I posted this question in my vehicle specific forum, but realized it might be more suited to the BITOG community because of the level of OCD here
I usually like to stick with OEM on critical parts and just wanted the community's thoughts on oil seals (eg. rear main, crankshaft, camshaft, axle, etc...). We can also expand the topic to gaskets and the various RTV sealants. With such a simple part, is there much to go wrong with an aftermarket seal? Are there brands which are better to stick with and have you guys ever had any problems with aftermarket brands or have been able to trace the reason of failure?
I understand there are some OEM nazis out there (for some parts, I am too), but I want to understand what is it exactly that may or may not make an aftermarket seal better or worse than OEM. Is it material selection? The physical design/engineering? It's not exactly rocket science to make a Viton based seal right?
I do like OEM parts, but when the price difference is $10 vs $50 for the same part, it's hard to justify that extra cost. The low Canadian dollar is also making OEM parts more expensive than usual.
I usually like to stick with OEM on critical parts and just wanted the community's thoughts on oil seals (eg. rear main, crankshaft, camshaft, axle, etc...). We can also expand the topic to gaskets and the various RTV sealants. With such a simple part, is there much to go wrong with an aftermarket seal? Are there brands which are better to stick with and have you guys ever had any problems with aftermarket brands or have been able to trace the reason of failure?
I understand there are some OEM nazis out there (for some parts, I am too), but I want to understand what is it exactly that may or may not make an aftermarket seal better or worse than OEM. Is it material selection? The physical design/engineering? It's not exactly rocket science to make a Viton based seal right?
I do like OEM parts, but when the price difference is $10 vs $50 for the same part, it's hard to justify that extra cost. The low Canadian dollar is also making OEM parts more expensive than usual.