Originally Posted By: mechanicx
I assume the tensioner was made in China. I dont trust anything made in china.
It does not matter where the part was made. Honda buys lots of their parts from suppliers all over the Orient, including in Red China.
What does matter are the standards to which the part was made, and that's where the "OE" thing comes in.
When you pay extra for OE (Genuine Honda), you're paying for the assurance that Honda has directed that the part be manufactured to their exacting and expensive specifications, and has performed QC audits to enforce their standards. Most aftermarket parts are of substantially lower quality than OE for the simple reasons that
1) they tooled up for tiny quantities compared to the production OE runs, which means they had a lot smaller budget for tooling, development, and materials.
2) they needed to come in at a much lower price point to establish a competitive position relative to OE.
OE lasts longest and fits best.