It's getting crazy! I can't do my job! What's going on with parts quality?!?

[@otter5555]

i'm 72 years old. my dad(92 years old) was a gm mechanic from 1950-1970. when i was 12 years old i started walking to the dealership every day after school and helped my dad. we worked all day on saturdays. in the 60's we didn't bolt on parts. we, the mechanics, re-built everything (starters, generators, alternators, water pumps, ac compressors, wheel cylinders, master cylinders, etc.) we also did all our own machine work on engines that we rebuilt. we had a valve grinding machine, boreing bar, surfacing machine, etc. we did it all. we also repaired radiators, heater cores, and made all our own ac hoses. this was at the local gm dealership. all the dealerships did the same thing. we took our time. we did it right the first time because if it came back we had to do it for free :) my dad and i still do all our own repairs no matter what it is. but it's getting harder because getting kits to rebuild certain parts is almost impossible now.

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

I was about to say same thing. My grandfather is 90 and doesn't throw away anything. And always took parts to be rebuilt. This generation just wants to be wasteful

[@jrs4ex]

I own an auto electric rebuilding business and it’s getting harder and harder to stay in business every year that goes by. Gone from a 3 man shop down to 1. These days I focus mostly on heavy equipment, industrial and classic cars/obsolete stuff. I don’t loose sleep anymore over the customers that just want the cheapest quickest parts. Just wait a year or two when copper prices are going to explode. Most all of the components I use have doubled or tripled in price over the last 2yrs.

[@gaboolful]

Because parts are cheaper than labor.

[@johnfreeman2956]

Where are you located? I want to learn how to rebuild parts.

[@jrs4ex]

@@johnfreeman2956 Connecticut. It’s rare to find these days. When I was a young man getting started I valued the opportunity to work in a shop and learn from master mechanics. Unfortunately many technical high schools in my state and the surrounding areas have become a dumping grounds for schools to get rid of trouble makers. It makes it more difficult for the kids who actually want to learn a trade to get into the tech programs. Or if they get in the teachers are spending half the time babysitting these hooligans.

[@airdad5383]

This applies to aircraft parts as well. As a mechanic you start questioning your troubleshooting skills when the part you figured was bad didn't fix it and then it turns out that you received bad parts 3 times in a row.

[@OG_Glizzy_Gobbler]

I've seen 3 IDG changes on the same engine because of bad from stock parts

[@Knaeckebrotsaege]

computer parts and electronics in general are affected as well. Bad RAM sticks (working, but causing data corruption), DoA motherboards and graphics cards (completely dead or unstable under load), dud microcontrollers and EEPROMs, ... It's gotten *really* out of hand in the past 2-3 years

[@jaymum23]

@@KnaeckebrotsaegeLate capitalism. Expect worsening quality and higher prices until the system eats itself.

[@rslover65]

That's freakin scary

[@r.l.strange1897]

@@jaymum23correction crony capitalism

[@paulcox2009]

A lot of the issue is that there is no accountability for these parts makers.

[@Unclejake]

I grew up in Muncie Indiana, I’m old but in High school we had DELCO, fisher body, borg Warner, Chevrolet….all gone now…..no idea where they make the parts now.

[@DarthVader1977]

The part makers also get screwed by people returning their old broken parts, claiming that is what came in e box.

[@patriotgarage]

@@Unclejake Mexico, india and china.

[@boelensds]

At those former communist / socialist countries they do not care if it works they just need to get the nr of parts to produce out of the door. This was so when ussr was producing goods and now they do it over there as well and the west just pays.

[@bmw540iable]

It’s all gone to China!. Thank the Democratic Clinton administration signed sold out to Rockefeller’s NAFTA back in the 90’s decimated the manufacturers in USA Canada. I live in Oshawa Ontario Canada home to GM Canada car and truck assembly plant we used to make all or most of the required parts from local manufacturers most have shuttered there doors do to bad Terdeau Liberal government.

[@neutrodyne]

I have discovered that in most cases a good used OEM part from a salvage yard is better than the new after-market parts sold today.

[@scdevon]

I drive straight-up gas powered Honda and Toyota vehicles. (not hybrids), I rarely need to replace any parts. I don't care if people say that Hondas and Toyotas have problems too. In my experience, they have almost zero issues compared to some other brands. The phrase "all car brands have problems" is ridiculous. Some brands are MUCH worse than others.

[@dangusprime]

Nitpicking 1-2 issues vs BMWs that regularly have 30 issues before they hit 100k miles lmao... Definitely not anecdotal and if you compare anyone who has owned a Honda and/or Toyota vs Other Brands they will have had multiple less issues every time.

[@hamishfullerton7309]

@@scdevon yeah but alot of those bread and butter Honda's and Toyota's are more basic tech , lower in power and not great in handling compared to some European and muscle cars , to achieve the reliability and not so true with present cars , but really does depend on specific models and year of the cars. Supars,NSX acuras, Lexus and GTRs are probably the exception , they handled, we're powerful and reliable, but very expensive to buy, it's always a compromise , it's always more nuanced than a general rule

[@rustypotatos]

HAHAHA Exactly!!!!

[@autobotjazz1972]

I agree with but with some popular cars good luck finding good used OEM parts from a salvage yard, i know who runs one and he has a waiting list for certain parts for certain makes and models and usually they are gone with in an hour or so of car of a popular model coming in everything on it that is salvagable is spoken for and gone with in two days.

[@stumac869]

Quality has been falling across the board for years. We've now reached a point where it's so bad many things are no longer fit for purpose. It all comes down to the bean counters that keep cutting costs without any thought about quality.

[@wmpx34]

@@Truth-And-FreedomThat would be a better argument if the EVs weren’t also shit

[@jaky3]

@@Truth-And-Freedom Who would have decided this? There is no authority in the world over individual companies. Money is always the answer for most things, not some conspiracy.

[@K31TH3R]

You sound like you expect CEOs and executives to miss out on their multi-billion or multi-million dollar bonuses. Explain to me how they are supposed to afford the mortgages on their summer, fall, and winter homes? I think you may not know how this country actually works. This is sarcasm of course. Wealth may not be trickling down, but quality sure as hell is. I wonder if that's related?

[@thunder_lloyd]

Its ridiculous! Everything these days is made as cheaply as possible yet costs 3x more than they ever did when they actually made quality parts...

[@artoodiitoo]

Why bother making quality when you can sell crap for more profit :(

[@dbender88]

Bidenomics

[@thunder_lloyd]

@@dbender88 I just call it politics. It's all garbage

[@kellismith4329]

They don’t fix cars, they sell parts

[@dogpettervevo2682]

@@dbender88it started in the 90s so you’re a moron and wrong

[@demian7567]

This seems to be happening across the board, not just in car parts.

[@kay110]

Yes - My trade is electronics and there problems with both supply and quality.

[@Jonny-tr9qo]

A drawer slide came loose in my moms cabinet, looks like something out of a Lego set lol

[@Bdamazyn]

Yes, bought a water rocket toy from H-L for my grandson and wrong parts two times. Frustrating.🤷‍♂

[@markyoung13]

I bought trouble-free chainsaw parts straight from China for many years, from 2020 they were nothing but junk, it was as though they were clearing the QA fails and returns, I got out of repairing small engines after that.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

You won't believe the actual state of this Goat my uncle brought home the other day.

[@consarnit]

I have been an independent shop tech for almost 30 years. I have had more bad "new" parts in the last year than I have in my whole career. Some brands I refuse to even install anymore.

[@s99614]

Name and shame!

[@kwebb4078bn]

I heard Moog was pretty bad.

[@danieljones2936]

​@kwebb4078bn that's unfortunate, they've been my go to for many years but haven't needed to purchase anything from them in a couple years.

