote:
Also, keep in mind that during the 1930s, in the USA, trying to stop free trade made life worse, not better.

Imposing a huge import tariff on Chinese goods is not the same the as the Hawley-Smoot Tariff act which imposed a tariff on almost every nation exporting goods the US including our allies and first world producers.


cautiously applied and monitored, a tariff can be very effective. Not always a bad thing.

Since we have the big demand we hold the cards in most cases.
 
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