Aftermarket parts brands - Who to trust and for what.

I only ever used genuine service items (always used TPS before their prices rose to the same as the dealers) but if I can't get them for sensible money I use Bosch for everything as they are the same quality.

Personally don't like the Bosch wiper though, much prefer original, looks sleeker (less bulky/aftermarket) and works better imo?
 
Hi team,

Out of interest, has anyone compared aftermarket oil filter elements with an OE one and found their to be striking differences (or have you discovered which supplier made the OE filters)?

Asking as I just bagged a genuine VAG air filter and am on the lookout for an oil filter, was thinking it'd be nice to complete the set if possible but then if some manufacturers' use filtration materials that are just as good then obviously that'd be good enough!
Beware, always buy known brand filters. I have opened up numerous fuel, oil and air filters, and the differences in the filtration area and medium used are infinite. Some cheap oil and fuel filters contain up to 75% less filtration area than premium brands. On oil filters, once blocked they contain a bypass valve, so the engine then gets unfiltered oil.
Don't skimp if you want to avoid engine wear issues!

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Oh yes totally agree - I just wonder if for example OE is any better than Bosch or Mann - I would never use no-name or generic aftermarket like Wix or TJ etc.
 
Recently I had the opportunity to compare an original OE oil filter with a MANN one. Here you can check some side by side pictures. Visually seems exactly the same. The different color is because the OE filter comes to my house in a box with transmission oil and one of the bottles of gearbox oil spills a little bit of oil in the filter.

IMG_20210224_174656.jpgIMG_20210224_174714.jpgIMG_20210224_174730.jpg

Kind regards.
 
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The genuine filters, although obviously not made by Audi themselves normally bear the four rings which I can't see on the filters in the photo comparison, so personally I wouldn't be 100% certain that Mann is indeed the OEM manufacturer although it could be but it could also be Bosch?
 
A part sold by the car maker is made to a spec, and is actually manufactured, to that spec, by more than one company (Febi, Mann etc).
Those companies are, therefore OEM suppliers, and aftermarket parts made by them may well be described as OEM. This doesn't mean that a compatible aftermarket filter, made by an OEM, is identical (especially internally) to the genuine filter made to the car maker's spec. Audi aftermarket parts are cheaper than Audi genuine parts because they are not Audi genuine parts, and not made to the relevant Audi spec.
I'm sure a part made by an OEM is better than an ebay no name one. But, don't be fooled that a part made by an OEM, but without an Audi part number and logo, is the same as "the real thing..."
Mac.
 
A part sold by the car maker is made to a spec, and is actually manufactured, to that spec, by more than one company (Febi, Mann etc).
Those companies are, therefore OEM suppliers, and aftermarket parts made by them may well be described as OEM. This doesn't mean that a compatible aftermarket filter, made by an OEM, is identical (especially internally) to the genuine filter made to the car maker's spec. Audi aftermarket parts are cheaper than Audi genuine parts because they are not Audi genuine parts, and not made to the relevant Audi spec.
I'm sure a part made by an OEM is better than an ebay no name one. But, don't be fooled that a part made by an OEM, but without an Audi part number and logo, is the same as "the real thing..."
Mac.

Hi Mac,

Not that I'm picking holes in what I assume to be years of experience / knowledge - Just to test out my theory and see what you think:

If the OEM has made some of the same product with the Audi logo and sold those to Audi, then made some without and sold them under their own brand, surely it's a fair assumption they would have been made in the same factory(s) and are therefore in practical terms identical, would you not agree? The logic being it'd be needlessly expensive to tool up for two lines of the same product or differing quality - and in any case why sully your own brand with inferior parts.

Would be interested to get your thoughts on this.
 
@dj_efk Your logic is sound, and I agree.
But (always a but), I think modern, highly automated production lines, can implement changes quickly and easily.
Imagine the number of variations an air filter line would need to support, to supply all makes and models of cars (past and present). The mind boggles, so they must have it down to a fine art. One less layer of filter paper, or lower grade filter paper would not result in significant increase in production cost , but the saving in unit cost, when everyone's (manufacturer, distributor, retailer etc) margin is added, will be significant in profit terms, I think.
Mac.
 
Yes, but your Grandpa would have worked long hours and saved hard for those tools. They would have represented days or weeks of pay. They'd have been cherished because of this.