[@ericfleetwood6744]

Very true. I don't know what happened. At least as a pro, you know the part is bad. For the DIY crowd, we wonder what we did wrong. Never in my 73 years did I imagine that you could open up a brand new modem, camera, bike derailleur, power tool, etc. and have it be dead out of the box.

[@bb5242]

covid over-reaction did this

[@nickt6572]

I am a computer repair technician and I get so many new parts that have come failed! It’s happening everywhere with everything and it’s a shame.

[@jamesmedina2062]

Can you help me with an end of life question? I have a 2008 Dell that was 1200 dollars when new and has a Quad Core Intel chip but it ran on XP and I wonder if it would be worth it to upgrade the RAM and install 7, 8, or 10?

[@nickt6572]

@@jamesmedina2062 Yes, if you’re able to put in at least 4GB of RAM then it will run Windows 10 fine. (Less than 4gigs and it will run poor) Driver support may be tricky though, you may have to install XP, vista, or 7 drivers and hope they are compatible with 10 so that everything can work correctly.

[@DaddyStarbuck]

@@jamesmedina2062just buy a new computer. Who cares what it cost new.

[@SchlickSteve]

@@jamesmedina2062 depends on what you're trying to do with it playa. install windows 10 on it first to see if you have any hardware compatibility issues before dumping any money on ram sticks. also make sure to look up the model of your dell to find out exactly what type of ram to buy, and finally put an ssd in it for good measure

[@christophervanzetta]

@@jamesmedina2062no. It’s junk

[@bofkaycee1970]

When you’re “testing” your new electrical parts, never attach a blade connector or the witness marks on the metal connections (scratches) will prevent you from returning it as an unused part. Use alligator clips!

[@Rezin_8]

2000 grit 3m pad works wonders 🕵🌐🪄 can fool any QC parts reciever

[@DinDooIt]

Most places you cannot return electrical components in any shape, used or not used, alligator clipped or not.

[@michaelwillman5342]

"No returns" doesn't prevent you from returning a defective part, if the company who sold it wont accept it back then you can file a chargeback with your credit card company.

[@squeakers27]

Agreed, even if says no returns, I would still 100% argue with the seller for a defective part, not sold as seen etc.

[@patriotgarage]

I bet it came from feebay... and yes, if it qualified for Ebay's money back program, it's returnable even if the seller doesn't take returns.

[@russellhltn1396]

"The implied warranty of merchantability is a merchant's basic promise that the goods sold will do what they are supposed to do and that there is nothing significantly wrong with them. In other words, it is an implied promise that the goods are fit to be sold."

[@opera93]

Thanks,,, always good idea ..": interestingly, we just getting out of high priced Credit Cards((* or trying to),,,

[@maxview99]

Yeah and then you get banned from the store. Not a great idea

[@wh4070]

I had a veteran mechanic teach me the best lesson I've ever learned. "Newborn babies die. Just because it's new, doesn't mean it's good." It was a shocking lesson, and it's stuck with me. It's never been more true.

[@hondahirny]

I’m a reliability engineer and we refer to such situations as “infant mortality”. It’s the the term that gets used, albeit not a fun subject in real life.

[@Jakesflyingv]

Ive had a lot higher of a failure rate out of the box from all the in person parts stores and rock auto/ebay/amazon in the last three years. I can only imagine how aggravating this would be if i fixed cars for a living.

[@BurnerJones]

I've stopped buying from rockauto after they send me the wrong part (the sticker on the part clearly stated it was ONLY for a specific year, not what I ordered) then said "no we sent you the right one it doesn't fit because you ordered wrong" and refused to let me return it. This was after getting a bunch of defective suspension parts like a ball joint that wasn't even threaded.

[@jrharryman32]

I do this for a living and yeah it's beyond stressful especially when you are very busy and have to do things multiple times.

[@Braapcity]

I agree. I use rock auto and OEM only

[@WCGwkf]

new parts being worse than the old ones is what makes me hesitant to replace super old parts that are still working fine just as preventative maintenance.

[@SlackersIndustry]

I hear ya, changed spark plugs and kept old one, about 600 miles a new spark plugs crapped out, threw all of them out and put old ones back in 😆

[@DinDooIt]

@@SlackersIndustry I only use NGK plugs, they last about 100k miles and never have a problem, that's with 99% of Japanese products, chyna is trash.

[@ericfleetwood6744]

Thanks for another informative video. I am older (73) and much of what you said would have sounded crazy 5 years ago. Dead out of the box?! No way! Sadly, I have come to accept this as a regular occurrence, not just for auto parts but for everything. And every time the new part doesn't work I think I did something wrong. Last month is it was the cable modem. I ordered a new one but couldn't get it to work. I gave up and called Cox Cable. They sent a guy out. The new modem, straight out of the box, was dead. Un-freaking-real. I have had the same thing happen with a half dozen different things. In the past, you went to Western Auto and bought a part from AC Delco, Bendix, or Motorcraft. You knew it would work. And those companies knew it had to work. With offshore suppliers the workers are probably pushed to work beyond their capacity, and the companies don't care about the quality, because if "Tongshui" parts get a bad name, they just rebrand as "Foxpro" or "HongKing."

[@ПётрПроценко-б3к]

Cable modem cannot be brand new, this is a technology by Motorola that has been abandoned 20 years ago, our cable providers like in US like in Russia just have some old stocks from other first world countries providers and I mean China and Korea

[@meegstomtom]

Dead parts have always been an issue when going third party or "OEM manufacturer". Even as a kid I knew reman or new third party started and alternators where a gamble. Especially sensors.

[@678rwhp]

​@@ПётрПроценко-б3кyou are making shit up. New cable modems are made every single day.

[@ericfleetwood6744]

@@meegstomtom That reminds me of a conversation from about 50 years ago. I called my Dad's friend who was supposed to work on my car. He said he had been working on an electrical problem and had bought three alternators, none of which worked. Alternators had just started replacing generators. I asked, "Did you check the fuse?" He replied, "What fuse?" He was not happy to learn that alternators have a fuse. It solved his problem, but he had several extra alternators.

[@maxh771]

I was just talking about this issue with my wife today. I work in a data center and the crappy "reconditioned" replacement parts we get for our servers are just awful. We have about a 40-50% failure rate, worse with some parts than others. Dell and HP are still great, but pretty much every other vendor we deal with is absolute crap. I'm sick of working 2-3 hours on a fix just to find out that the replacement part I've installed is faulty, and to have to do it all over again. This is becoming an epidemic...

[@nonofyabusiness4780]

At that rate bench test before installing, Their is a story (don't know if true or urban legend) that GM requested microchips from a Japanese manufacture. The translation of order went a little wrong as GM got 9900 microchips along with a box of obviously purposely broken 100 microchips box was marked requested bad microchips.

[@paulstejskal]

It isn’t really possible to “bench test” server hardware in most circumstances. Either you need a non-production unit you can use, or it is too complex (a whole motherboard for example).

[@milescarter7803]

It's really time to go back to when the local machinist could rebuild the parts locally.

[@jblyon2]

Used to be one my Dad swore by. Sadly they closed up when the guy hit about 80 and finally retired. No one wanted to take over from him. Countless car, mower, outboard motor, etc parts were saved by that guy.

[@zippityzbrake]

You think you want that... But the skill it requires to rebuild parts well, in the USA, you'll be paying 3x more for your good rebuilt part than you're already paying at oreillys or AutoZone. So yeah well have good parts, but not enough market for the guys to do it full time because normal people can't afford the parts. That's why most guys do race stuff

[@JollyGiant19]

@@zippityzbrakeYep. Everyone says they wants quality parts until it comes time to buy them. You vote with your wallets, people, and those votes brought us here!

[@m1t2a1]

I'll bet Mike Rowe would agree. Constantly promoting trades.

