I bought a bunch of Lemforder parts for my BMW and most were made in Germany. However, the two strut mounts were made in China! Ughh, I really don't like Chinese parts. I know that some things made in China are OK depending on the QC by the parent company, but Lemforder?? Geez. Whatever next.
Lemforder parts - made in...
- Thread starter kschachn
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JHZR2
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Beware. Lemforder makes OE parts and often has the MB star or BMW roundel cast in the rubber. It is usually scratched off.
There have been reports of Chinese and Indian counterfeits that even duplicate the scratched off symbol coming to market.
There have been reports of Chinese and Indian counterfeits that even duplicate the scratched off symbol coming to market.
Where were the parts purchased from?
FCP Groton. Yeah, I was suspicious so I emailed Lemforder. I haven’t heard back yet but I probably will today. It isn’t like it says it was made in Germany and I was suspicious. These say “Made in China” right on the sticker.
I did some searching last night and found other posts of people seeing the same thing. I figured it was because of the rubber content in the mount, a lot of rubber stuff comes from China it seems.
I did some searching last night and found other posts of people seeing the same thing. I figured it was because of the rubber content in the mount, a lot of rubber stuff comes from China it seems.
I have used a ton of Lemmforder parts in the past and they were all German and of really good quality.
Those China ones may be knock offs, I'd send them back.
Go buy the same strut mount at the dealer and see where its made, I bet its not China.
Those China ones may be knock offs, I'd send them back.
Go buy the same strut mount at the dealer and see where its made, I bet its not China.
After a bit more searching it turns out that Lemforder is not the OEM for these mounts, but aftermarket only. So dealer mounts won't be the same nor will they be Lemforder brand.
But they seem to be of very high quality and I'm inclined to keep them anyway. I'm under a severe time crunch on this job and unfortunately I can't take the time to send them back.
Should have gotten them from the online dealer maybe...
But they seem to be of very high quality and I'm inclined to keep them anyway. I'm under a severe time crunch on this job and unfortunately I can't take the time to send them back.
Should have gotten them from the online dealer maybe...
FYI Lemmforder is part of ZF Friedrichshafen Group major OEM that makes ZF transmissions, Sachs clutches and struts, ect. If the parts are genuine they are top quality, but it IS possible that they are knockoffs especially if it has China printed on it. It is NOT uncommon to see geniune OEM parts with the car maker stamp scratched off, because they are overruns and cosmetic defects that won't pass car maker QC inspections but are perfectly fine working parts and can be had at a large discount.
A lot of times car makers will have at least two vendors to supply parts (reason being if there is a problem with one brand they simply switch to the other). So it is not uncommon to see one part number with TWO or THREE vendors producing it.
A lot of times car makers will have at least two vendors to supply parts (reason being if there is a problem with one brand they simply switch to the other). So it is not uncommon to see one part number with TWO or THREE vendors producing it.
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I've replaced a few sets of Lemmforder control arms on the Audi from FCP. They didn't even make it a year. I won't buy them ever again.
Originally Posted By: kschachn
But they seem to be of very high quality and I'm inclined to keep them anyway. I'm under a severe time crunch on this job and unfortunately I can't take the time to send them back.
I was in a similar position when I replaced some bushings on my girlfriend's VW Beetle.
I ordered Meyle brand, which I thought wouldn't be Chinese, but it turned out they were. They did seem to be pretty decent quality. It was too much time/hassle to send them back, so I just went ahead and installed them.
But they seem to be of very high quality and I'm inclined to keep them anyway. I'm under a severe time crunch on this job and unfortunately I can't take the time to send them back.
I was in a similar position when I replaced some bushings on my girlfriend's VW Beetle.
I ordered Meyle brand, which I thought wouldn't be Chinese, but it turned out they were. They did seem to be pretty decent quality. It was too much time/hassle to send them back, so I just went ahead and installed them.
a friend of mine bought some trw parts for his BMW. when he took the parts out, they was made by BMW. and saved 50%
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