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The pattern oil filter I bought, although of similar dimensions to the Ford filter was of different consruction, plastic ends as opposed to cardboard, the cardboard sealed to the housing better, I assume stopping the oil from draining back to the sump while the engine was stopped. Also there was more filtration area, a closer pleated filtration element.
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>>I have no real axe to grind on this subject
Really? As soon as I saw the title of this thread, I knew you would be a contributor to it!
>>What has to be remembered is that the "manufacturers" dont actually manufacture their parts
That's not too important.
What does matter is that the manufacturer *specifies* the part to be made by his supplier, and that specification defines the original part. That original part is what is based upon the reults of the research, design, and development effort undertaken by the manufacturer (or by the supplier on behalf of the manufacturer).
Pattern parts are built without the pattern part manufacturer ever seeing the original specification for the part. The pattern part maker needs to guess based upon taking an original part apart what the design intent was, and what material specifications, dimensions and tolerances are acceptable.
Pattern parts, therefore are a bit of a guess rather than an engineered item. Even when the pattern parts are made in the same factory, are they subject to the same material quality requirements?, are they subject to the same testing and screening requirements as OEM parts? You simply don't know, and there isn't an easy way to find out.
In most cases, the guess of the pattern part maker is OK, but, with OEM parts, you know that what you are getting was designed and specified for your car.
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Some years ago I worked for a division of GKN that made engine bearings. The only difference between OE and RP parts was the packaging. As long as the part maker is a well known name such as Bosch, Mahle, AC Delco you are effectively buying the same part. It doesn't pay to run another line making a poorer quality version of OE parts.
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>>As long as the part maker is a well known name such as Bosch, Mahle, AC Delco
As long as they're up to speed.
Many years ago, I bought an AC Delco oil filter for a BMC 'B' series that had a 'standing filter'. ie, it went on with the open end down (it made a right mess when you took it off).
It didn't contain the non-return-valve necessary for this fitting. Fortunately I realised after a few days of it being slow to reach oil pressure, and re-fitted a genuine BMC part. I contacted AC Delco, and to be fair, they returned the call and put their hands up to not being aware of the spec change - they said they'd never been asked to tender for the 'standing' filter, and weren't therefore aware of it.
I believe some suppliers were required to pay for new engines as a result of this problem, Halfords notably.
More recently I replaced the CVs on a Micra. The boots that came with them lasted less than two years/10K miles. These were supplied by a local motor factors that I've been using for the last thirty-odd years with barely a problem.
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Pattern parts always cost you more in the long run. Number cruncher summed it up really.
I had a customer with a P205 GTI that had suffered air flow meter failure. replaced it with a Bosch replacment from a factors & it was rough. spent ages looking for other problems but diagnosis pointed to AFM. Replaced with another Bosch AFM & just as bad. Customer got fed up so I got an AFM from peugeot. twice the price & inside the Peugeot packaging was a yellow box with Bosch on it! Same part number. Fitted it & straight away before even driving it I knew problem was fixed, it ran a dream.
Interestingly the resistance values of the bosch unit from peugeot matched manufactures parameters but the 2 units from bosch via a factors where miles apart.
This told me that manufactures require an engineered specification & everything out side of that goes to the Aftermarket
After several similar incidences over the years I buy genuine. Its called fit & forget.
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I agree with the idea of genuine parts in general, but and there is often a but, some years ago I replaced the rear bumber on a Ford Transit van with a pattern part that was about £33 when the 'real thing' was £99.
As far as I could see the two bumpers were identical in every respect and in the three years that I had the replacement, there were no indications of an inferior specification.
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If you're careful pattern parts can be a good cheap alternative.
Textar pads and linings from the likes of GSF/Europarts for example, identical and same make to the pads that MB or BM will supply, so you'll buy the identical pads for about a third of the price.
BM ones don't even have their emblem stamped on.
I too am very careful about oil and fuel filters especially now though, i found a deformed seal housing on a fuel filter once meant i couldn't bleed the system.
