Using OEM Parts on 9 year old vehicle 223k miles...

[notharry]

To your point. Subaru and many other manufacturers use KYB strut assembly's as built from day one. My Subaru has the same 2008 spring and saddle mount ,boot. that came with the car. I.m sure they are nit like new however are quiet and don't bind. I replaced the struts only with Monroe, 6 years ago which which I considered a mistake I should have gone with KYB quick strut i was telling myself. Your KYB replacement had some plastic parts and was a epic failure. I read another post that spoke about a Delphi alternator that was purchased and installed. It only lasted a few year twice when the OEM Delphi lasted say 13. So is the OEM Delphi designed to have a longer life cycle? Simple economic says how much more money can they make by building a Economy version in there name using existing machinery. I would be curious to know if the Mini and the Delphi have the same part numbers.

 

[Mewbs]

I just looked up the ADVICS rotors and pads for my 2015 RX350

Rotors and Pads, $215 before shipping.

I paid $195 for the Toyota/Lexus OEM pads and rotors.

How much would I have saved at Rock Auto again?

Probably different pricing depending on what model vehicle you have. To replace my front rotors and brake pad set on my vehicle using Toyota dealer parts would cost me above 300 dollars in California. ADVICS parts from RockAuto nets me nearly half of that with shipping combined.

If the dealership is providing you a better price quote than aftermarket then I don't see a reason to settle for less unless you really don't care much about your vehicle and keeping maintenance cost to a minimum.

 

[turboseize]

I don't consider a 9 year old vehicle old. 223k is getting up there a bit though, but I think age kills more than mileage

Nine years is brand spanking new. I've never owned a vehicle that new!
I mean, I even consider our 2004 e46 convertible a "new" and modern car...
The newest car I ever had was a 2006 Alfa 156 that I bought in 2022.

Buying OEM regardless of mileage and age wouldn’t bother me spending the extra buck not getting my money worth out of OEM would bother me more. What’s the guarantee buying oem gets you more for your buck?

This depends greatly on manufacturer.
With Mercedes, that's a no-brainer. Service parts (brakes, chassis/suspension parts) are usually very reasonably priced. I could save 15€ for a set of front axle brake pads and rotors combined, so what's the point in taking any chances?

Now with the Saab-Opel hybrid, that is different. I trust GM much less than MB. If I can get a part from a reputable manufacturer, chances are it won't be worse. (This still holds true after the bankruptcy - Orio AB, as Saab Parts is called now, simply is to small a player in the market.) But other than with brakes and spark plugs, usually I don't have much choice any more. You are lucky if you can get a part, so you take whatever you get. Often that is house brand by one of the specialised dealers. And often the quality is questionable. But having to replace a part in 50.000km surely beats not being able to drive at all!

Regarding brakes, I've found that you can't really go wrong with ATE...

 

[RAR]

To your point. Subaru and many other manufacturers use KYB strut assembly's as built from day one. My Subaru has the same 2008 spring and saddle mount ,boot. that came with the car. I.m sure they are nit like new however are quiet and don't bind. I replaced the struts only with Monroe, 6 years ago which which I considered a mistake I should have gone with KYB quick strut i was telling myself. Your KYB replacement had some plastic parts and was an epic failure. I read another post that spoke about a Delphi alternator that was purchased and installed. It only lasted a few year twice when the OEM Delphi lasted say 13. So is the OEM Delphi designed to have a longer life cycle? Simple economic says how much more money can they make by building an Economy version in there name using existing machinery. I would be curious to know if the Mini and the Delphi have the same part numbers.

While you didn’t reply to me directly, I’m assuming this is in response to my posting as it mentions Delphi and Mini since I’m the only one mentioning them.

The two versions of Delphi are, I suspect with no evidence, for the two engines in the R56 Mini Coopers. The normally aspirated N12 and the turbo N14. The coils are likely the same fitment but the coils on the turbo must have a different specification. No idea if I’m right. But the cheaper Delphis I had lasted 2 years if I recall. I replaced them with Bosch coils after one of the Delphis failed on me at highway speed. Not a fun drive.

I have to assume these inexpensive versions are my issue as the dealer said I need to replace them (they’re only about 6 months old). They know they won’t be doing the job given the outrageous markup so it’s not an upsell to me.