[@plektosgaming]

@@zippityzbrake OEM parts are pricey for a reason. I've never had an aftermarket part (that wasn't specialty or racing) work as well. Such that the only thing I get from those auto parts stores now are shop rags and microfiber towels. I'd not put together a lawn mower with the junk they are selling. FYI: The main reason they are bad is that they take the original parts and copy them, not factoring in cutting losses or shrinkage and so on. So they for instance measure 45.8mm and cast the part at 45.8mm. Which cools and shrinks to 44.3mm. (shakes head) So the parts end up slightly under-spec by a fraction of a mm everywhere. Sometimes this works, mostly it does not, especially for cast parts and plastic. Now you have out of spec parts with proper spec gaskets and so on added. That caliper - the grooves for the gasket are under-spec and they don't adjust a size down, cutting the gasket as it won't sit nicely in the groove before assembly. Then you top it all off with cheap metals and pot metal screws. Ugh. Just trash. Replace an alternator, dead in 48 hours. Replace again, dead out of the box. Get money back, pay 2.5x for an OEM one. This literally was what happened to me with an old Buick I had. Eventually gave up, got OEM, and it was still working when I sold it a few years ago. Hard parts and aftermarket are a bad combination - just remove it from your vocabulary.

[@Mirrorism]

Even at the hobbyist level, this is an ongoing issue that has yet to be addressed - there's no care. Time and time again I try to buy new parts for my 01 Jeep Cherokee and half the time they last a few weeks and fail in one way, shape, or form. I've honestly started turning to going used for sensors and whatnot because while these old ones may have a 100,000 on 'em, they actually work. Manufactures need to be held accountable for their shoddy quality control.

[@GetTheFO]

I know the feeling. I’ve resorted to junkyarding every sensor component for my stuff because it seems like new MFG’d is more liable to damage the engine. You know a part was made like shit when straight out of the box even an OBD-I computer immediately codes a fault in it… and just a simple EGR! Absolutely ridiculous.

[@meegstomtom]

If it's electrical. OEM only. Of I can't get OEM parts then used it is.

[@kainhall]

If it's a 4.0.... get OEM sensors . The TPS will leak water into them And the crank sensors don't have a strong enough magnet . Learned that the hard way on my 97 grand cherokee

[@Mirrorism]

@@kainhall 100% agree, new sensors are complete junk and are really just there as a trail back up in my tool box haha.

[@GetTheFO]

@@kainhall Oof… how much was salvageable after that experience?

[@TarmanYoloSwag]

I got a damaged new coilpack from EuroCarParts in the UK. I was the second person to open it, wrote "FAULTY RETURN IMMEDIATLY, DO NOT RESELL" all over the box.

[@PetrolHeadBrasil]

There's a KZbin channel called "Project Farm". The channel owner does several tests with competing products. Last Sunday he took a test on repairing automotive glass. Of all the brands he tested, at least 3 of them had the SAME PART! They were identical! And all of them were BAD in the tests... Here in Brazil we suffer from the same problem: parts and brands that were previously a reference, started to import products from CHINA and the quality plummeted! I'd rather go after USED parts and fix them than buy something new, because I know it's going to be a headache...

[@alanholmes2366]

Lots of counterfeit parts out there too labeled as OEM but they are not!

[@JDMadventures]

Yessir , China making replica packaging and all lol. If the price is too good to be true , it probably is

[@ReadyFreddie5523]

​@@JDMadventuresOld story but a Rolex dealer was fixing a customer's watch and discovered that some watches from his supplier were fakes. Everything on the outside looked right but a few interior parts were too cheap.

[@kellismith4329]

OEM doesn’t make them anymore, they just farm it out to the lowest bidder

[@tonyl7286]

Not just cars. A watchmaker said he's had multiple instances where new OEM parts were made improperly out of the box, or new movements straight from the factory being duds. Doesn't matter if it's Swiss or Chinese - everything is just overproduced and unfortunately random defects are inevitable. Warranties and return policies are just as important as the parts themselves it seems.

[@maxwellspeedwell2585]

Many years ago, (back when I could afford extravagance) I bought a new Rolex. Needed to be rebuilt after about three years. I sold it about a year and a half later. It was again due for a rebuild.

[@Rezin_8]

Lathe workers are under-rated....our watch guy in the shop would make his own gears 🥷🏼 2007 it was an issue; can't imagine what its like now 😅😅

[@SlickRidezGarage]

Hi Car Wizard. When I got crap parts from the auto parts stores I filed a labor claim on each and every one! I encouraged local shops to do the same. Eventually I started quoting some OEM parts on my jobs. The way I saw it, the cost of repeat labor and floor space value meant the extra cost for OEM was worth it to me and the customer! Junk parts have been a problem since at least 2015, and I see its only gotten worse! Truth told I'm almost glad 4 mini strokes ended my automotive career. Anyways I'm with you CW! Servicing cars really sucks these days.

[@richardelliott8352]

The specialty corvette garage I use will only warrantee their work if GM OEM parts are used. Considering the cost of labor, and how hard it is to find quality work, it seems a poor decision to attempt a repair with less than the best available parts.

[@georgebettiol8338]

@@richardelliott8352 For current model Corvettes that is a perfectly valid business decision. However, OEM parts are not always available for the older cars - especially parts that aren't defined as 'fast moving' - and that's the dilemma facing the 1982 Corvette.

[@ericfleetwood6744]

I'm sure it does. And if nobody good wants to service cars, the rest of us are in trouble.

[@nothingtoseaheardammit]

@@richardelliott8352 must be nice to work on a car where new OEM parts are available still.... *sigh*

[@LafemmebearMusic]

@@richardelliott8352it’s like you didn’t watch the video? Or did you not comprehend what was being said? Your response is confusing given the context and information offered in the aforementioned video

[@richardwilliams5842]

One of the problems with buying parts online is that they will sell you the same part with three or four different prices from the same seller/company which is crazy SMH

[@franklharbin]

I've worked at a couple auto part stores when I was younger. Last place I worked at we tried to get a cheap version and a "better" version of each part. When it came to electrical parts I use to always suggest the better version because at the time that manufacture still made the parts in the US, and they use to actually be better. They have now switched to an overseas provider, and are just as junk as the cheap version but still carry the premium price.

[@jamesmedina2062]

Man I will tell ya....things electronic took a big hit when the whole damn industry sold out around 2000. Everything previously made in Phoenix or So Cal was made in China and crap.

[@laserflexr6321]

@waitwhat1320 The logical thing to do would be to test each assembly at the end of that line to catch the flawed ones within minutes of the flaw being created, then you know who needs to be doing a different job and you save everybody the hassle of sending something that doesnt work all the way to the other side of the planet, only to scrap it, when very likely they could easily be made right in the factory that has the tools set up to make them. Maybe the idea is to sell them for half price, but you have to buy 3 to get a working one, therefore your gross sales is 150% of your competitor.

[@theshadowman1398]

That’s why refurbishing old parts is actually a preferred choice by many. Seen in on Wheeler dealers many times.

[@jwenting]

problem is you can only do that so often for each part, and not at all for many.

[@jblyon2]

@@jwenting Especially when they seem to go out of their way now to design parts specifically to make them impossible to refurbish/rebuild.

