This is the SECOND one in 6 months.

This is what burns my ass about Chinese-made goods. If you know you're buying cheap shit from the outset, fine, we can't compete with that, but Bosch is a supposedly premium brand you pay extra for, along with Yeti coolers, NAPA car parts, even some Snap-on tools, and I've barely scratched the surface. I hope you didn't have to take the tank out, too.

Went to Advance Retard Auto Parts to buy an alternator for my car as they kept burning out. They had one with a lifetime warranty for $200+. The store manager said that by 'lifetime' they meant that they would only swap it out twice.

They said they wouldn't replace their own parts if they kept burning out every 15 months or so.

I showed them where it said 'Lifetime' on the original receipt. They conveniently updated their computers and all the warranty info was 'Lost'.

Good times.

Advance Auto told me my "lifetime" warranty was only good for 2 years. I guess my Super Duty lifetime has gone 10 times now!

She needs a new water pump again and thought the lifetime warranty would cover it. The clerk told me this information while looking up a new one. $250 for another with a lifetime warranty. I saw another on the screen for $150. I asked what the difference was. He proceeded to tell me that one only had a 2 year warranty. I looked him in the eye and said, "So it's the same thing." Oh no, that one we will only replace once, the other one we will replace multiple times in the 2 year period if needed. I walked out of the store.

When I used to turn a wrench on cars in the 90's there were a lot of aftermarket brands that were very good quality. Now the aftermarket quality is such garbage, the only parts I'd install now would be OEM. Even back then (Discount auto parts) now Advance auto parts were always junk that I swore they'd just buy starters and alternators from junkyards, bench test them and if they tested good, would spray paint them and put them in a box marked rebuilt!

I'm in the yachting industry now and have been for 2 decades. We're facing the same thing, all of the parts quality keeps getting lower and lower and lower. Bilge pumps and float switches (that turn the pump on) now made in China and only last 6 months. This is the ONLY tool on the entire yacht that keeps it from sinking!!!! It's very aggravating at best.

I can't believe Bosch is manufacturing fuel pumps in China. Bosch used to be only high quality parts across the entire line.

The ONLY German manufactured pump is VDO and I still think the housing is chinese. It's close to $600

I remember buying a Bosch rebuilt starter for my Super Beetle in the late 80's. They must have run out of rebuilts because there was a new one in the box.

Remember the good ol' days when auto parts could be rebuilt an infinite number of times. Then the sort of good ol' days when auto parts were made in Canada and Mexico.

Mot too long ago there were Starter/Generator shops who would rebuild starters/generators/alternators for a reasonable price.

I guess the Chinese made crap put them out of business.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

I can't believe Bosch is manufacturing fuel pumps in China.

Before that they were - possibly some still are - made in Mexico. At least Mexico is on the same continent.

Back in the good old days, you could walk over to Checker Auto and buy an alternator for $25 and with a 1/2" wrench, be on your way in about 20 minutes.

What the hell happened?

To be fair, BMW has the fuel pump situated where it can be changed out in 10 minutes.

Under the passenger rear seat.

It unscrews like a mason jar.

Need parts to overhaul a Delco 10DN alternator in my '67 Pontiac, a set of bearings and the diodes. Nope, only Chinese rebuilts available. Questionable quality of the unit being rebuilt and questionable parts going into them makes for a crapshoot. Worse is trying to find the parts to rebuild them, local parts stores are no help especially when I start mentioning diodes. Considered making the reversible changes to use a 10SI (internal regulator) but that would be a defeat in my eyes. I prefer to rebuild my own starters and alternators, it's a lot easier to complain to the rebuilder of the poor quality of the work that way.

A friend buys and sells vintage parts, in the last few years he bought out a couple of long time alternator and starter shops. I called him to inquire about the parts. One thing led to another and he gave me what he said was a NOS 67 Oldsmobile alternator that with a reclocking (turning the rear housing) would fit. Took it apart, yes, all new and OEM even to the red/pink lettering on the diodes!

Suddenly it's like a new 67 again, ammeter needle stays steady again and no bearing noise.

My first paying job as an auto mechanic (around 1981 or so) was in a shop where I learned to overhaul GM starters.
We stocked starter drives, nose and tail bushings, brushes, solenoid parts.
In the next shop I moved to, we did the same with GM alternators.

It was a different time back then.

FWIW here's my perspective on it. My experience mainly comes from GM and my history with them.

Delco is a marketing company. I imagine Bosch is similar. Little if anything is actually made by them. They engineer the part and put it out for bidding. I imagine there is other criteria besides being the low bidder such as timely delivery, quality control,adherence to the design criteria,reliability of sub assemblies from secondary vendors etc.

Usually when a big name company puts their name on it they are pretty confident that it's a quality item but bad ones do slip through. I know when I first started in the dealership business the replacement parts we sold all met OEM specifications, they were the same quality as installed on the production line. Sadly I do not think that is true today in a lot of cases.

You get what you pay for used to be true.

quote:

Originally posted by Patrick-SP2022:
My first paying job as an auto mechanic (around 1981 or so) was in a shop where I learned to overhaul GM starters.
We stocked starter drives, nose and tail bushings, brushes, solenoid parts.
In the next shop I moved to, we did the same with GM alternators.

It was a different time back then.

I still remember a couple of part numbers from those days. Internal alternator voltage regulator was 1116387. For starters, brushes for GM hi-torque big case starters was 1906945, the leather washer was 818265. Remember the short springs for the starter solenoids designed to cure the hot soak problem? 1978281 if memory is correct.

quote:

Originally posted by petr:
Advance Auto told me my "lifetime" warranty was only good for 2 years. I guess my Super Duty lifetime has gone 10 times now!

She needs a new water pump again and thought the lifetime warranty would cover it. The clerk told me this information while looking up a new one. $250 for another with a lifetime warranty. I saw another on the screen for $150. I asked what the difference was. He proceeded to tell me that one only had a 2 year warranty. I looked him in the eye and said, "So it's the same thing." Oh no, that one we will only replace once, the other one we will replace multiple times in the 2 year period if needed. I walked out of the store.

Yeah, I got tired of Advance Auto Parts bullshit some time ago and quit even going there. Most times the clerks had no concept of what I was saying, had no idea what it was, even when I took the defective one with me, or even where it was hidden in the stock area.

Autozone is the place to go around here. We have one that is open 24/7. and at least the people working there can speak/understand English.

Until somebody files a federal lawsuit against Advance Auto (in this case)it will not change a bit. They have no fear of any negative backlash from customers who they rip off.