audifan
A2OC Donor
Many of us strive for quality parts although there are some that will ALWAYS fit the cheapest part. Experience has taught us the sensors on our cars really need to be OEM.
Now if you get into the mind set of genuine OEM being original and all other parts as "pattern parts" then the situation is not as daunting. Yes there is a range of quality in pattern parts and that varies with the price, but oddly the cheapest is not always the worst.
As our cars are now old enough to hold their own driving licence the availability of genuine parts is constantly being reduced due to the manufacturers wanting to support other vehicles.
To further muddy the waters OEM parts could be made in the same Chinese factory as some pattern parts, different quality difficult to say but safe to say once packaged in a VAG box the OEM has now increased its price over the generic packaged item.
Perhaps some of the issue is Ali Express and its previous bad press. They are only the shipping agent / warehouse and not the manufacturer of the products. All the parts need to be CE marked and to relevant technical standards. The biggest unknown is durability of the product..
So would I use Chinese parts...
My choice all depends on safety, availability and relative cost in the following order of preference
Genuine
Genuine used
OEM +
pattern
parts from other vehicles in VAG group but were not originally fitted to the A2.
Steve I agree with you but each must make their own decision on what to buy.
Now if you get into the mind set of genuine OEM being original and all other parts as "pattern parts" then the situation is not as daunting. Yes there is a range of quality in pattern parts and that varies with the price, but oddly the cheapest is not always the worst.
As our cars are now old enough to hold their own driving licence the availability of genuine parts is constantly being reduced due to the manufacturers wanting to support other vehicles.
To further muddy the waters OEM parts could be made in the same Chinese factory as some pattern parts, different quality difficult to say but safe to say once packaged in a VAG box the OEM has now increased its price over the generic packaged item.
Perhaps some of the issue is Ali Express and its previous bad press. They are only the shipping agent / warehouse and not the manufacturer of the products. All the parts need to be CE marked and to relevant technical standards. The biggest unknown is durability of the product..
So would I use Chinese parts...
My choice all depends on safety, availability and relative cost in the following order of preference
Genuine
Genuine used
OEM +
pattern
parts from other vehicles in VAG group but were not originally fitted to the A2.
Steve I agree with you but each must make their own decision on what to buy.