Opinions on Dorman quality, please

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Brule

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I'm specifically referring to a Dorman clutch master cylinder I purchased from RockAuto for an '03 Honda Civic Si.

At 191k I replaced the master cylinder with the Dorman part and slave with a Beck/Arnley part. Now at 205k master cylinder has failed.

This time I put in a Sachs master cylinder, but it's made in Taiwan and looks identical to the Dorman. Does Dorman have a poor quality record, or was this just bad luck? All I've really known them before was for lug nuts.
 
Dorman makes almost everything in one way or another.
Their quality is hit & miss, like everything else.
Raybestos got out of the clutch hydraulic business a couple years ago.

For the most part, the dorman clutch hydraulics and brake hydraulics have been pretty reliable.
Almost everything Dorman makes is mfgr'd in China.
I've never seen anything not look like OE or not fit correctly.
 
Can't offer an opinion on a clutch master cylinder. I did buy one of their fuel pump driver module's for my last truck, a 2004 F-150, and it seemed to be pretty good.
 
My latest Dorman acquisition was some headlamp adjusters. When inserting them, the little arms to prevent it from going too deep, and keep it from twisting, snapped off as if they were made from pasta.

The screws themselves required the headlamp buckets be thinned out somewhat to accept the groove in the screw head.

After measuring my parking brake cable I checked the prices. Dorman was 12 dollars cheaper than Raybestos professional. I purchased the latter, and I do not have disposable income.
 
I have a Dorman CV joint boot clamp which is really flimsy but does the job and I also have two Dorman lug nuts. The lug nuts are lighter in weight than my genuine Honda lug nuts but they have not lost the chrome finish and hold torque o.k. I'm not a fan of Dorman products but when I need a product quickly and don't want to spend a chunk of money at the dealer, I go down to my convenient auto parts store and get the Dorman stuff for a cheap price.
 
What was the country of origin of the Dorman master cylinder?

Taiwanese products are often good quality or better, and many times they are better quality than Chinese parts. So, I wouldn't condemn the Sachs part just because it's Taiwanese.

I would definitely put more faith in a Sachs part than a Dorman part, but that's just my opinion. I've used some OK Dorman stuff, but I generally choose other brands over Dorman.
 
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
What was the country of origin of the Dorman master cylinder?

Don't know country on Dorman mc because I didn't keep the original box. Part itself doesn't indicate.

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Taiwanese products are often good quality or better, and many times they are better quality than Chinese parts. So, I wouldn't condemn the Sachs part just because it's Taiwanese.

I agree, just pointing out where is was made. I've bought Raybestos products made in China.

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
I would definitely put more faith in a Sachs part than a Dorman part, but that's just my opinion. I've used some OK Dorman stuff, but I generally choose other brands over Dorman.

Sachs sounds better to me too, and over the years I've realized in general price often indicates quality. Oddly, in this case the Sachs & Dorman mc are both $41.79 which is a little concerning to me. Maybe should have just spent $74.59 for the Beck/Arnley part to matche the slave.
 
Dorman rubber products crack in short order,their window regulators dont hold up over time,their chrome lug nuts rust almost instantly....such a shame.To offer as many products as they do,you would hope they would do it right.I laugh at their line "OE Solutions"..making it sounds like OEM products stink,and their Taiwanese products are that much superior.I know GM truck door handles inner and outer are terrible quality at the OEM level,cant imagine Taiwan makes them all that much better.
 
I'd say the quality is hit and miss. I bought two motor mounts make by Dorman. One did not even fit in my car, so I returned it. Nonetheless, I still had to pay for the labor cost to try to put it into my car, which is something like a couple hundred bucks. I won't touch anything made by Dorman with a 10 ft pole again, unless I absolutely have to.
 
I just recently ordered a Dorman transmission pan with a drain plug from Rock Auto for my Chevy Cobalt. I installed the new pan and gasket and it started leaking as I began adding the new fluid. I pulled the pan and put a straight edge to the mating surfaces and discovered they were anything but flat. At the point where it was leaking there was almost 1/8 inch bow between the bolt holes. I contacted Rock Auto concerning the problem and they are refunding me the full cost of the pan and shipping! Will I order from Rock Auto again? Yes. Will I order another part made by Dorman? NO.
 
Originally Posted By: Berny
I just recently ordered a Dorman transmission pan with a drain plug from Rock Auto for my Chevy Cobalt. I installed the new pan and gasket and it started leaking as I began adding the new fluid. I pulled the pan and put a straight edge to the mating surfaces and discovered they were anything but flat. At the point where it was leaking there was almost 1/8 inch bow between the bolt holes. I contacted Rock Auto concerning the problem and they are refunding me the full cost of the pan and shipping! Will I order from Rock Auto again? Yes. Will I order another part made by Dorman? NO.

Actually, you should have checked this when installing it. It is standard procedure and is fixed easily [unless a cast part].
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Originally Posted By: Berny
I just recently ordered a Dorman transmission pan with a drain plug from Rock Auto for my Chevy Cobalt. I installed the new pan and gasket and it started leaking as I began adding the new fluid. I pulled the pan and put a straight edge to the mating surfaces and discovered they were anything but flat. At the point where it was leaking there was almost 1/8 inch bow between the bolt holes. I contacted Rock Auto concerning the problem and they are refunding me the full cost of the pan and shipping! Will I order from Rock Auto again? Yes. Will I order another part made by Dorman? NO.

Actually, you should have checked this when installing it. It is standard procedure and is fixed easily [unless a cast part].

I also ordered one of these pans for my 2004 Monte Carlo SS. I put a straight edge to it across the pan and it's not very flat either. Even though the pan feels pretty heavy duty, there seems to be some flex to it. I would think that tightening the pan down would pull everything straight. The tranny pan gasket on this car is re-usable and pretty thick so I'm hoping it won't leak.

Mechtech2,
What is the correct procedure for fixing this problem? Thanks.

Wayne
 
Returned a Dorman Timing Chain Tensioner, the barrel was 2.2 mm larger than the original part and would not insert in the engine block. The box # was correct for my Corolla so maybe the wrong part was put in the right box.
 
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Their cam synchronizers for Ford Vulcan engines do not last past 10K-15K miles. It's widely documented on Taurus forums. This part will stop the oil pump if it fails completely.

Also, their coolant reservoir replacements for Tauri leaks.

They seem okay for really basic things like nylon nuts and fasteners, but I would not trust them for more complex parts, or parts that serve a critical mechanical function.

BTW - in my experience Taiwan can make some really high quality parts. Typically parts made in Taiwan are higher quality than those from China.
 
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