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

That's the way us older guys rolled back then and without KZbin help. These mofos today are just lazy as hell unless it's coming up with excuses

[@craigbomer8962]

I went through this a few years ago with a rear brake caliper on a late model Honda(Accord, I think). It came in with a soft pedal and brake fluid pouring out around the parking brake lever shaft in the rear of the caliper. Every reman or new parts store caliper we got leaked the same way. We hit all the usual suspects, AZ, Advance, NAPA, Carquest, OReliey, ect, and none of them were any good. We ended up ordering a new caliper straight from our local Honda dealership and that caliper didn't leak. We were lucky the car was new enough that we were still able to get new parts from the manufacturer. My personal vehicles have even been caught by this. I daily a 96 Buick Roadmaster wagon and it had a bad MAF sensor when I purchased it. The little airflow mesh disk had disintegrated and pieces had gotten stuck to the MAF element and killed it. I went with an AZ replacement MAF since the MAF was a common unit used on a bunch of GM cars into the mid 2000s and also because they were our main supplier and I got a discount. After replacement, I still had bogging issues and weird lean running conditions that were driving me crazy. I finally asked a coworker if I could steal the MAF off of his Buick Century(it used the same one) as a sanity check. Like magic, my running problems were gone. I returned the AZ MAF and paid the $$$ for a new Delphi MAF and haven't had any problems since then.

[@theadvocate4698]

Same here, reman caliper seems to be bad, changed one side 2 times (part was under warranty), next time i'm putting in an original part!

[@21Piloteer]

Yes sir! When in doubt, go OEM if possible.

[@plektosgaming]

@@21Piloteer The exception is if the part is available directly. I had a Mercedes years ago and would ignore the OEM prices and get the identical part from Bilstein. Same with O2 sensors. My Mustang has 4. They are quite obviously Bosch sensors, but buying then new as Bosch is much cheaper than with Ford's blessing. So SOME parts can be worked around for less cost. But, yes, OEM or manufacturer. Aftermarket is asking for problems every time.

[@LabCat]

Out-of-box failures are a serious problem in the parts industry, no matter what you're working on. Part of it is due to COVID, part of it is due to sub-par assembly, part of it is due to re-manufacturing negligence. The problem is that people aren't taught how to build equipment, they're taught to screw things together.

[@LionsTigersBears]

Quality control is min. Cause there is no one is policing parts control no more pride in building parts

[@zach446]

Part of the problem is they expect the consumers to be quality control because that's cheaper than keeping people on payroll

[@TastySurrealBowl]

I’ve had the same problem. Bad seals on all kinds of parts right out of the box. It’s a good thing that Rock Auto covers return shipping for the parts they sell, but I don’t like losing all that extra time and labor dealing with defective parts right out of the box. Sellers should discontinue parts from makers who have high return rates out of the box. Unlike pre-pandemic it’s across brands, which makes it especially hard to know what you’re going to get. It’s become a constant roll of the dice.

[@redrustyhill2]

I have always had to pay return shipping with rock auto

[@survivingga]

At my shop, we're averaging 3 to 5 bad replacement parts a week and an untold amount of lost labor time. We have started ordering and installing a lot more OEM and NOS parts whenever possible. In most cases the OEM parts are getting closer to the aftermarket parts in price but with a higher turn around time.

[@meegstomtom]

OEM parts sure are nice, when available.

[@jbb-cj1md]

Like in everything else these days, I imagine there's a lot of counterfeiting going on in the production of auto parts. I've even read about how they've found counterfeit parts in airplane engines. Think about THAT the next time you're waiting to board your flight.

[@kadinzaofelune]

Yeah that was a huge problem found years ago and they still don't have it under control.

[@Smarterthanyou-mthrfkr]

I have rent houses. I have fitted three toilet valves to one toilet in one year. Its messed up. Fjb. Lets go brandon.

[@ingresswizard9044]

No counterfeit parts in Aircraft. Each part has to get FAA certified and there are huge paperwork trails for each part..

[@Tubecraft1]

Ive heard that too . its going to start having consequences soon

[@Tubecraft1]

@@ingresswizard9044with the same financial pressures on smaller airlines can we really be sure that some wont cut a corner here and there

[@markahad6583]

Holy crap, Wizard! I am sooooo glad that I am retired from the industry. Didn’t realize that it’s that bad out there. I would be kicking trash cans all day long.

[@Resistculturaldecline]

I've always driven older vehicles, and maintained them with the best parts that a corner parts store carried. Can't do it anymore, not a daily driver. Fitment and function is a crap shoot at best. If it's your only vehicle, it's a bad day to get a vehicle system torn apart only to find the new part is a defect, and then have a non-operative vehicle that can't get back to the store. At this point, I won't own a vehicle once there are no OEM parts available. The aftermarket is in smoking ruins.

[@bryanbeane7328]

The diesels parts are getting awful having to warranty more and more injectors and other fuel system parts. Oem in alot of cases just had a lml duramax truck towed in last week I had the cab off back in April to do a fuel system multiple failed injections.

[@HypocriticYT]

If you’ve owned a car from new or relatively new you can keep up with repairs as they age. Buying an old car that hasn’t been kept up can be a nightmare 😮

[@bodysuitguy]

"Backlog of deferred maintenance" as I've heard realtors say about houses. I've got a few automotive versions of them I'm trying to get time to sort out!

[@imfknradio9978]

I have done a ton of work post covid as both a Mechanic and Electrician. If there is one thing thats coincided, its the fact that the parts quality have gone straight to Chinese quality. In the past 3 years we have replaced more starters, sensors, water pumps, compressors, radiators, GFCI, Outlets and Canlights than we have ever in our family companies career, which spans over 3 generations. We use to *maybe* replace 1 GFCI every year under warranty, it happens so damn much now we genuinely began losing money on installing them.

[@paulstejskal]

And the dumb thing is GFCI isn’t hard to install.

[@celuiquipeut6527]

Because the good workers, who are older generation, got laid off because co vid. And what is left is a generation with no morals and no pride in what they do.

[@imfknradio9978]

@@paulstejskal no they arent. But by code you have to have them and they cost about $40 each. Pre-Covid we use to offer a 2 year guarantee where if a GFCI died, wed come n replace it for free. We cant do that anymore because we were losing money installing them to code. Its so bad we tell just about everyone "if you think no way its already dead, it more than likely is". Same thing car parts, i dont know how many water pumps, AC Compressors, Radiators, even small shit like control arms and ball joints weren't right or just didnt work at all.

[@davidconner-shover51]

I'm in the fire alarm business we've resorted to bench testing and burn-in in the shop before putting equipment out to the field with half of our manufacturers/suppliers. I've had one alarm panel go up in a blaze of glory 2 minutes after applying power, nothing else connected. they refused warranty. I've replaced month old CO detectors in one apartment complex one after another, over and over again, the GM is getting really unhappy about this. the boss is looking at me like I'm doing something wrong, I absolutely am not, he sends another tech out, same thing

[@imfknradio9978]

@@davidconner-shover51 i sympathize 110%. I go to school while working, and while in class a GFCI we had installed literally the day before, 1.5 hours away went out... a 3 hour round trip for 1 GFCI.

[@cidtelamon]

We're having the same kind of problem here in Brazil. Even reputable brands that used to make real good parts are just failing within a few days or weeks. And if the car model is 10+ years old it gets even worse.

[@icuranis4597]

This was a video I can totally relate to. I recently paid over $300 for an OEM GM alternator. The difference is that I will have only had to install it once.

[@plektosgaming]

Fact: Looking closely at the cases and components, you will note that every "new" alternator sold at those chain stores is actually rebuilt. And often with whatever labor they can hire off the street ( or worse in some cases - prison and child labor is a thing as well ). Since there is zero legal recourse possible once it is shipped overseas, they crank out whatever they can and look the other way. The dealer? He uses OEM because there is legal recourse and also because the part is nothing compared to eating labor costs 2-3x and occupying space while waiting for the part.

[@jonyoung6405]

If you are near an Alternator and Starter repair shop , it might be worthwhile giving them a try .

[@ricardofierro7041]

@@jonyoung6405 I agree . Try the one in Amarillo Texas. They do quality work, always busy. Thanks

[@johnplyler3454]

We call the ones at Advance Auto paint and pray units

[@jrs4ex]

@@jonyoung6405I wish more people thought like this. I own a rebuilding shop. At the last national rebuilders convention I went to they said there are around 400 independent auto electric rebuilders left in the country. I like in Connecticut we have only a handful left. I get customers that come from up to 2hrs away for quality work.

