jfb

I was looking yesterday evening for a American made quality part, obviously no luck but I did find a Canadian part after sometime. The Canadian parts usually have decent quality seriously look at the way they control there pollution and have clean water too boot. THIS IS THE REASON FOR THIS THREAD I CALLED R+++ +++o THEY LET ME NO THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW FROM WHICH WAREHOUSE SELLS WHAT QUALITY WHAT BS! I let him no bluntly that I do not put up with this kind of S===T and some like us care about how we STOP! this to me is deceptive practices beware out there with them and ask questions, the life especially with brakes might be yours to save. we as a group do not have room for this. post good parts sources here American made.

1970-W30

This is just my opinion, but I think you are giving Rock Auto a bad rap for no reason.....
A quick look at their selection of shoes and pads shows there are at least 2 dozen choices each for either brake pads or shoes to pick from for the popular 68-72 A body's. Many different manufacturers with a large selection of prices and quality, from economy to severe duty and many in between.
ps, I'm not sure what Canadian clean water and pollution have to do with brakes......

BangScreech4-4-2

How'd you even figure out what he's talking about?

tru-blue 442

Ha ha, I myself read through it and I was like ???

redoldsman

I thought it was an unusual post.

Allan R

I think he's upset because the parts he wanted were all from different warehouses. That would increase the shipping cost quite a bit. There's a really easy way to find out this information without getting all upset though.

Shop for the parts and put at least 3 different selections from the brake shoes, or other categories in your shopping basket. Then go to the checkout.

Look at which parts ship from what warehouse and delete all the parts that don't come from the same warehouse. Really easy to do. Then apply the discount code and voila! Parts are on the way without getting into a pissing match over the phone. Honestly I wouldn't want to be a CS rep dealing with people and trying to sort this out. I wouldn't have hair left at the end of the day.

IMO, the OP was still ...a bit... upset....after his experience and just needed to vent. We've all had bad days with ordering parts from one place or another.

Napoleon Solo

I didn't have a clue either.

pogo69

I understood what he was saying...just not worded for a harvard grad i guess

Allan R

I also understood what he was saying. Just need to read around the frustration and it's easy. Glad to know we have clean water and pollution under control. I'm pretty sure we don't really though.

Mak

How is it "deceptive practices" if they let you know when you called them??
Thread title should be "Practices Not To My Liking"

Koda

I am thinking they were not as vocal in their explanation of shipping times and fees as he would have liked. It's a legitimate complaint, a traditional mail order ships everything from one place, and places trade on the business that expectation brings, yet they run multiple warehouses for logistics, and hope people don't notice and will support their larger operating costs. I mean, who wouldn't choose a vendor who had it all in one place over one at three locations?

kjr442

And this is when I need a like button to push.

Fun71

Yeah, government environmental regulations really have no relation to retail mail order business practices.

aussie oldsmobile 98

unfortunately owning a older car , lookin and findin the part and getting parts shipped is not that easy ... but is comes with the joys of owning a cool ol car , mate im in Australia and I thought getting parts for my rambler was tuff ..BUT getting parts for a 64 olds 98 is near inpossible , many "big spares guys " in your neck of the woods don't even want to send stuff Australia they don't even return my emails to me..aussie money must be different??? ...so when I find a company that has parts I require my shipping cost 9times out of 10 are dearer than buying the actual part ..shipping cost s have gone up so much...but wot can you do ???? im just happy to get the parts .... well I could sell all my yanky cars and buy a new jap lawn mower car and look like a sheep and be like everyone else ...hell no!!...ps when my parts get to Australia they have gone over plenty water so they are pretty damm clean! ha ha

jfb

I can see that some do not understand this. I was looking to order a ac delco part and that used to be a American made part. I guess this should be easy to understand you should be able to trust the hard parts you buy,common sense says that some parts you cannot skimp on quality for your life seriously! I am not one of those guys who only plunks his *** in a beach chair and fires up the grill at a car show and the sausage! I was trying to let the hardcore people around our group know that American made parts from before are being watered down and Chinese made! I can see that from my conversation with them that after they said that they cannot control a simple thing like a description that it is deception, like selling the old quality name with a premium price and s==t quality. I do not trailer my car like some and they no who they are always barking on a computer about bla bla bla! these cars were meant to be driven and raced from day one with a touch of care they are not paintings! if someone does not give a s==t about stopping and wants to have a problem one day creep up on there a=s unknown, it was there choice if they knew what the quality of the part was, I prefer to have less issues to fix and drive and enjoy mine especially with brakes ! I know that some understand that a quality standard needs to be out there and understand that some things cannot be played with. It is getting to the point that a lot of suppliers are taking us for fools! I have been owning and working on these cars since I was a kid I know the life of there parts. I can see that some do not care about anything on these cars but the pretty side and driving 2nd maybe in years to come, I like a good balance factory looking and the performance they should have had and minimal work on them like they were before the bean counters took most of this hobby over. I guess some are just into it because the crowd did it what a waste of time. I guess the ones who want to defend Chinese crap and do only the carshow scene might answer this paragraph. I prefer honesty and frankness I do not accept deceptions and bs I value my life!