Until then i used pattern parts a lot, but the thought of an oil filter having that problem and casually pumping all the oil out on the motorway under high pressure soon changed that.
As said most filters are only pennies difference anyway, its not worth the risk, cambelts are another must for OE.
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Wishbone arms are another one, there has been reports of some pattern ones cracking quite early. There is also the issues of bushes not quite fitting right.
If you fit pattern parts you also risk the insurance classing your car as 'modified' but I am sure they would have a job winning if it went to court!
I once saw something on Bossal's website about the difference between pattern and originals, it claimed that Bossals were made to Ford specifications as they are Ford exhausts e.g Ford use Bossal products. It claimed there was a bit difference between the standard of fit.
This is evient on Punto MK1s, the original back box is hidden in the back bumper you can't see the tail pipe unless you bed down, on pattern ones the tail pipe and back box really stand out.
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Some years ago I worked for a division of GKN that made engine bearings. The only difference between OE and RP parts was the packaging.
I think bearings are made to British Standards and/or DIN standards etc., which is not the same thing as a manufacturer trying to copy a product of which they haven't got access to the drawings.
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I think bearings are made to British Standards and/or DIN standards etc. which is not the same thing as a manufacturer trying to copy a product of which they haven't got access to the drawings.
Particularly when the manufacturer of said spare part is in China.
To answer Rattle,most manufaturers' exhausts differ slightly between sedan,hatch and estate.Different lengths for a start and shapes dependent on boot floor.Aftermarket parts tend to be made one-size fits all.I went into a Kwik-fit and pointed out that the tailpipe on the rear muffler they'd fitted pointed mainly at the rear valance of my car-they then added a short length of bent pipe but the average owner???
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I remember seeing fairly frequently Puntos IIRC with a hole melted into one rear mudflap due to the ehaust pointing at it.
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Pattern parts therefore are a bit of a guess rather than an engineered item. Even when the pattern parts are made in the same factory are they subject to the same material quality requirements? are they subject to the same testing and screening requirements as OEM parts? You simply don't know and there isn't an easy way to find out. In most cases the guess of the pattern part maker is OK but with OEM parts you know that what you are getting was designed and specified for your car.
But well known brand name manufacturers of pattern parts have a reputation to uphold and hence IMO some pattern parts are actually superior to OEM.
My own experience was with wiper blades, replacement Bosch ones lasted 12-18 months replacement OEM ones lasted 5 months.
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I was about to mention Mahle,so I will second YB's endorsement instead.
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The HENGST filters I buy from Eurocarparts are identical to the repackaged HENGST filters I buy from VW, albeit the former being cheaper. I tend to look what make original items are, such as TEXTAR brake pads and see if I can get them cheaper online.
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>>I tend to look what make originalitems are such as TEXTAR brake pads and see if I can get them cheaper online.
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Chinese copys?
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We sell Mahle filters & can honestly say that the garages around here love the product. If they don't make it OE, they tend to buy them from whoever does so the standard is consistently high across the range. For cambelts you can't really go wrong with Gates or Dayco, and we stock Mintex friction products, which also has an OE pedigree.
A lot of times, an aftermarket product may even exceed OE product, so don't be too hasty, do some research. Don't forget, if all OE parts were absolutley perfect, there would be no warranty work in the dealerships would there?
That said, there is some cheap garbage out there, especially on t'internet, if it seems too cheap. it probably is!!
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We tried some well advertised (commercial trade) pattern brake pads.
They were nicely boxed, nicely painted, and included brake wear sensor cables etc - they really looked the part !
Subsequent servicing and inspection showed that long before the friction material had worn out, it was separating from the backing plate. The plastic sensors melted before the first inspection, rendering the warning system useless.
We've had to replace 'em all with the real stuff.
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Garage I worked in used pattern head gaskets which failed after a few hundred miles.
Trouble was the mechanics got the blame - until the gaffer did one which also failed.
"Those gaskets were a load of rubbish, weren't they?" was about as near as we got to an apology.
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