[@gabrielo7.]

I’m just starting my career as an auto technician and the amount of comebacks I’ve seen due to brand new defective parts is mind blowing!

[@RiskyBiscuit]

I had my mechanic replace my rear main seal using one that was highly rated from Amazon (that autozone also carries). It was for my 2011 mazdaspeed 3... It started to leak just a few months after being installed and we had to take the entire transmission out again. Needless to say I went back to OEM.

[@redrustyhill2]

My last rear main seal was leaking wreeks after replacement. New Transfer case output seal i put on my friends pickup was leaking the next day just as bad as the one i replaced.

[@SalemTechsperts]

I own a computer and iPhone repair business. I have had to stop repairing so many things because the parts either aren’t available or are such poor quality that it hurts both the customer and myself. It’s happening in EVERY industry

[@dukediamond5330]

we had a similar issue with napa rear brake calipers for a prius. leaked out of the box twice in a row and they gave us lip when we warrantied it. the bigger issue has been with brake rotors that rust out within a year. located in vermont, we perform annual safety inspections. napa rotors replaced for inspection won't pass the following year. we get stuck with the warranty clam because we guarantee every repair for a year. started ordering from worldpac, quality is excellent. only textron or akebono brake parts, oem suppliers. as for the cruise control, i had a similar issue with a personal vehicle. 1990 ford econoline campervan, steering all over the road. got an autozone steering gear, same slop. ended up finding redhead steering gear, they actually rebuild the gear instead of just resealing it. pricey but worth it. highly recommend

[@scoobydoo885]

The other problem is counterfit parts. I purchased a pair of knock sensers that had GM package and part numbers, but were fake knock-offs from china.

[@argonian88]

GM parts aren't made in the USA anymore. Haven't been for a long time. Everything is made in China, Mexico, Turkey etc. now

[@billnasburg1361]

The worst part of these bad parts is the extra labor that is wasted fixing these no good parts that we buy. Unfortunately, the lost labor cost that you end up having to eat. It must be very discouraging to be running a shop these days

[@TakuroSpirit77]

If you buy from a reputable source, they have labor warranties on most parts.

[@plektosgaming]

True. We wonder why labor is so expensive. But when you are on the line to "replace a starter", you have to re-do it until it works, often eating a lot more time for some customers than others. And, yes, contrary to common belief, the happiest outcome for a shop is to repair something and never see the car again for the same problem. Fix it once and move on.

[@bryanbeane7328]

@@TakuroSpirit77you still don’t get fully compensated for your time and depending on who it is many are starting to not pay labor only parts probably because they have so many claims these days

[@axelsdad821]

I picked up some off brand rotors for an Odyssey. Opened the package and found huge voids in the rotor surfaces. The appalling thing is that these were cast, checked off, and then surfaced and boxed. Made in China kwality.

[@unclefart5527]

Made with Chinesium.

[@ADUSN]

>off brand You asked for it.

[@KriLL325783]

Plenty of quality parts from china, but yeah, they got a bad habit of selling the stuff that would go in the QC bin in the rest of the world for a bit less through some other channel.

[@TakuroSpirit77]

You got what you paid for....

[@jblyon2]

@@KriLL325783 You can get top quality parts from China...if you're willing to pay for it. China is just willing to put out absolute crap, and even forge documentation for what they're producing, to win bids for the lowest price. No one pays them for good parts, so we end up getting junk.

[@giftbuddies7476]

There's a serious problem with spare parts these days. Had a 2011 Escalade where the seat actuator failed for the recliner and no one had the actuator. Not GM, not aftermarket companies, no one. Luckily, I was able to find it used in good shape on eBay but the part cost as much as a new actuator.

[@jamesmedina2062]

Now I really appreciate you Wizard. Thank you for being so real and honest about what happens there with parts. Keep up the good fight!

[@cliftonsheldon9134]

Its definitely worse now than in years past but this wasn't unheard of for a long time. About 20 years ago I needed a new alternator for my SVO Mustang. The replacement failed in a week so the parts store replaced it. Then then next one failed within a week and so did the 3rd replacement. The parts store accused me of my car burning them out. I said BS. They gave me a 4th and it failed too. I had had enough so I opened it up and repaired it myself. It had 6 field wires for the windings and they were soldered to a connection post , but the last 2 and longest wires had popped off of the terminal. This happened because the person assembling the alternator used like 1/1000000 of an oz of solder on all of the leads. Pretty much nothing there on all of the field wires holding them to the posts. So I properly soldered all of the wires to their connection posts and the alternator work perfect for years. Still got it sitting around somewhere , I'm sure it still works fine.

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

Dude I have several Ford's and I have a 93 mustang GT an 89 Lincoln mark vii and if you go through the wiring in these vehicles they all say Made in Mexico.

[@davevan8864]

Back in 1974 I had a great Auto Mech teacher (HS) He taught us about 'you get what you pay for'. When we worked on cars there were brands of parts he said we needed to use. There were lots of good brands. Some of those 'good' brands have been removed from that list. Brands are sold, parts cheapened. One I still trust is FEL-PRO.....I find there stuff is still great, cost more, harder to find sometimes, worth it. That goes for all parts. Thanks

[@Liferoad371]

My friend had to replace the head gaskets on his Ford truck and did not use Fel-pro gaskets and he saved a few bucks, after about a month they started leaking, and he got to do the job all over again.

[@JDMDC2]

I work in a smaller shop and order from Oreilleys for most parts, I’ve definitely noticed a drop in the quality of dorman and standard parts. Can make you feel crazy when you install 2 different new parts and still have the same issue. Hard to explain to customers as well, just because it really doesn’t make sense.

[@Globbs]

Probably has a lot to do with Amazon purchasing dorman.

[@GetTheFO]

@@GlobbsThat explains a LOT actually. Had no idea.

[@JDMDC2]

@@Globbs did not know that. Very interesting

[@thedon5810]

Amazon does not own Dorman.@@Globbs

[@chipyeahoo]

Dorman electronic and mechanical parts have been junk for a long time. BWD electrical parts has been iffy for a long time as well. I’ve noticed Standard Motors products have now joined the list of manufacturers of questionable quality. It’s so bad that I’ve received OE parts directly from the dealership that were faulty. When A/C Delco parts from the dealer come in a box filled with an obviously re-boxed part inside a plastic bag that’s the same as what other aftermarket junk come in and the box states “made in China,” that’s when you know things aren’t looking good.

[@michaeltutty1540]

I can relate to this. I just had to replace the starter motor on my 1990 Volvo. I ordered a rebuilt unit from a Volvo specialist parts company. Original Bosch unit rebuilt by Bosch. Both that they had in stock were defective. Sent both back. Ordred a brand new aftermarket starter. The first one was messed up. The solenoid broke the casting. The second was, thankfully, just fine. Insane.

[@luxuriousrustbucket]

This is why I’m beginning to stock all OEM parts for our older vintage vehicles. Just had a brand new Febi clutch slave explode in the bell housing while bleeding. Thought I somehow missed the alignment and blown the piston but I threw the old 220k one back in and it worked! Took the Febi back to my local euro parts store for an exchange and they refused to exchange it and instead refunded me. After asking why they said the at was the 3rd Febi clutch slave that came back that week. Last I checked they were scrambling to find another distributor. Crap thing is since the slave exploded in the bell housing, trans had to come down. Clutch slave turned into a entire trans out clutch job. Regarding countries, I try to stick to US, UK, CA, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. I’m probably missing a few other countries but I’ve just found over the years these countries tend have less out of box failures. Because I believe in supporting your own countries industrial base, I always try to buy US made when possible.

