FYI: DC matching prices on "economy" parts

Just got our 300M back after having a new hood and some other body parts replaced (I don't know why that post decided to jump out in front of

*my* car). The insurance co. had specified "economy" parts where available, but the repairer told me that DC was (at least temporarily) matching prices, so all the parts they replaced are in fact genuine DC/Mopar parts.

Perce

Reply to
Percival P. Cassidy
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Good for you, but you're under no obligation to accept repairs made with "economy" (cheesy Chinese copycat crap) parts. The insurance company is obliged to return your car to what is known as "pre-loss condition". If your car didn't have Chinese-made sheetmetal parts on it before the collision, you don't have to accept them after the collision. You may want to rethink your choice of insurance company before you're forced to contend with them in a bigger mess.

Reply to
Daniel J. Stern

When I had a repair done about 3 years ago (new fender), the body shop pointed out to me that so-called OEM parts from Chrysler are likely to be from the same sources as any other aftermarket body part - and can be pretty crappy - not made to the same standards as what came on the new car. Also, I'm told that the aftermarket body parts industry has improved - as long as the parts are "CARTS" (I may not have the acronym exactly correct) certified, you'll do just as well (no worse) than getting pseudo-OEM parts from the dealer.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

And how do you figure, when they are made at the factory building the cars. That is why the presses for sheetmetal are beside the lines! And the run faster then the line to supply replacement parts. They are not subletted to foreign companys, like switches, etc.

Reply to
David

If you know otherwise, OK, but I find it *very* hard to believe that the manufacturers do anything other than assemble parts that they contract from suppliers. Are you speaking with authority? I speak as one who worked for a supplier of a particular commodity thru the early 90's and visited Ford and Delphi/GM plants quite a few times - they are almost exclusively assemblers of purchased parts and "manufacture" almost nothing. To be honest, we did not supply to Chrysler, but I would be surprised if they don't operate the same way.

In any case, I wouldn't be surprised if the acceptance tolerances are quite a bit looser in the OEM/aftermarket parts (i.e., production fallout), as we would often sell fallout of the parts we made to "special" buyers within Ford and GM for sale as "OEM" replacements thru the dealers (again, Chrysler probably did the same). IOW, the slogans that say things like "Be sure to always buy Genuine ABC parts" are somewhat misleading/fruadulent.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Yes, I have been on the floor of many plants, and they make all sheetmetal at the plants. That is why they have the pentastar on the sheetmetal. It is called a makers mark, and only parts made by Chrysler can have the pentastar mark. What probably happened in your case is the dealer was selling the bodyshop korean sheetmetal to make margins, he wouldn't get with the oem sheetmetal. But you are right about tolerances. Chrysler tolerances are pretty lax compared to Japanese manufacturers. The only sheetmetal outsourced, was the infamous plastic fenders on lh cars. which never lined up flush with the hood and doors. But then we had a high tolerence, they actually used quarters to line up as close as possible.

I would also be surprised if Ford and Gm outsourced sheetmetal. They used to outsource bodies in the old days but I do believe sheetmetal is all inhouse among manufacturers. It is easier to make inhouse as they are less susceptible to damage from moving around to much. as they would if they had to be trucked.

Reply to
David

Would you be able to identify the North American DC assembly plant where "the presses are beside the lines"? As a follow up, would you be able to indicate the types of sheet metal parts produced at, say, the Twinsburg (OH) or Sterling (MI) stamping plants?

Reply to
cavedweller

This is usually not true. The insurance company is required to restore your car to its previous functionality and value, but if they can do that with copycat parts, you have to accept them or pay the difference.

Reply to
John David Galt

I would think that using cheaper aftermarket parts would lower the overall value of the vehicle. That would certainly go against the goal of restoring the car to its previous *value*.

Reply to
Arif Khokar

Copycat parts, by definition, are not as functional nor as valuable as original-equipment parts. Therefore, it is not possible for a car to be restored to previous functionality and value with copycat parts. "Original appearance" isn't sufficient.

Reply to
Daniel J. Stern

OK - thanks for the information. I still wouldn't be surprised if they outsource replacement parts - the low risk of damage to body parts due to not shipping wouldn't be a factor anymore, and I know that other replacement commodity parts sometimes have no pedigree relationship to the original parts used in vehilce build.

You sure the pentagram can't be used for outsourced parts? I would think that is simply a matter of contracting and licensing - not restricted to parts only made in house. But I could be wrong. Would that mean that, say, MOPAR transmission fluid, whose containers have the logo on it, is made in house? I'm really doubtful of your claim about the pentgram being a guarantee of whatever part being made in house. And as stated above, the business world being what it is today, i find it hard to believe that they restrict themselves to making their own replacement body parts if they can save a buck by contracting that out with same or relaxed tolerances.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Any experience with the "CAPA" certified parts? Has the business changed (improved in that regard) over the last few years? Maybe the rule of "OEM body parts are always better" does not apply anymore?

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Correction - the acronym I was trying to remember was CAPA - not CARTS.

ill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

CAPA? I've heard of NAPA...

Reply to
Arif Khokar

There's also JAPA and GAPA...

Reply to
Daniel J. Stern

er...no, it's a Pentastar (though perhaps they used pentagrams on the '71-'72 Dodge Demon...?)

Reply to
Daniel J. Stern

None. Fortunately -- touch wood -- I haven't needed to worry about where any body parts come from. But should that day come, I will be perfectly happy to dispense with any glossy propaganda from the Certified Aftermarket Parts Association (or whatever CAPA stands for) and simply judge part quality by country of origin. Did the part come from North America, Europe, certain specific South American countries, certain Mexican plants, Australia, or Japan? Fine with me. Did it come from China, Taiwan or another such cesspool? Not fine with me.

Reply to
Daniel J. Stern

Daniel J. Stern wrote: > Copycat parts, by definition, are not as functional nor as valuable as > original-equipment parts. Therefore, it is not possible for a car to be > restored to previous functionality and value with copycat parts. "Original > appearance" isn't sufficient.

You seem to be using a dictionary I haven't seen or heard of. By "copycat" parts I (and everyone I've ever talked on this subject) merely mean parts made by somebody other than the manufacturer of the car.

Like store-brand food products, it's a matter of opinion (and also varies from one kind of part to another) whether these are every bit as good as the name-brand products. Certainly the term doesn't imply that they aren't.

Arif Khokar wrote: > I would think that using cheaper aftermarket parts would lower the > overall value of the vehicle. That would certainly go against the goal > of restoring the car to its previous *value*.

"Value" means resale value, and unless you can notice the difference from inside the car, or when looking at the car, that value probably hasn't changed, however much the owner might have preferred that the car manufacturer's parts be used.

The main exception is when the car is still under warranty. Then you can insist on original-maker parts if not using them would void the warranty.

My company, Farmers, offers an optional rider that lets you insist on original parts, if you want to pay extra for that coverage.

Reply to
John David Galt

As pointed out by Mr. Stern, change all references to "pentgram" in above post to "Pentastar"

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Yes, indeed. And while that's a nice overspanning theoretical definition, in the real world the term refers to Chinese crapola.

Oh, how big-hearted of them. Pay them *extra* and they'll do their job. Wow, how magnanimous.

Reply to
Daniel J. Stern

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