wr1970

More truth here than most would care to think about. I race and drive my 1970 442.

jfb

amen , enough said. wr 1970. I need to finish some work today on the olds. I have a race in a few weeks.

rustyroger

Guess what?, most of us don't want to skimp on our cars either. I'd wager we don't just get to a show and fire up the grill and open a beer either for the most part.
Sadly buying a genuine Delco part in no way guarantees it was made in America these days either.
How exactly do you perceive yourself to have been deceived?, nobody has lied to you.
Supplying parts for obsolete cars is a business, to stay in business a profit has to be made. The suppliers have to tread the line between quality and price, just as manufacturers of new cars. If everything was made as well as it possibly could be very few of us would be able to afford a car. Unfortunately a lot of the Western World is guided by price alone, look at the proliferation of stores selling junk, it doesn't matter that it's junk, it's cheap junk, that's what matters.
If you want only the best for your car, then you can, but it won't come cheap or convenient, good for you taking that course, but adopting a hectoring tone to us might not be the best way to win friends and influence people.

Roger.

jfb

I need to clear the air. 1 parts that have to be of a quality and once were are now getting replaced with a lot of Chinese bs in there box. Deceptive practices like I said. 2 I am not cutting anybody down but it is the cash and flash phony crowd or mostly show crowd that started most of this bs. I have saw since I was a kid the shift of attitudes towards these cars,they once were solid and running and moved towards almost strictly the look and some manufacturers took advantage of people. I am looking out for us as a group and that should be easy to understand. 3 I am a hardcore musclecar guy people period have to understand that there buying attitude and actions speak louder then words. parts producers read this kind of thing. 4 I have only 1 quality parts on my car,I have seen aftermarket parts crumble in my hand seriously. 5 with thought and discipline your overall cost can be lowered. I did mine as a whole for under 15,000 rebuilt and done, I am seeing signs here of younger readers that have something to learn and I am passing along solid knowledge and not cutting anybody down. 6 I do this for a living and make a good living doing it,I went to college and have a degree.7 I like everyone on this site but some things have to be correct for all of us like parts so lets cut the bs and drama. DOES ANYBODY WANT TO POST SOURCES OR PLACES WHO SELL AMERICAN MADE OR GOOD QUALITY PARTS. That is part of this sites whole reason for being for knowledge not drama bs and bashing. just do not post there whole name according to the rules here. I am out to help people and I check maybe 2 to 3 times a week into this site.

70cutty

What sucks the most that now days just because it's Made in America does not guarantee quality anymore. I think everybody is making parts cheaper with less stringent quality control. I had American made parts, that I paid for 2-3x more, fail on me and crumble in my hands and chinese parts, that cost fraction of the price, outlasted them.

jfb

thank you for the rebuttal that is part of what I am talking about straight info LIKE IT SHOULD BE! I had these cars since 2nd and 3rd hand late eighties early nineties my high school years. this is how we help each other with info not ragging each other. I want to see all of us enjoy our rides with zero hassles or tow bills. I also do not want to here about somebody crashing or burning here,it is also not good for our image. 2 If we address the good parts here we can avoid hassles that have to be avoided and also keep us safe. I need to make this clear,I tried to order a major brake part earlier and have had 1 other fail with the same manufacturer. the place I ordered from tried to pass a crap quality part in a premium brand box. ahhh deception at its best. BRAKES ARE NO PLACE TO CUT CORNERS ON! I will gladly pay more for a brake part I can trust! I do not travel at 10 miles a hour only. I have a few ways to stop but I can use as much safety and knowledge as possible. the b------t has to stop here in our actions as a group and definitely not letting it go on and realize what actions lead to what consequences in the marketplace!

