Ford Motorcraft White vs Red vs Blue Label Parts

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Y_K

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Hi,

Any clarity on the plethora of tiers in the Ford Universe? e.g. Ford # BW7Z 18125 B can be (or was) ASH24534, some vendor tried to sell me the same as ASH12277, which I can buy at half price of the former with label color tier system thrown into the mix. If 'they are the same one' why difference in price? usual marketing shenanigans?
KYB makes it much easier, but I was trying to keep the original ride of this older Towncar barge.

Talked to a couple of service writers, and they seem to be confused even more than consumers (depending on their tenure).

TIA
 
There are a lot of parts with both a long and a short number. The FL-820S is also a F1AZ-6731-BD. The long number actually tells you a lot about the fitment of the part. Not every part has a short number. There is no "white" line that I know of. Blue would be the Ford part while a red label would be a Motorcraft part. If there is a V in the base number like 2200 vs 2V200 on a read brake pad that would indicate Value Line.
 
Thank you very much. I may have also stumbled upon deprecated numbering. Cannot get why there are several short per one long number in some instances. Probably, older stock leftovers?
 
That would be old stock. Some numbers, especially suspension dampers have multiple supersessions and then the supersession will split between gas and diesel and then supersede back to the same number.

The newer numbers are all screwed up since whoever is coming out with them was not taught proper base numbers. For example there is a new O2 sensor with a base number of 9G444 which is a cat monitor (rear O2) but it replaces 9F472s (HEGO or front sensor) and 9G444.

Generally anything with a blue label is only available from a dealer. Also note that Ford parts bought from a parts house, ie not a dealer parts department, have no warranty.
 
The number changes might not seem like a big deal, but you have to memorize them when you work Ford parts. If you don't know the base numbers it takes forever to look up parts in the catalog.
 
In short, some Motorcraft parts are made to compete with the aftermarket, with the added advantage of being endorsed by the manufacturer as they are "recommended by Ford Motor Company". Some "Genuine Ford" parts, also have a Motorcraft part number - e.g. YW7Z-2001-AA is a set of factory front brake pads for a '98-'02 Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis and has a Motorcraft reference of BRF-748-A, which retails for $51.79. If you look up Motorcraft brake pads for a '98-'02 Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis on RockAuto, you'll come across the following:

- Standard replacement: BR-26-A - $33.79
- OE Design: BRF-1485 - $40.79
- OE Design (Police Interceptor): BRF-748-A - $51.79
- Super Duty: BRSD-748 - $41.79

The standard replacement is made to compete with the aftermarket, whilst the OE Design is to subsitute the OE part fitted at the factory. The Super Duty is an upgrade. Quite confusing, but to make matters even more complicated, BRF-748-A is now listed for a '98-'02 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor and was "superceded" by BRF-1485 as "OE Design" for standard vehicles. Looking at the Ford part number for BRF-1485, which is 7W7Z-2001-B, the 7 in 7W7Z denotes a 2007 Crown Victoria, but a '07 is listed as using 6W1Z-2001-A. In this case 6W1 denotes a 2006 Lincoln Town Car. A '07 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor lists 3W7Z-2001-BA, which is for a '03 Crown Victoria. This tells me YW7Z-2001-AA (Y denoting the year 2000) was "replaced" in 2007 for standard versions of the vehicle. The fact that the previous part number is listed for Police duty makes me wonder what the edge codes are on both. In short, it gets complicated. Your best bet is to look up the long Ford part number by VIN and take it from there - whether you are cross referencing it to a Motorcraft number or an alternate aftermarket part number. "Newer" doesn't necessarily mean "better".
 
Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
In short, some Motorcraft parts are made to compete with the aftermarket, with the added advantage of being endorsed by the manufacturer as they are "recommended by Ford Motor Company". Some "Genuine Ford" parts, also have a Motorcraft part number - e.g. YW7Z-2001-AA is a set of factory front brake pads for a '98-'02 Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis and has a Motorcraft reference of BRF-748-A, which retails for $51.79. If you look up Motorcraft brake pads for a '98-'02 Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis on RockAuto, you'll come across the following:

- Standard replacement: BR-26-A - $33.79
- OE Design: BRF-1485 - $40.79
- OE Design (Police Interceptor): BRF-748-A - $51.79
- Super Duty: BRSD-748 - $41.79

The standard replacement is made to compete with the aftermarket, whilst the OE Design is to subsitute the OE part fitted at the factory. The Super Duty is an upgrade. Quite confusing, but to make matters even more complicated, BRF-748-A is now listed for a '98-'02 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor and was "superceded" by BRF-1485 as "OE Design" for standard vehicles. Looking at the Ford part number for BRF-1485, which is 7W7Z-2001-B, the 7 in 7W7Z denotes a 2007 Crown Victoria, but a '07 is listed as using 6W1Z-2001-A. In this case 6W1 denotes a 2006 Lincoln Town Car. A '07 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor lists 3W7Z-2001-BA, which is for a '03 Crown Victoria. This tells me YW7Z-2001-AA (Y denoting the year 2000) was "replaced" in 2007 for standard versions of the vehicle. The fact that the previous part number is listed for Police duty makes me wonder what the edge codes are on both. In short, it gets complicated. Your best bet is to look up the long Ford part number by VIN and take it from there - whether you are cross referencing it to a Motorcraft number or an alternate aftermarket part number. "Newer" doesn't necessarily mean "better".


Falcon,

You are an excellent writer. You have managed to describe a very complicated system in a manner quite easy to understand.

Much appreciated.

Would some of these parts be packaged with a specific color code to inidcate quality level?
 
Glad I could help!

Packaging varies greatly. Something like a radiator hose will not come in a package at all, just a stick on label that can be red/black/white for Motorcraft or white/blue for Ford. Some parts, like a vacuum hose for example, may come in a blue and white box with "Genuine Ford" printed all over it with a Ford logo - although that's probably "old school" now. A filter will come in a red/black box with a Motorcraft label, but brake pads can come in a brown/beige cardboard package with just a part number label on it - can be red/white, can be blue/white.

It's really all in the part number - as bdcardinal mentioned, if it has a "V" in it, it is a "Value" product made simply to compete with the aftermarket. This holds true for a lot of suspension/steering parts - e.g. Motorcraft MCS-104225 is an upper ball joint for a '95-'02 Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis. The Ford part number is F7AZ-3V049-AA - notice the "V" in the basic part number, which signifies this is a "Value" product. Often, these parts are made by Federal Mogul - only in this case, the boot is clear/white on the Motorcraft but baby blue on the Moog.
 
As long as I can remember,Ford parts guys were always complaining about the complexity of the Ford numbering system and the old days when it took 3 binders to look a part up and check for supercedes.And then they go and change the numbering system from the old D2TZ-8620-A days to the mush they have now.Would drive me crazy.
 
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