Even buying Genuine Mini branded coils from Pelican Parts or another Euro parts supplier is a significant markup for the same item. I already ordered the new coils and plugs from RockAuto so we’ll see what shakes out. I’m hopeful.

 

[Rogueman2016s]

Nine years is brand spanking new. I've never owned a vehicle that new!
I mean, I even consider our 2004 e46 convertible a "new" and modern car...
The newest car I ever had was a 2006 Alfa 156 that I bought in 2022.


This depends greatly on manufacturer.
With Mercedes, that's a no-brainer. Service parts (brakes, chassis/suspension parts) are usually very reasonably priced. I could save 15€ for a set of front axle brake pads and rotors combined, so what's the point in taking any chances?

Now with the Saab-Opel hybrid, that is different. I trust GM much less than MB. If I can get a part from a reputable manufacturer, chances are it won't be worse. (This still holds true after the bankruptcy - Orio AB, as Saab Parts is called now, simply is to small a player in the market.) But other than with brakes and spark plugs, usually I don't have much choice any more. You are lucky if you can get a part, so you take whatever you get. Often that is house brand by one of the specialised dealers. And often the quality is questionable. But having to replace a part in 50.000km surely beats not being able to drive at all!

Regarding brakes, I've found that you can't really go wrong with ATE...

Saab was an excellent brand they had some unique characteristics. The older ones had the engine on top of transmission I believe and i remember my neighbor who ran out of his garage a Saab repair shop saying many of the older Saabs had ford wiring connectors and harnesses because at the time ford had a good watertight plug end. He was never really into the newer Saab/delco vehicles I would assume these Saabs used delco/valeo parts?

 

[turboseize]

GM bought a stake in the Saab Car division in 1989 and took over completely in 1991 or 1992 I think. The 900/II was the first vehicle developed under GM rule (started by Saab-Scania on the 9000 Plattform (based on Fiat/Lancia tipo4), but then hastiliy put on the Opel platform).
But Sasb using Ford parts before kind of makes sense, as Saab had replaced the 2-stroke 3cylinder of the 93 and 96 with the Ford V4 somewhere in the late 60s or early 70s.

 

[cheesepuffs2]

I'm "one of those people" that thinks if you want the vehicle to last and perform the way it was designed...you always use OEM parts if they're available. The OE has experienced what it's like if you use aftermarket parts.

Ed

I've never really understood this mindset only because OEMs are at the mercy of their finance departments and cut corners all the time. There are tons of aftermarket products that perform better than OEM parts, brakes included.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

I've never really understood this mindset only because OEMs are at the mercy of their finance departments and cut corners all the time. There are tons of aftermarket products that perform better than OEM parts, brakes included.

I agree that some parts are better...but many are not. If one is willing to take the chance on the aftermarket part, that's an individual choice. I'm simply saying that you know, with 100% certainty, the OEM part will help the vehicle perform the way then engineers designed it to.

There are plenty of people who will trade in their OEM parts as some sort of core charge to buy aftermarket parts thinking they're "better". Then, in some cases, they find out the aftermarket part is poor quality but they've already traded in their old OEM part. Where do you go now? Buy the OEM part that they should have bought to begin with...the same one that you know will work as expected?

I've heard a lot more complaints from people using aftermarket parts than using OEM parts.

Ed

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

Probably different pricing depending on what model vehicle you have. To replace my front rotors and brake pad set on my vehicle using Toyota dealer parts would cost me above 300 dollars in California. ADVICS parts from RockAuto nets me nearly half of that with shipping combined.

If the dealership is providing you a better price quote than aftermarket then I don't see a reason to settle for less unless you really don't care much about your vehicle and keeping maintenance cost to a minimum.

Believe it or not, most Toyota/Lexus parts reach across a wide variety of their models, crossing over Toyota/Lexus and running through 5-8 years of models at times.

The same exact rotors and pads (and all other hardware/hub/components) for my 2015 Lexus RX350 fit a range of Highlanders, Sienna vans and Camrys, I believe. I know they are on Highlanders for many years.

What I generally do is look up my parts for a Lexus on Scottsdale Arizona's Bell Lexus parts website (they have great prices, great service and I have had Lexus-only parts shipped to me from them in the past), then I take the part number, copy and paste it into Lagrange GA Toyota's parts website. I order online from them and I pick up in person.

Many times the Lexus part is a direct cross over for a Toyota part and it's generally $2-5 cheaper at Lagrange Toyota versus Bell Lexus.