Where is the quality anymore

[Plucked Chicken]

BUY AMERICAN when you can dudes.

I called Eaton Detroit Spring this morning - in Detroit USA ! They are making to order per original spec, new rear springs and U-bolts for my '62 wagon. Contacted 4 or 5 other sellers and they all wanted to sell me the wrong springs, for half the money - but claiming they were correct for my wagon. I started asking why the difference in price and discovered it wasn't apples to apples.

The front suspension parts came from PST, made who knows where but quality is there. Mopar Performance for the torsion bars, made in Canada - at least the same continent.

When it comes to ordering an aluminum radiator, it will not be a Champion or other made in the same China factory for half the money. It will be U.S. Radiator's Desert Cooler which you can buy thru Classic Industries and catch a 20% off sale.

Watch the video on U.S. Radiator's site - been making them right here for 50 years......

ccasion17: ccasion17: ccasion17:

http://www.usradiator.com/

 

[Budnicks]

Sorry & not that anyone here does this, but IMHFO, It's the cheap f--k price shoppers, that want to save a buck no matter what... That's what drives these problems in quality, if the consumer wasn't buying that foreign made crap {then complain about an inferior product that doesn't last}, it wouldn't be so much a part of the hobby today... Instead of doing some research & buying a quality product & spending the money correctly once, instead of having to spend the money several times over... Long before they finally learn, they should have bought a quality product, in the fist place... Trying to go cheap or save a buck, with some cheap foreign part {especially made in China crap}, it always bites me in the a$$ every damn time... I refuse to go that route ever again, it actually cost allot more in the long run, to use that foreign made crap... And it may be a year or 2 down the road, but it will bite you in the a$$ too, it always does, buying inferior quality foreign made crap, trying to just save a few buck now, instead of saving a little more & getting a quality made product... It's just like the stupid fed. govt. debacle, we are going thru now, they're always going with an inferior or foreign made product & wonder why the money is spent 5 times over & over, why we spend $6000 billion & still have an inferior product, that's crap... I here the argument all the time, from these type of people, trying to justify being a cheap a$$, foreign company supporter... They say "well this part made in China {or wherever} assembled here in the USA or Canada is just as good, it employs just as many American/Canadians"... BS/Yeah Right when the profits go back to the mother country of origin, get a tax break for an offshore based company etc., exemptions to our laws/taxes etc., the argument that the parts are just as good as that expensive Made In America/North American Quality products, that supports North American workers supports & American jobs, the money stays in North American, grows our economy, brings pride & restores communities, that have been downsized because of Chinese made crap flooding our market that American or Canadian companies {especially blue dog Union shops}, can't compete with labor costs, overhead costs, Taxes, benefits etc. & still be capable of being competitive, in the open market or instead of making some foreign dictator, emperor, sheik, filthy rich... It also supports American company owners, bring down unemployed rates, help communities, small business, cities & counties {your neighbors} & the tax base to buy Quality American made products... I know I make a real effort, even spend allot more sometimes & try my best, not just spout off or talk a big game & go out of the way to support the Made In The USA label... We only have the buyers of these inferior parts to blame... ok I'm off the USA Patriot soap box now...

 

[747mopar]

OOhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, this really burns a hole in my a$$. I am so fed up with it especially the cheap toys, like the new transformers that when you transform them you rip they're arms, then I have to put up with an upset boy who's toy broke the first time he played with it "F$%&%$# Junk". I can remember setting M80's off in my toys and still being able to play with them. We just got another set of Craftsmen tools at work "junk" I knew they were headed there but they are definitely there now "they even look cheap now with all kinds of defects". Then there's the absolute junk at the parts store like when I decided to keep my business local and asked for non Chinese brake parts and got a Chinese rotor "they said it was the better one they offered". This is why I'm so **** about made in the USA and well respected brands.

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry & not that anyone here does this, but IMHFO, It's the cheap f--k price shoppers, that want to save a buck no matter what... That's what drives these problems in quality, if the consumer wasn't buying that foreign made crap {then complain about an inferior product that doesn't last}, it wouldn't be so much a part of the hobby today... Instead of doing some research & buying a quality product & spending the money correctly once, instead of having to spend the money several times over... Long before they finally learn, they should have bought a quality product, in the fist place... Trying to go cheap or save a buck, with some cheap foreign part {especially made in China crap}, it always bites me in the a$$ every damn time... I refuse to go that route ever again, it actually cost allot more in the long run, to use that foreign made crap... And it may be a year or 2 down the road, but it will bite you in the a$$ too, it always does, buying inferior quality foreign made crap, trying to just save a few buck now, instead of saving a little more & getting a quality made product... It's just like the stupid fed. govt. debacle, we are going thru now, they're always going with an inferior or foreign made product & wonder why the money is spent 5 times over & over, why we spend $6000 billion & still have an inferior product, that's crap... I here the argument all the time, from these type of people, trying to justify being a cheap a$$, foreign company supporter... They say "well this part made in China {or wherever} assembled here in the USA or Canada is just as good, it employs just as many American/Canadians"... BS/Yeah Right when the profits go back to the mother country of origin, get a tax break for an offshore based company etc., exemptions to our laws/taxes etc., the argument that the parts are just as good as that expensive Made In America/North American Quality products, that supports North American workers supports & American jobs, the money stays in North American, grows our economy, brings pride & restores communities, that have been downsized because of Chinese made crap flooding our market that American or Canadian companies {especially blue dog Union shops}, can't compete with labor costs, overhead costs, Taxes, benefits etc. & still be capable of being competitive, in the open market or instead of making some foreign dictator, emperor, sheik, filthy rich... It also supports American company owners, bring down unemployed rates, help communities, small business, cities & counties {your neighbors} & the tax base to buy Quality American made products... I know I make a real effort, even spend allot more sometimes & try my best, not just spout off or talk a big game & go out of the way to support the Made In The USA label... We only have the buyers of these inferior parts to blame... ok I'm off the USA Patriot soap box now...