Allan R

I think I can appreciate what appears to be a deceptiveness in over product integrity. Recently I had to replace an idler pulley on my wifes car. I bought a Goodyear replacment part because it said "Made in Canada" and I live in Canada. Woo hoo, sorta like you I like to support local business and economy. Got home and pulled the part out. On the bearing, it say's CHINA. So now I know that there's not exactly a truth in the Made in Canada component. I think what happens is they source out all the components to the cheapest supplier (usually off shore??) and do final assembly here in country. The part works fine, but I do feel the outside packaging is misleading as it's not all parts made here. Now the question will be, How long will it last till I have to replace it? The original lasted 18 years!! Although it was also a sourced part from China. Seems GM has no partiality in suppliers. I understand your comment well and appreciate how it can be a source of frustration or quality control. That said, I have seen products produced locally that have failed prematurely too.

442much

No deception Allan...the box was probably made in Canada. Hope it was a good quality box. :-)

Fun71

OK, I waded through a lot of posts and distilled it to the info below.

Am I misunderstanding this, or are you saying the retailer is "deceiving you" about the change the manufacturer (AC Delco) made in where their (AC Delco) parts are made?



This makes me think of back in the '80s when I worked at a couple auto parts stores. New AC Delco parts like master cylinders, alternators, and water pumps had a shorter warranty than remanufactured parts. I wonder why that was? Most warranties times are set using the predicted lifetime of the part so the manufacturer doesn't go broke honoring warranties, so this tells me the new parts weren't expected to last as long as the reman parts (the reman company had the same financial concerns as the new part company).

Mak

I find it hilarious that someone would actually rant & blame an online retailer (Rock Auto) for the fact that basically nothing is manufactured in the USA any more... talk about shooting the messenger! R.A. is just retailing parts, using the information they're given by the manufacturer... they have no control over where the parts are made. That's why they often offer several choices for the same parts. They have to strike a balance between quality and price, or someone else will be bitching that all their parts are too expensive... and how much do you think the guy making $12.00/hr to answer the phone really knows (or cares) about those products? A "hardcore musclecar guy" who is only interested in "1 quality parts" (who "went to college", no less) probably knows more than the guy at R.A., anyway... and would certainly spend the time researching exactly what he wants... and would usually be dealing with his local speed shop, so he gets exactly the high quality parts he's expecting! (and paying the usual premium price for it)... after all, he's ONLY interested in top quality! Generally speaking, people that order their parts online do so for convenience and/or price. Hey OP, if you don't like the parts they sell, don't buy them! Ever hear this saying? Fast, cheap or good... pick any two!

442much

The other day I decided to by a Canadian flag as the one on the front of my house was getting faded. I picked one up and the red was blood red and the white was like Mr. Clean just got through with it. Beautiful. As I was hanging it on the flag pole I saw the little tag. As I ripped it off I saw the Made in China on it. My Maple Leaf flag was made in China! Is nothing sacred? Then I realized...I bought the flag and pole kit from Wal-Mart. I wonder if I'll have to call Beijing to get my passport renewed?

Allan R

The box is indestructable. Made to last and last and last. Sorta like an energizer bunny...Too bad I can't mount the box to the car and throw away the pulley.

I buy my Canadian Flags from The Flag Store on Argyll Road. They make their own and you can get different levels of quality. WTH? Flags only seem to last around 2 years tops before they fade or fray anyway.

jfb

this is a answer to the statement above I have been told many times not r------o that there parts are good quality and American made. I then double check my info with them and find out that there Chinese made/ deception. I had this happen again this week with another part but s----t caught it. I like when I can trust parts it cuts down on tow bills and lost time. I stated before that if you no of American parts carriers post it! I do not mind good parts but the parts I am replacing are for hard serious use! I was told that the parts were American made and good quality and they failed. I DO NOT ALWAYS SEE A STICKER WHERE PARTS ARE MADE, I TOO HAVE TO RELY ON SOMEBODYS WORD. I think you can understand my plight and it too can affect you,lets stop this as much as possible. s----t sells American parts just ask. I have done all of this work once and painted my parts I do not want to have to do all of it again it is time to enjoy my ride not waste time for weeks.

jfb

this is also something I did not add from above from the statement from California. I have done my homework all of the time and do buy the best quality like I said from somebodys word of mouth sometimes not everything is posted honestly,computers can lie to you. the s--t gets steam rolled over and then a lot of people believe it and bs info gets passed around. I have always in the past raced these cars with gm parts and usually had almost 0 problems just usually a hose occasionally racing does not hurt your car or your investment!. I do not need a speed shop,power steering pump or a speed shop master cylinder I have the experience to know the difference. by the way I am also trying to help you maybe you are not done with your car and you can avoid a hassle and maybe you might have to do the work twice instead of driving this year so this will help you. good luck this is for all of us. we are a group not a one up crowd.

jfb

I will put a period on this thread in a positive tone. I in a professional manner contacted a auto association and a few suppliers also a few online. I explained with knowledge and authority that SOME PARTS CANNOT HAVE POOR QUALITY STANDARDS THIS IS A GOOD COMPROMISE! This will help us all better brake parts,Better fuel parts and steering! I do not know how far the ramifications will go but we all need to ask questions about serious parts! I tried to get a ignition part and not a hard part and 2 places now no my number and name and now are looking a little closer. I hope we all keep up the good work for ourselves as a group and other makes also. Lets get back to the basics and a grass roots movement I will see you around and not doing the work a second time wasting your time guys later! ps I did not give anybodys business name for legal reasons.

