Dorman Quality - Why This Huge Gap Between Claimed Quality and Actual Quality?

[willbur]

Most of my experience with Dorman is hit and miss, as others have said sort of last resort stuff. I did have one very good experience experience with them though.

I had one very bad experience with them- had their brake hoses on a ford exploder. I was rotating tires and checked those hoses. Two front ones easily came apart in my hands at the covered by a sleeve, metal line to rubber hose junction- pure rust. Salt water trap. Called them and was told it meets federal standards, so get lost. To think my family rode around in that vehicle every day... And don't rely on government for your safety
In my opinion, its not just quality, but safety too.

 

[D60]

Like most said here, Dorman quality is hit or miss with most items being generic type fitments that are lower in quality than OEM. However, there are occasional gems such as the aluminum coolant elbow upgrade for GM 3.8 V-6 motors and aluminum oil canister filter housing for the 3.6 Pentastars.

Coincidentally, just this week, I replaced the evap. canister purge valve on my '97 Jeep Wrangler with a Dorman part. It was exactly the same part as OEM, right down to unique mold lines and markings. All for $24 instead of $68 from Mopar.

The Pentastar 3.6 Al housing appears to be history.

Yet another annoyance of mine about Dorman: "This product is really promising? Can it!"

I thought they were saying it was made in US? Companies like Dorman simply do not stay with made in US parts long term. Profit margins are too slim and their ethos appears to be more in line with the Ferengi

 

[Johnny248]

If you were evaluating their products based on their Better Than OEM, Fixing OEM Design Flaws claims, you would think that they were a top notch company. Here is one of their videos


They have some good products but many of them are of poor quality. Why don't they improve quality even if it entails increasing prices?

lol Because American's demand low prices on everything. And if they increase their prices, we will all just buy the less expensive option.

 

[Johnny248]

The Pentastar 3.6 Al housing appears to be history.

Yet another annoyance of mine about Dorman: "This product is really promising? Can it!"

I thought they were saying it was made in US? Companies like Dorman simply do not stay with made in US parts long term. Profit margins are too slim and their ethos appears to be more in line with the Ferengi View attachment 173539

Just installed two of them this week?

 

[anderson]

never had any issues as all been buying their stuff for years from interior parts to oil coolers. i hear lots of complaints but have yet to see a issue

 

[D60]

Just installed two of them this week?

Were they US built?

 

[Johnny248]

Were they US built?

Ummm.... Good question lol I honestly did not look. I'll ask the tech Monday if he remembers.

 

[GMBoy]

Dorman has, in fact, gone way down hill and I hate that because I am a part of their Dorman Embassdor program where they stay in contact with repair shops to see what opportunities they have in new parts markets, follow up on their parts quality and they really listen. Sure I get free mugs, banners and stuff but when I have a problem (and I have had lots) they are all ears, send replacement parts overnight and take my part and investigate the failure for improvements. Problem is - I just stopped using them basically because my name is on the shop door and doing the job over again is not my idea of fun. The can't make anything electronic that works well anymore.

 

[dfarr67]

Not Dorman- I'm in the market for a quality steering gear replacement......I don't understand the business model of so many returned units for poor QA/QC. I understand there will always be some incompetence of the DIYer but most jobs aren't pleasant enough to do more than once.

 

[Egg_Head]

Dorman has, in fact, gone way down hill and I hate that because I am a part of their Dorman Embassdor program where they stay in contact with repair shops to see what opportunities they have in new parts markets, follow up on their parts quality and they really listen. Sure I get free mugs, banners and stuff but when I have a problem (and I have had lots) they are all ears, send replacement parts overnight and take my part and investigate the failure for improvements. Problem is - I just stopped using them basically because my name is on the shop door and doing the job over again is not my idea of fun. The can't make anything electronic that works well anymore.

Interesting, this reminded me I once bought a Dorman vapor canister purge valve for my former 2011 GMC Acadia, it failed within the warranty period (maybe 3 months or less) and I replaced it with AC Delco. So I stand corrected on my position of never having an issue. This was in fact an electronic component.