These days tools take minutes or hours of labour time to earn. Look at a Bahco FineCut saw as an example: less than a tenner, and yet a very good saw. At my workshop rate, that's not even fifteen minutes to buy. At little above the Living Wage, it's still barely an hour. Think how we'd treat that saw if it had cost us £100, or £200 (still a fraction of a week's wages).

You have to compare like with like, after all this conversation was based on pattern parts: well, straight away the fact you (I, we) use pattern parts already says 'I don't want to pay OE price'. The tool equivalent would be not buying a set of four Faithfull files for (I'm guessing) £20, but one Bahco or Nicholson for similar money. Even then, I bet the inflation adjusted price of that would be less than the 1970's price of an equally high quality product. Nevertheless, we don't 'have' to buy cheap things: there is always a premium version out there somewhere. What happens? We look at it, see the price is multiples that of a perfectly adequate cheap substitute and generally say 'I'm not paying that'.

Another one I like is mowers: look at ads from the 1950's: mowers would have represented a serious lump of investment. The sort of thing that would have been saved and saved for, or perhaps been a wedding gift. Now, the average week's wage would buy a pretty decent one, or several cheap ones. A couple of week's wages would get you something really good. Stuff is cheap: really cheap. We don't know how lucky we are.
It's why the oceans are full of cheap throwaway plastic junk.
I'm old fashioned; appreciate quality tools etc. Bahco aren't made in Sweden now. Mine and my father's old ones are still in great condition.
Just one example.
 
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Depends on the price.
Parts that I can change myself, such as the chassis and similarly I can afford a cheaper brand. All other parts Meyle, ATE, Febi, Gates, LUK etc.

Bought theses rods at local shop and left for the future :D on closer visual inspection it looks good quality.

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I don't agree that cheap items like those are a good buy.
I had a Citroen Xantia in 2007/8. The front anti-roll bar vertical stabilizer rod ball joints were knocking. I replaced them with cheap items from a local independent factors in Kent.
They failed again in a very short time and mileage, and I replaced them with a better make (can't remember which) from Euro Car Parts.
These were far better, but as I scrapped the car in July 2008, I don't know how long these would've lasted.
It was an easy job to do, but the cheap ones were false economy.
 
Depends on the price.
Parts that I can change myself, such as the chassis and similarly I can afford a cheaper brand. All other parts Meyle, ATE, Febi, Gates, LUK etc.

Bought theses rods at local shop and left for the future :D on closer visual inspection it looks good quality.

View attachment 78315
I don't understand why you would fit any cheap parts on your car wherever they are as it's a false economy as they won't work as well or last as long and you are lowering the quality of your car.

For me it has to be original quality, or better if possible, which with even the old traditional top quality names having sold their souls and pretty much everything being made in China nowadays, isn't easy to find
 
I don't understand why you would fit any cheap parts on your car wherever they are as it's a false economy as they won't work as well or last as long and you are lowering the quality of your car.

For me it has to be original quality, or better if possible, which with even the old traditional top quality names having sold their souls and pretty much everything being made in China nowadays, isn't easy to find
Couldn't agree more. You can't even guarantee Continental, Michelin tyres are made in GB/Europe, and not China!
I fitted 2 all-weather Vredesteins last year, and their GB head office assured me they are only made in Netherlands or Hungary, and none of theirs are made in China. Reassuring for the moment.
A local tyre place told me that the whole Firestone factory footprint and equipment in Dundee was removed and shipped to China. Sickening.
The Dundee workers were on £1500 a month; Chinese wages maybe £500, but for how long will they work for that?
Never really forgiven Dyson for doing similar.
 
Dyson now have their main factory in Malaysia and have kept the vast majority of their design work in Malmesbury, which to my mind is not as bad.

But yes good old Henry is made in Britain!
 
Dyson now have their main factory in Malaysia and have kept the vast majority of their design work in Malmesbury, which to my mind is not as bad.

But yes good old Henry is made in Britain!
I would buy George, the green wet and dry model.
The Dyson sales promoter in Currys/PC World last year tried to convince me that more people were employed by Dyson Customer Service and other roles in Britain, than when the factory was here. Didn't change my view of them.
Another example of 'Engineered In Britain', but made in Taiwan, China etc.
Lots of bicycle parts are similar.
 
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