Octania

here is a good one

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-442-W-3...a46fd8&vxp=mtr

listed at 12x what the block is worth
first pic shows the dist'r "not available at this time"
red inner fender also

How about we do not show and mention what is NOT for sale?

jfb

droldsmorland

Erwin....vice grip... right...Was flying the American flag. Notice how the flags gone...notice the glut of ads on TV now touting their wears/snake oil...Read the package. Made to USA specifications using global sources or some crap to that extent. Now you get one chance at that bolt. Once the the pliers slip, gone are the teeth. Great high end metallurgy Erwin, stellar job! Thanks AHs. I have a drawer full of 20 year old vice grips that are still serviceable. Cuz they are USA made. I have had several new pairs that are trash after one use! ALL of Erwin product line is now garbage chineasium. My local hardware ACE replaced their Vermont line with Erwin last year. I spoke the the cashier and asked where the owner was. He was not there. I told her to relay the message to him that I will no longer be purchasing router bits and drills etc... because Erwin is china. She said we golly we didnt know that sir Ill relay that to the manager. OY!
Now I understand that my 20 year old pliers are preventing Erwin from making money on me. But how about 5-10 years on a pair then I need new ones? Know what they get from me now, nothing, because Ill never buy another set again. I've had about enough. I'm on the buy USA soap box. Read my many posts ranting about it(yes this one too). Even the car part reproduction market is neck deep in chineasium junk! Like I'm going to install offshore crap in an American muscle car. NOT. Ill rebuild, replate, reuse, before Ill do that. And I will pay 3x the cost over that chineasuim garbage too. Just to put them, the bean counters, the lawyers and corporate goonies who would outsource the mothers OUT OF BUSINESS. I too have received the same line when I've asked retailers where its made. I too tell them to shove it. If we dont buy it they will get it loud n clear. We need to start manufacturing again or we as a nation are done! Were almost there now. Especially after your girl gets into the white house next year....wow...were definitely done then.
Ill give the business names. Truth hurts but its the truth.

BangScreech4-4-2

This thread, which never made much sense in the first place, has degenerated into a litany of nonsensical rants. It should be put out of its misery.

RetroRanger

Minor nit its Irwin...but i agree, I found an old pair of vice grips in a car trunk recently and i was excited because despite the surface finish being degraded they were still in good shape and worked as intended.

rustyroger

Because they are well made. It's the quality of the materials they are made from and the tolerances they were built to that matter more than the country of origin. Most developed countries have produced top quality tools, and industrial tooling is still made to top standards because the bean counters accept that it isn't cost effective to skimp on them.

At the present time cheap is winning against good, the profits are going to those who pile them high and sell them cheap.

Roger.

wr1970

What is needed is a thread where USA quality parts can be listed as a sticky.

droldsmorland

Sorry about the rant guys but I've had it up to here with corporate America sending it all overseas, to include parts for my Oldsmobiles. I understand economics but I also understand how this nation was built.
Yes I have managed to ferret out a few tool companies that are left.
-Some Stanley, you have to look.
-Proto. Their open ends are comparable to Snap On at 1/2 the cost
-Armstrong.
-Most of Snap on Mac & Matco are are still here. But all 3 carry offshore Blue Point is one.
I dont think I can include Craftsman anymore but I cant say 100%. But I believe Sears has gone the same way all the other big box houses have gone...overseas. Everyone will have a mix of USA and offshore. For some reason they always offer up the offshore first. So you have to simply ask. Youd be surprised at how little the cost difference is in most cases. Bearings are a good example of this practice.

rustyroger

I agree, and we should spread the word beyond CO, let everyone know where quality products can be obtained, and why buying quality is cost effective.

Roger.

droldsmorland

Car parts and tools and misc items of interest.

Ok Moderators we need a sticky here.

Google Made in USA forever dot com. Many items here from house hold to garage to clothes. The sites moderator is on the same mission. In fact Google made in USA and America. There are a bunch. Also when we purchase from these companies that are still here; send them an email like I do thanking them for not selling out via the bottom feeding corporate goonies.