 

[J Dubbs]

If you were evaluating their products based on their Better Than OEM, Fixing OEM Design Flaws claims, you would think that they were a top notch company. Here is one of their videos


They have some good products but many of them are of poor quality. Why don't they improve quality even if it entails increasing prices?

Basically the Dorman stuff I've researched and tried were all crap. I avoid them anymore and pay more for a better quality alternative. That's probably an area where improving their product quality might get them more repeat buyers and better word of mouth

But then Amazon sells a ton of cheap, completely useless junk, and folks keep making Bezos richer and richer ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

PT Barnum had a saying, there's a sucker born every minute... and he was right lol. There's always going to be the youngsters, that haven't learned yet, that you don't get quality for dirt cheap prices

 

[dumkid]

You don't get much quality for dirt cheap prices, but sometimes you get enough. I'd rather have 2 $12 sensors that last 5 years each than a $124 sensor that lasts 15, unless it's hard to replace, then I'll take the $120 sensor

 

[supton]

You don't get much quality for dirt cheap prices, but sometimes you get enough. I'd rather have 2 $12 sensors that last 5 years each than a $124 sensor that lasts 15, unless it's hard to replace, then I'll take the $120 sensor

That's a good observation. Often, when a car gets older (past the 10 year mark), many owners want the cheapest repair--and why not, the car is getting close to the end. Will the extra money spent be worthwhile? Yes if they are keeping another 10--no if not--maybe if it's undecided, or they just want to "do it right".

 

[eljefino]

Well, Dorman came through.

The wye fitting on my Silverado 4.8 coolant hoses, branching off the water pump, gave out. The factory part, plastic, and not good plastic, only comes with three hoses crimped on. The part is also not available on a Sunday and if it were it'd be $60.

Wouldn't you know it, this part had a hairline crack. I tugged on it in my driveway and it exploded, coolant under pressure, all that drama. Advance had the Dorman 47157 in stock for half the price which fixed my issue. It's also made of cast aluminum with presumed greater strength.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Dorman makes absolutely nothing. Everything they sell comes from other manufacturers. I presume they spend most of their time reverse engineering, or simply sending a part to asia and telling them to copy it.

Hence the quality. Perhaps in some cases they can simply go to whomever made the OEM part in the first place, and you end up with something just as good, or at least close - likely QC slips not to mention the machinery wears out.

In some cases you may get a real poor Chinese copy of a part they bought and sent over.

Dorman is absolutely my last resort also, but as mentioned, it sometimes the only option you have, so any option is better than no option.

 

[zzyzzx]

Dorman Quality - Why This Huge Gap Between Claimed Quality and Actual Quality?​

Because it costs nothing to claim quality.

 

[JHZR2]

That OE fix video is probably a select few times where a known defect has a reasonable fix and they can implement it. Other stuff may not have such options, or an OE design with its warts must be maintained due to design.

 

[PandaBear]

You don't get much quality for dirt cheap prices, but sometimes you get enough. I'd rather have 2 $12 sensors that last 5 years each than a $124 sensor that lasts 15, unless it's hard to replace, then I'll take the $120 sensor

Most people who don't do their own work would rather have the $124 sensor that last 15 than the 2 $12 that last 5. They just don't know when they see "lifetime warranty" it doesn't translate to how long would it last, and lifetime warranty does not include labor.

 

[D60]

Most people who don't do their own work would rather have the $124 sensor that last 15 than the 2 $12 that last 5. They just don't know when they see "lifetime warranty" it doesn't translate to how long would it last, and lifetime warranty does not include labor.

And most guys who install parts for a living would prefer the better option -- NOT because of greed or increased profit margin but because bad parts make me look incompetent in the eyes of the layman.

I fixed it and it broke again. It reflects on my workmanship, fair or not.

 

[HangFire]

Dorman makes the "U" hoses for the charcoal canister on my Dakota. After 15 years, the original ones cracked, got the Small Evap code, Mopar no longer sells them.

The first several Dorman replacements lasted 6 months each. Massive cracks, Small Evap code. The last only 3 months. I didn't know it was possible to make rubber of such low quality.

Finally I bent some fuel line into a U shape, problem solved, no more Dorman crap.