[@patk8417]

I have, for a long time, resorted to retaining used parts, unless they are catastrophically buggered beyond any useful purpose. And I have used said parts to replace the failed 'new' parts to get something back operational! The manufacturing sector is going with a global supply approach to anything. It's growing more and more apparent that things are being made with items manufactured elsewhere and assembled here in North America. Not just USA cuz I b from Canada eh 🍁

[@dyer2cycle]

Hard pressed to get anything made in Mexico these days...I would rather have made in Mexico than China...

[@99Vood99]

Wizard, a lot of these manufacturers have shifted part production to China instead of Mexico. I never thought the day would come where I would prefer AC Delco parts made in Mexico over the AC Delco parts made in China. These Chinese parts are of inferior quality and due to the trade wars going on with China take forever to get here. Extremely frustrating and annoying.

[@villadelrefugio]

Those same customers are the same guys who say "why cant Americans make their own stuff anymore?" BECAUSE YOU WONT PAY THE PREMIUM PRICE THATS WHY

[@markh.6687]

It's not even that anymore; no matter where the parts are made the CEOs take the money and run. Quality is a buzzword, not a principle. Even if a company has parts made for them they can specify the quality level in the contract. Ship junk; contract canceled. But many American companies have removed the quality to keep selling vehicles and parts. Even some of the lowest-quality American cars of the 1970's were in some ways better than the junk being pushed today. Bad design was one issue, now it can be a good design, but no margin for wear/durability is allowed to keep the money flowing in.

[@villadelrefugio]

@@markh.6687 sounds about right. American companies care more about their preferred stock going up a dollar per share every quarter-and pushing planned obsolescence with their products-instead of standing behind anything quality related

[@MrTilbin]

You do absolutely need your A/C to work in the winter. Not only does it run when in defrost it also works with the heat to keep the humidity down. Modern cars also will randomly cycle it even when not on to keep everything moving and fresh. A/Cs do not make cold air. They remove heat and humidity.

[@nicholasvinen]

Good points!

[@jonibravo9004]

I only buy OEM parts for that exact reason. Every single part I bought which wasn't OEM was either not fitting properly or not fitting at all, and looked like trash. I'm done with these cheap pieces of junk called "OE quality parts".

[@Jakek200]

One thing I've had a lot of trouble with from Parts Stores is their Power Steering Pumps especially the remanufactured ones. You might as well pick up 3 of them and hoping 1 of them is good, I'd say 9/10 times I've installed parts store pumps this has happened! Not far behind on the list of 'might as well pick up a couple' is their Alternators and Starters...

[@qwkbrnfox]

Yup, I just replaced the power steering pump on my Subaru - it took three of them. Gong show.

[@westernkythrifters]

You are absolutely right, I'm a shade tree mechanic for my own stuff and my family. I can't count the times I've gotten bad (new parts) especially with starters and alternators, it's pitiful having to replace the bad parts 2 or 3 times. Love the show keep up the great content.

[@retro440]

Also, a shade tree mechanic here and am having the same problem. When less expensive new parts are bad, I don't even consider returning them. I just ash can them and try another one. I have install six wheel bearings on my van inside of 15,000 miles. Junk parts. I'm on my third set of LED fog lamps for that van. Wrong/bad new parts. Sad.

[@MichaelSmith-gf5zc]

For some parts on older cars it would appear you should just rebuild the original parts yourself considering you already have to rebuild the one that was supposed to be rebuilt.

[@drsnooz8112]

IF... you can find the kit, brushes, bearings, hard parts and other odds and ends that need to be replaced. Which you almost never can.

[@xXAsunaxKiritoXx]

Luckily as a toyota owner, im glad that there are a lot of rebuild kits for most of their part.

[@MichaelSmith-gf5zc]

@@drsnooz8112 I would think the hardest part would be seals. I'm sure there is a lot of NOS floating around for a lot of things which a lot of would be fine except for seals and gaskets.

[@mikeroberts5436]

This is exactly why I only buy Toyota from now on. They rarely need repair, but when they do it's OE Toyota parts. I've never had a single problem.

[@okhotrodder]

I've been having major issues with parts ever since the covid lockdowns. Prices have skyrocketed and quality just isn't there. Everyday something is wrong. Doesn't matter if it's a $10 part or a $1000 part. It can happen to anything. It is getting very tiring being a mechanic today. Won't be long till I close my doors. O'reillys keeps telling me not available, dealer only. So ridiculous.

[@kellismith4329]

This is why I am a packrat, I never throw away the old parts, you never know if you might have to rebuild it someday

[@johndenver8489]

ABSOLUTELY!! And many around us think its absurd.

[@TimOfferle]

Dealt with this many times. Glad it’s not just me. Reading the part reviews sometimes helps and leave a review to help others when you get something good or bad.

[@hippypunk]

Wizard I feel you on this one! Parts seem to come broken from the factory lately! I just replaced the alternator on my truck and it is already going bad again, it's about 2 mo. old give or take a week. It's the same for things like electrontics (sensors, relays, etc) the QC seems crap lately, it's like a plauge of gremlins in the warehouse. I agree on the middle level parts, they are usually decent for the money and do pretty well but even those have had problems in the QC area lately. I end up frustrated even as a DIY mechanic at this so I can certainly sympathize with you and your crews frustrations at this and thanks for the PSA to watch out for pre-broken parts.

[@powcod7455]

I can relate. I may only be a 6month lawnmower mechanic that's still learning the ropes but even in the lawnmower world this is a problem.

[@torquemate50]

Great video. Thank you. I am an X gen and I still do my oil changes on all my vehicles. One of my boys took his truck to some oil change place and the oil filter was lose to the point that most of the oil leaked out. Thanks to me for checking his vehicle and double checking the work.

[@ncooty]

Glad you understood Danielson's frustration. I've done far worse. Unfortunately, we aren't all as mellow as Wizard.

[@agrippa1234]

I truly admire your willingness/ability to make it work, it's not cheap and it shouldn't be with the additional steps you have to go through (including the online research time you devote)

[@LandoVR25]

Im sure that cross fire injection was a treat to work on. Rebuilding the original caliper will always be the safer bet on older parts IMO

[@geraldscott4302]

Cross Fire injection is actually very simple, it's nothing but two separate Throttle Body injectors. Pre OBDII. Back in the '60s Chrysler set up one version of the 426 Hemi with 2 four barrel carburetors staggered like that. The problem with Cross Fire injection is that it was only made 2 years. Getting parts would likely be difficult. It's still an old school cast iron small block. I'd replace the whole system with a new intake and a carburetor. MUCH more reliable.

[@marccrotty8447]

Lando. The caliper cylinder bore is almost always pitted on very old parts. Honing out does not help. Will leak after rebuild.

[@LandoVR25]

@@geraldscott4302 Agree It's not a complicated system, it's just difficult to balance.

[@LandoVR25]

@@marccrotty8447 I just rebuilt 4 calipers on a 77 with 6k miles that had sat for 20 years. Granted the bores were in good shape and just needed seals and O rings. The best thing for these older brake systems is flushing the dot 3 out and switching to dot 5 IMO.

[@cruiserbrahuk5411]

The bore never gets pitted, just the piston does thats why rebuild kits come with a new piston@@marccrotty8447

[@bobw7018]

Hi Car Wizard, fellow professional technician here. You are so spot on with these problems. OEM new is really the ideal solution, but, you're right in that for some vehicles this simply ISN'T an option for varying reasons. At least it's not like my truck, where I CAN'T use anything but OEM, 7.3 diesels don't like anything that isn't OEM for engine controls. Prime example verified through scanner, Injection Pressure Regulator for oil pressure control on the HEUI injection. Idle pressure desired is 500-700, which you GET with the OEM. I got one from Carquest, idle oil pressure was showing 2900! Warrantied it, second one did same thing. Ultimately, the quality just is not the same is my point. Also, I subscribed because I enjoy your way of presentation on here. Fascinating cars, and great subjects in a very good show.

