atikovi
New member
If so, do you remember where it was made in? As they are half the cost of the dealer part, I'm suspecting China, but checking to make sure.
Technical Anybody replace a 1.4L water pump with Gates?
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Technical Anybody replace a 1.4L water pump with Gates?
Gates are a very high quality brand. If gates are producing any parts in China then the quality control will be very stringent.
Dealer parts prices are notoriously high.
Gates are a well respected brand I'd have no issues fitting them
I buy gates kits for the 1.2 after them being recommended.
A large number of aftermarket water pumps are made in Italy, by two companies, both of which have high standards, with some designs being better than OE when original design issues become known. They sell to lots of aftermarket brands, so highly likely it is one of those.
As said, Gates have a reputation to protect, so will not buy rubbish.
China will of course manufacture to any standard the buyer wishes, so if sourced there, will still be high quality. High quality Chinese manufactured stuff tends not to be significantly cheaper than similar quality stuff from Europe, so shipping costs can make them unviable. Can be a good source for aftermarket stuff for Japanese vehicles.
A friend has a Honda Jazz that proclaims on its VIN plate, "Made iin China". When he saw this he was worried. Honda of course will maintain their high standard wherever their factory is located.
As said, Gates have a reputation to protect, so will not buy rubbish.
China will of course manufacture to any standard the buyer wishes, so if sourced there, will still be high quality. High quality Chinese manufactured stuff tends not to be significantly cheaper than similar quality stuff from Europe, so shipping costs can make them unviable. Can be a good source for aftermarket stuff for Japanese vehicles.
A friend has a Honda Jazz that proclaims on its VIN plate, "Made iin China". When he saw this he was worried. Honda of course will maintain their high standard wherever their factory is located.
atikovi
New member
You could say that of many aftermarket parts manufacturers, yet they do make rubbish. Moog makes many ball joints in China now and after a year or two they are all worn out. Timken makes bearing is China too, and after a year they become loose and noisy.
But I didn't.
Until recently I'd not come across Moog. I spent 16 years in the vehicle aftermarket industry, with a major brand name, at head office, in a technical role not a local sales outlet. Never came across the Moog brand. We used to send engineers to the suppliers' manufacturing locations to assess their operation and quality standards.
Only recently have I encountered Moog, mostly with a European aftermarket mail order business, that offers a wide selection of brands, with Moog being their cheapest. (Might be a clue there) I've not chosen any Moog products, preferring to pay more for a brand name I know. Google readily brings up a company called Moog, but their UK website does not seem to mention aftermarket car parts, so could be a different company.
Timken are a renowned brand name. Bearings are made with various different internal clearances, for different applications. An incorrect selection can lead to early failure. If bearings have been selected by reference number, not application, thsi can cause issues.
Wheel bearings are a common repeat failure item, often not relating to the bearings themselves. Hubs can be damaged when bearings are replaced, and re-using worn parts with new bearings can lead to early failure, as can incorrect fitment, and incorrect tightening. Any Timken bearing supplied by a correct catalogued reference, that fails prematurely, would cause me to revisit the surrounding components.
