FYI: DC matching prices on "economy" parts

Just got our 300M back after having a new hood and some other body parts
replaced (I don't know why that post decided to jump out in front of
*my* car). The insurance co. had specified "economy" parts where
available, but the repairer told me that DC was (at least temporarily)
matching prices, so all the parts they replaced are in fact genuine
DC/Mopar parts.

Perce

 

Good for you, but you're under no obligation to accept repairs made with
"economy" (cheesy Chinese copycat crap) parts. The insurance company is
obliged to return your car to what is known as "pre-loss condition". If
your car didn't have Chinese-made sheetmetal parts on it before the
collision, you don't have to accept them after the collision. You may want
to rethink your choice of insurance company before you're forced to
contend with them in a bigger mess.

 

When I had a repair done about 3 years ago (new fender), the body shop
pointed out to me that so-called OEM parts from Chrysler are likely to
be from the same sources as any other aftermarket body part - and can be
pretty crappy - not made to the same standards as what came on the new
car. Also, I'm told that the aftermarket body parts industry has
improved - as long as the parts are "CARTS" (I may not have the acronym
exactly correct) certified, you'll do just as well (no worse) than
getting pseudo-OEM parts from the dealer.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

And how do you figure, when they are made at the factory building the cars.
That is why the presses for sheetmetal are beside the lines! And the run
faster then the line to supply replacement parts. They are not subletted to
foreign companys, like switches, etc.

 

If you know otherwise, OK, but I find it *very* hard to believe that the
manufacturers do anything other than assemble parts that they contract
from suppliers. Are you speaking with authority? I speak as one who
worked for a supplier of a particular commodity thru the early 90's and
visited Ford and Delphi/GM plants quite a few times - they are almost
exclusively assemblers of purchased parts and "manufacture" almost
nothing. To be honest, we did not supply to Chrysler, but I would be
surprised if they don't operate the same way.

In any case, I wouldn't be surprised if the acceptance tolerances are
quite a bit looser in the OEM/aftermarket parts (i.e., production
fallout), as we would often sell fallout of the parts we made to
"special" buyers within Ford and GM for sale as "OEM" replacements thru
the dealers (again, Chrysler probably did the same). IOW, the slogans
that say things like "Be sure to always buy Genuine ABC parts" are
somewhat misleading/fruadulent.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

Yes, I have been on the floor of many plants, and they make all sheetmetal
at the plants. That is why they have the pentastar on the sheetmetal. It is
called a makers mark, and only parts made by Chrysler can have the pentastar
mark. What probably happened in your case is the dealer was selling the
bodyshop korean sheetmetal to make margins, he wouldn't get with the oem
sheetmetal. But you are right about tolerances. Chrysler tolerances are
pretty lax compared to Japanese manufacturers. The only sheetmetal
outsourced, was the infamous plastic fenders on lh cars. which never lined
up flush with the hood and doors. But then we had a high tolerence, they
actually used quarters to line up as close as possible.

I would also be surprised if Ford and Gm outsourced sheetmetal. They used to
outsource bodies in the old days but I do believe sheetmetal is all inhouse
among manufacturers. It is easier to make inhouse as they are less
susceptible to damage from moving around to much. as they would if they had
to be trucked.

 

Would you be able to identify the North American DC assembly plant where
"the presses are beside the lines"? As a follow up, would you be able to
indicate the types of sheet metal parts produced at, say, the Twinsburg (OH)
or Sterling (MI) stamping plants?

 

Just got our 300M back after having a new hood and some other body parts

This is usually not true. The insurance company is required to restore
your car to its previous functionality and value, but if they can do
that with copycat parts, you have to accept them or pay the difference.

 

I would think that using cheaper aftermarket parts would lower the
overall value of the vehicle. That would certainly go against the goal
of restoring the car to its previous *value*.

 

Copycat parts, by definition, are not as functional nor as valuable as
original-equipment parts. Therefore, it is not possible for a car to be
restored to previous functionality and value with copycat parts. "Original
appearance" isn't sufficient.

 

OK - thanks for the information. I still wouldn't be surprised if they
outsource replacement parts - the low risk of damage to body parts due
to not shipping wouldn't be a factor anymore, and I know that other
replacement commodity parts sometimes have no pedigree relationship to
the original parts used in vehilce build.

You sure the pentagram can't be used for outsourced parts? I would
think that is simply a matter of contracting and licensing - not
restricted to parts only made in house. But I could be wrong. Would
that mean that, say, MOPAR transmission fluid, whose containers have the
logo on it, is made in house? I'm really doubtful of your claim about
the pentgram being a guarantee of whatever part being made in house.
And as stated above, the business world being what it is today, i find
it hard to believe that they restrict themselves to making their own
replacement body parts if they can save a buck by contracting that out
with same or relaxed tolerances.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

Any experience with the "CAPA" certified parts? Has the business
changed (improved in that regard) over the last few years? Maybe the
rule of "OEM body parts are always better" does not apply anymore?

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

Correction - the acronym I was trying to remember was CAPA - not CARTS.

ill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

CAPA? I've heard of NAPA...

 

There's also JAPA and GAPA...

 

er...no, it's a Pentastar (though perhaps they used pentagrams on the
'71-'72 Dodge Demon...?)

 

None. Fortunately -- touch wood -- I haven't needed to worry about where
any body parts come from. But should that day come, I will be perfectly
happy to dispense with any glossy propaganda from the Certified
Aftermarket Parts Association (or whatever CAPA stands for) and simply
judge part quality by country of origin. Did the part come from North
America, Europe, certain specific South American countries, certain
Mexican plants, Australia, or Japan? Fine with me. Did it come from China,
Taiwan or another such cesspool? Not fine with me.

 

You seem to be using a dictionary I haven't seen or heard of. By
"copycat" parts I (and everyone I've ever talked on this subject)
merely mean parts made by somebody other than the manufacturer of the
car.

Like store-brand food products, it's a matter of opinion (and also
varies from one kind of part to another) whether these are every bit
as good as the name-brand products. Certainly the term doesn't
imply that they aren't.

"Value" means resale value, and unless you can notice the difference
from inside the car, or when looking at the car, that value probably
hasn't changed, however much the owner might have preferred that the
car manufacturer's parts be used.

The main exception is when the car is still under warranty. Then you
can insist on original-maker parts if not using them would void the
warranty.

My company, Farmers, offers an optional rider that lets you insist on
original parts, if you want to pay extra for that coverage.

 

As pointed out by Mr. Stern, change all references to "pentgram" in
above post to "Pentastar"

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

Yes, indeed. And while that's a nice overspanning theoretical definition,
in the real world the term refers to Chinese crapola.

Oh, how big-hearted of them. Pay them *extra* and they'll do their job.
Wow, how magnanimous.