Well said

 

[Cranky]

When I go buy parts, I request stuff made in the USA or at least this continent and if that's not available, any continent that's not China!

 

[69RRGTX]

BUY AMERICAN when you can dudes.

I called Eaton Detroit Spring this morning - in Detroit USA ! They are making to order per original spec, new rear springs and U-bolts for my '62 wagon. Contacted 4 or 5 other sellers and they all wanted to sell me the wrong springs, for half the money - but claiming they were correct for my wagon. I started asking why the difference in price and discovered it wasn't apples to apples.

The front suspension parts came from PST, made who knows where but quality is there. Mopar Performance for the torsion bars, made in Canada - at least the same continent.

When it comes to ordering an aluminum radiator, it will not be a Champion or other made in the same China factory for half the money. It will be U.S. Radiator's Desert Cooler which you can buy thru Classic Industries and catch a 20% off sale.

Watch the video on U.S. Radiator's site - been making them right here for 50 years......

ccasion17: ccasion17: ccasion17:

http://www.usradiator.com/

I always do, and I alway will!!

 

[Bruzilla]

It's really doesn't matter if your part is made in China or the USA, the consumer is the ultimate determiner of product quality, and the sad truth is consumers don't want to pay for quality. The subject of this string is a great case in point.

The control arms in question cost $245 or so from Mancini Racing. Those same parts (control arms, joints, and caps) ordered from your friendly Chrysler Plymouth Parts Department back in 1972 would set you back $52.40. That price, adjusted for inflation, would be just shy of $300 in today's dollars. So the price paid at Mancinis seems equivalent when adjusted for inflation to buying genuine Mopar parts, but that's not really the case. The parts made in 1972 were mass produced. The ones today are specialty items that are made using new tooling and under far different regulatory, compliance, licensing, and other business requirements. So if we take into account all the investment and compliance costs associated with make these parts to the same standard as they were in 1972, but on a limited production basis, what would the price point be? Certainly more than $245, probably double that.

This is an issue that is compounded when you realize most consumers are regressive minded and not progressive when it comes to prices. They usually judge whether a deal is good or not based on their past purchasing experiences, so they might look at $249 for a pair of re-pop control arms as being "top dollar" when in fact it is really bargain basement. This sucks, but how many people are going to want to pay $500 to $700 for a set of re-pop control arms? Not as many as those who would pay $249, so the quality is lowered to match the price point.

 

[Budnicks]

It's really doesn't matter if your part is made in China or the USA, the consumer is the ultimate determiner of product quality, and the sad truth is consumers don't want to pay for quality. The subject of this string is a great case in point.

The control arms in question cost $245 or so from Mancini Racing. Those same parts (control arms, joints, and caps) ordered from your friendly Chrysler Plymouth Parts Department back in 1972 would set you back $52.40. That price, adjusted for inflation, would be just shy of $300 in today's dollars. So the price paid at Mancinis seems equivalent when adjusted for inflation to buying genuine Mopar parts, but that's not really the case. The parts made in 1972 were mass produced. The ones today are specialty items that are made using new tooling and under far different regulatory, compliance, licensing, and other business requirements. So if we take into account all the investment and compliance costs associated with make these parts to the same standard as they were in 1972, but on a limited production basis, what would the price point be? Certainly more than $245, probably double that.

This is an issue that is compounded when you realize most consumers are regressive minded and not progressive when it comes to prices. They usually judge whether a deal is good or not based on their past purchasing experiences, so they might look at $249 for a pair of re-pop control arms as being "top dollar" when in fact it is really bargain basement. This sucks, but how many people are going to want to pay $500 to $700 for a set of re-pop control arms? Not as many as those who would pay $249, so the quality is lowered to match the price point.

Bruzilla I agree with everything except "it doesn't matter", I think it does really matter, where the products we buy come from, there's way too much of the "I can't do anything to change it mentality", that is what really needs to be changed, Buy Made In the USA or at-least "friendly" to North American made product when ever possible... It's the cheap a$$ buyers price shopping, not quality shopping, IMHFO that bring this on... And if the foreign crap doesn't sell, then they will go away or make the much product better "just maybe CFO's & CEO's will get the hint"... You actually have to try, way too many people don't care, think "it doesn't matter" or let alone even try... only worried about price... my $0.02 cents