[@benbradmonsr.]

In May of 2022, I purchased two wheel hubs for my 2005 Suburban from Ebay. This past June during a state inspection my mechanic showed me the left front wheel bearing was bad! The warrantee was for a replacement which was to involve a letter from my mechanic and shipping the part back at my expense! I decided to buy a different brand of wheel hub. I purchased an alternator for my 2008 Focus from Amazon. Paid the mechanic to install it, it was bad. He would not put the old one back on for he felt bad to charge me the labor cost. So my son put the old on back on the car. My mechanic has faced the same frustrations you have.

[@NickTarterOKC]

Been dealing with the same issues at my shop in the OKC area. It's ridiculous.

[@lyfandeth]

That 82 'vette is absolutely a stunning classic example of those years.

[@alittlebitgone]

I know, so ugly, just amazing.

[@kristoffMR]

@@alittlebitgoneslow too

[@dyer2cycle]

I remember when the '75-'82 Vettes were considered cheap, under powered poor man's sports cars...could get a nice one often for under 5 grand in the mid-late 80's...

[@saganich74]

Classic Cease Fire Injection 🔥

[@kirkcunningham6146]

I had an 82 and you have to do allot to it to make the thing slightly faster. Gears, shift kit in the trans, 84 ecm and chip, exhaust, ignition, timing and TB rebuild and balancing. 3:54 gears alone raises the torque quite a bit...

[@schmitty69]

Recently listened to a Cooper Bogetti podcast with JH where they talked about these issues. It's extremely expensive and a lot of liabilty for all shops these days, where the shop has to eat costs to maintain customer satisfaction...absolutely insane. Keep it up Wizzard!

[@DannyTOG]

Got brakes done on my 74 corvette and one caliper is already leaking and the booster seemed bad right out the box but have been too busy with my 76 to deal with it. I’ve started using ZIP corvette for my parts and no complaints yet. Not sure if you guys could use them, but for these older corvettes it’s the best shop for NEW parts that match OEM specs.

[@vanbilly8387]

Funny story on that model. The wiring harness comes out of the firewall and travels to the passenger side, then turns and goes toward the front of the car. There's a large plastic connector just past the AC evap housing. After so many years, the plastic fastener can break and allow that harness to hang down with enough stress on the connector that it can cause wires to pull loose from inside. The main power wire is in that connector. If it pulls just enough to lose connection inside the harness, the entire car will lose power. (I'm not sure, but I think the headlights will still have power to turn on, but if they're down, you won't see them light up in the daytime.) Mine did that. I drove it one Friday afternoon and left it parked outside the garage. The next morning, I went to put it back inside and nothing... There was no power to anything. I let it sit for a few days in frustration, then pushed the car back into the garage by hand. A few days later, I started looking for the problem. I checked the battery. It was fine. I checked fuses. None were blown. I pulled the battery and dropped in a known good battery and still had no power. I gave up and put the car aside, as I had several others to drive and enjoy. It sat for 6 years, with occasional attempts to find the problem. The time came when I decided I'd find the problem or sell it and let someone else deal with it. I researched everything that I could find; I tore out the interior to look for security features that may have failed, door key wiring, hood switch, shifter switch, seat switch, etc. I was about to take a break, and while standing at the passenger front fender, I was resting my hands on the fender and looked down. That's when I saw that white wiring connector dangling. I told myself that the factory did a poor job of securing that connector, and reached down to lift it and see where it should have been fastened to the inner fender. The moment that I lifted it, the key buzzer started making noise. I hurried around to the other side and turned the key. The dash lit up and the starter clicked. I went back to that connector and looked at it, seeing a large red power wire ever so slightly out of place. I could see the metal connector sticking out just the slightest bit from the rest of the plastic housing, so I pushed it in to make full contact. When I went back to the ignition and turned, the engine turned over and tried to come back to life. Most of the gas had evaporated over the years, so I grabbed a gas can and put a couple gallons in the tank. After a few more tries with the key, it started, although it was as rough as a wild horse being ridden for the first time. It bucked and shuddered, but it stayed running. I added more gas to the tank and after a little idling time, it cleared up and was ready to go. I was like a kid in a candy store. It sat for 6 freaking years, all because that one wire had jiggled loose maybe 1/8 of an inch out of place. I couldn't believe it!

[@wheezin_mtnbkr3576]

Wizard, I just did (all) four ball joints on a Wrangler. What a sea of brand choices. I ignored the hype brands, went with OEM (Dana Spicer) and had zero problems pressing them in and no problems aligning it. Drives like it did when new. The OEM was barely a premium price, and in some cases was cheaper.

[@JimParshall]

Thanks Wizard. This is a problem in many industries.

[@hm12460]

Back in the day I tried hard to stick with OEM parts, or NAPA. I have upgraded to all Toyota now, and don't have to worry so much about break downs.

[@royblankenship5185]

Agreed. People crack on me for going to the Toyota dealer for my service but I have had 0 problems because I have a go to service writer that I can trust.

[@corey6393]

This has been an issue in the vintage VW world for over a decade now. My local shop closed its doors in part because the aftermarket parts quality was so bad, they were losing their ass in warranty repairs labor. The only way to really keep an old car on the road is to hoard NOS or decent quality rebuildable original parts.

[@josephabitia2248]

My issue was just a minor one, but my fuel door actuator went out on my 18 civic that made this loud awful sound when the doors locked. At the time, rock auto was out of stock, autozone/oreileys didn’t sell that part, local Honda dealers were also out of stock and had them on back order. My last resort was buying one on Amazon for about $35 for it to fail within 3 months. I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be on your end as a mechanic. Keep up the great work wizard. I always look forward to watching your guys’ videos.

[@The_Fat_Turtle]

I live in a remote, rural part of Canada and either I take the risk on online parts at a discount, but if I get something bad I have to wait a couple more weeks to get a replacement OR go to the local stores, pay 3x the price and still have to wait for it to get shipped in (5-7 days vs. 10-15 days) and it might still be a bad part. Trying to fix things myself on any strict timeframe is a dream at this point.

[@InMooseWeTrust]

It's so bad now that I literally bought a 1995 Camry as a spare car in case my car breaks down again. At least on the Camry, the parts are readily available and I can do most of the work myself. It was only $2000 but every time I have a car problem I need to spend more than that on repairs.

[@ChrisHessert]

Just went through this (again) with replacing the front calipers on my 2006 GMC Sierra. My preferred shop is excellent: they do great, quality work, and stand behind it. Feel bad when they have to repeat their work to account for bad parts. In this case, the pistons weren't retracting to spec, causing the pads to hang, heat up, and smoke. As you pointed out, Mr. Wizard - I'm not sure it matters where you buy your parts from, if they're all coming out of the same 3 factories?

[@ralphharrison6622]

dude! same exact thing is happening with my 2011 f150 eco bitch. i replaced both front rotors, pads, and driver side caliper. i drove it 2 miles, and damn thing lights up like a bbq. cherry on top is nothing works on the dash, no heater blower, and its rotting faster than i can afford to fix it. i wish you the best of luck with your vehicle, bud!

[@Rubiflake]

I feel you pain Wizard. I replaced a good driving but leaky steering box on my '99 Cherokee for a new box from Rock Auto. It doesn't leak now, but it has so much play in the steering it feels like it has 200k miles on the box. Going to reseal the original steering box and reinstall it. I did the adjustments to the input and the sector shaft, it made no difference.

[@gqftoast]

This is very interesting and troublesome as I also am seeing more and more of this. I do all my own work on my vehicles as my father was a mechanic and taught me. I believe this is exactly what the manufactures have been working at for years. They want you to buy new cars because you are unable to get reliable parts for the old ones.

[@glenerickson2092]

I had this issue last year and ended up having to replace my starter 3x. When I returned it one time it was earlier in the day and the guy at the parts store said it was the 3rd one he had exchanged already that day. I'm glad my starter wasn't too aweful to change.

[@1crustyoldmsgtretired870]

Couldn't agree more! Anymore I try to use the manufacturer's parts or track down the company that made it for the manufacturer. If I can't get it there, I'll start looking at aftermarket and look for any reviews for that part. A lot of those cheap parts exist so a car can get fixed just good enough to get it off the lot. The cheaper the part, the less QC went into it.

[@maxwellspeedwell2585]

I worked with a guy whose brother was asked to order specific parts from Japan. The parts request was for a defect rate of no greater than 5%. The manufacturer sent 95 parts in excellent condition. Packaged separately was five parts that had intentionally been damaged. The package included a note that said, we don’t know why you wanted us to include with your order, five defective parts, but they have been included with your order.

[@1crustyoldmsgtretired870]

@@maxwellspeedwell2585 Customer service in Japan is like no other place on Earth...

[@JakeSanMartin]

I’ve been having the same issue.I call it the parts paradox. It’s morally right to replace certain parts especially when an assembly is apart. Old part still works or is okay, but sometimes that new one will fail from the start and you’re gonna have hours into it to fix it or “fix” it.

[@echassin]

THIS!

[@catherinejacobs4801]

I enjoy watching your videos. It is eye opening to see what mechanics deal with to manage their businesses. Thank you for sharing.

[@drsnooz8112]

Car Wizard is that honest mechanic unicorn everyone hopes to find. When you see what he deals with daily, you wonder how long he'll keep going before he gives up and retires. It's sad.

[@colintawn3535]

What a pity you Ammericans do not have a Sale of Goods Act as we do in the UK. Basically it means goods must be as described and of merchantable quality. For example: If a retailer advertises a replacement or new part will fit and it doesn't you get your money back or a part that does fit.. This act applies to almost everything you buy in the UK The US has one of the worst consumer protection services globally which for an advanced economy is shameful.

[@Myiamimusic]

I work at a mechanic shop and out of 10 cars we get at least 2 back because the parts failed a month down the road or we constantly have to re order parts. The dealerships don't even answer the phones. It's a headache.

[@MikeS42069]

Trying to buy an AC compressor for my 99 Trans AM and there's nothing but cheap junk available on the market. It's infuriating!

[@darrellsaunders4267]

See if you can find someone locally to rebuild it.

[@alanholmes2366]

Rock auto doesn’t have the AC Delco part for it?

[@FWDSUXARSE]

I have a 98 Trans Am and now I'm fearing the same if mine fails.

[@MikeS42069]

everywhere I've looked the AC Delco parts are backordered with no ETA

[@mph5896]

@@alanholmes2366 Looks like Denso shows out of stock. Ac Delco is not listed. Put a four seasons on and prey🤣

[@MrSupro]

The main problem I am encountering is wrong parts in the box. Standard hardware year parts getting mixed with metric, power steering pumps with ports pointing in the wrong directions, parts for non A/C vehicles listed as for A/C ones, and things like that. The current rebuilders are just not familiar with the nuisances of this stuff and I suspect once that part number sticker goes on the box it’s very hard for the distributors to un ring that bell with the volume of parts in the system. I got a Napa rebuild GM brake booster recently and didn’t bother looking at it until it was time to mount it when I realized it was so bent it would not actually sit flat on the firewall. It’s like they did not even look at the thing while rebuilding it. Oh. Also I see a lot of concealed damage particularly in radiators.

[@seananderson127]

Had a popular aftermarket gear company send the wrong ring and pinion three times. Eventually got the gears from Ford.

[@ihatedietcola7920]

I went through 17 alternators before finally getting one that works. All of them brand new except for the 17th one. It was a rebuilt one and that's the one that finally worked.

[@weswest8666]

17!!! What vehicle?

[@ilsl04]

I went through 4 before I just rebuilt the one I had. One didn't try to work at all 🤣🤣🤣🤣 It was seized somehow LOL

[@drewthompson7457]

I was rather surprised when getting a rebuilt alternator. It was going into a boat, with very bad access. I asked him to check it before I bought it. He got so upset and refused to deal with me. Likely a good outcome.

[@travertinepico751]

I had over 10 for my Jeep, took a new bad one and pulled it apart to get a part to fix my bad oem alternator

[@georgebettiol8338]

I would stopped after replacing three and then rebuilt the original.

[@dkzero21]

I totally agree with this. I have getting my 92 blazer going. I did a motor swap a few years ago and I ran into the same issue with bad parts on the build. Part store parts, online I’ve fond terrible quality on parts which didn’t work or worked poorly.

[@ronaldmeyn2618]

perfect topic Car Wizard ... One "new wiper switch " $217 lasted 2 months. it was returnable ....2 back door struts Same ...maybe 2 months FYI I was trying Parts geeks online for parts. NOW to be fair they took broken parts back and refunded money ..and I dont think they want to sell bad parts but. ....

[@BlackManMeetsWorld]

Ive been waiting for someone to bring light to the degrading quality of car parts these days. Thanks Car Wizard!

[@markh.6687]

Eric O. from South Main Automotive has complained about some NAPA parts being Dorman-quality level, and Dorman getting worse on some of their stuff.

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

Apparently you never listened to grandpa.

[@BadWolf762]

Uncle Tony has been on this for quit a while.

[@CC-ef1wg]

You can only get quality parts by salvaging them off of other cars. OEM older excellent Metal

[@CommodoreFan64]

I do electronics/computer repair as a side hussle to my regular job, and even simple components are like capacitors new out of the bag can be of dubious quality these days even from name brands, and trying to find parts for things that are not that old like a phone screen from a phone made/sold in 2020 can be tough finding a legit one that's not sold at a crazy price often leading to having to just junk the phone, and buy a new one. What a crazy throw away world we live in. 😔

[@markh.6687]

I adored my Vic 20 and C64. RIP Jack Tramiel!

[@CommodoreFan64]

@@markh.6687 🎶Are you keeping up with the Commodore? Because the Commodore is keep up with you!!🎶

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

Imagine a time when TVs lasted 20 years. Quality has been going out the door for a long time. You just too young to remember having a 50 year old refrigerator that still works good

[@analogidc1394]

@@CommodoreFan64 The C64 was a great computer.

[@CommodoreFan64]

@@BruceLee-xn3nnSorry but that's a very arrogant statement to assume my age, as I'm 42, and I clearly remember when more stuff lasted a long time, and people repaired their stuff more often outside of how fast we updated our computers in the mid 80's - mid 00's due to how fast the tech was evolving, but even then people opted to fix them, and upgrade them more than just outright placing it, but these days with the right upgrades even a computer from the late 00's can still be usable as a daily machine for basic task, and I could not say that about an 80's, or 90's machine in the early - mid 00's. Having said that I still have a 27in Panasonic CRT TV in my gameroom that my family bought in 02 that works perfectly, and I also remember growing up my grandmother had the same white GE fridge my grandfather bought her in 1979 till 2008 when the compressor died from a power surge, and I bought her a new one, but my side by side Frigidaire did not even last me a decades burning out 3 power board on the ice maker before it bit the ghost totally, and I replaced it with a more simple GE in late 2020.

[@SargentRestoration]

I've had 2 crank sensors that were bad straight out of the box. Thought i was crazy until i checked them with a multi meter. Finally on the 3rd one i got a good one

[@willbgrill]

He's right, I've retyped this like 4 times because I keep thinking of times this issue has infected our shop. Thanks for making a video about this.