deanshark

I have some old spare rotors I took out of my 93 before I junked it. They are Duralast (Autozone) and they have the same number and "made in Japan" on them. Actually most aftermarket rotors have that.
I'd say 60K is alot, I usually change mine at 30K.

Same with my Moog tierods. One Japan, one Mexico. IIRC Beck/Arnley ball joints were one Japan, one China.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

The bottom line is that any other big parts producer one can think of has this issue too. Some are very capable parts yet failures have become more common and we hear about them online.

A buddy that worked for TRW ground valves for various spec Toyota and other GM products. When he was running the machines his failure ratio was 1% where the other shift operators were hitting 3%. 5% defect was an acceptable ratio BTW. I don't know to what extent QC is in place there but the allowance is certainly showing that some of these off spec parts find their way into the wild.

peterls

Actually I haven't, but the other one cracked a few months ago, so there is that to go by (both were installed at the same time six years ago). The one that I pulled out, (in the picture above) is quite corroded, but I guess that's normal considering it's been there for six years (~70k miles). However, I couldn't detect any cracks on it - only traces of arcing and heavy corrosion. Maybe the other one failing was an exception? Who knows.
How long do OEM rotors/distributors last on average?

peterls

I would say, only if the part in question is easy to replace, and/or OEM is unavailable (increasingly the case with my 1990 LS) and/or there is a price difference that warrants the experiment with aftermarket AND one knows, at least to some extent, the quality of what they are putting in.
For instance, I am willing to put in an NGK ignition component such as a coil, if it costs many times less than DENSO one. The center mounted coil even a child can replace in five minutes and the chances of NGK producing an inferior coil are very low (although, I have no experience in that regard,so...)
But, there is no way in hell anyone could make me put in an aftermarket axle just because my OEM boot is torn, for instance. Same goes for all other essential components and parts: water pump, belts, P/S pump, alternator etc.

peterls

I said earlier, as an example, that I would gladly buy NGK coils instead of OEM (Denso) if they were cheaper.
My NGK coil arrived today and made me eat my words:


Then I looked them up to see if this is mentioned, and it's not, but their wikipedia page mentions that NGK is shifting focus from ignition parts to solid state batteries.
I had one NGK coil installed in my car for about 6 months and it worked fine, but I am looking for a coil that will last at least 10 years (if that's possible), and I have to buy anything made in China that lasts that long.

deanshark

That's crazy. Ya never know where anything can come from nowadays. At least it's your top coil, right?

YODAONE

Oftentimes Country of origin is deliberately not provided on website and in advertising material.

Why? Because it may stoke resentment and dissuade certain customers.

You must inquire before placing your order.

If Skippy the customer service rep is deliberately vague, then don't award your business.

Last I checked NGK was a "manufactured in Japan" company.

You vote with your checkbook.

If you don't agree with the quality reputation, business ethics and general vibe of certain countries, then return to sender.

If enough consumers raise objections, then supply chain partners heed the message.

peterls

yes it is, but doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

peterls

Frankly, I was blindsided by this one. It never occured to me that NGK, of all companies, would shift their operations to China.

peterls

OK, how's this for some good news re: aftermarket.
I decided to try my luck with outer tie rods. Since it's a 5 min job, I ordered aftermarket as an experiment - MOOG. They arrived and guess what - made in the USA! So that's pretty good news. Installation went well, no surprises, except for one: they come with grease fitting, so I bought a grease gun and filled them up with grease myself. Now, every few months, maybe when I rotate the tires, I will also inspect the those tie rods ends and see if they need any more grease and add it. That way they should last at least as long as OEM but most people claim they will last even longer if properly and regularly lubricated.
Since I just installed them, it's too early to tell how long they will last, but so far they performed perfectly well. Anyway, just wanted to mention that if you are apprehensive because you don't know where they are made, they are made in the US, and they come with zerks to improve their lifespan. (btw, they don't come filled with grease, so you HAVE to do that as soon as you install them!)

deanshark

I think it's awesome you got Moog "made in USA". And both of them? You should play the lottery cuz you just got very lucky. Just for the future, who was the seller that you bought from? I ask cuz as timmyOtool and I have pointed out, we got Moog from Japan, Mexico, and China which were ordered at the same time. I got mine "sold by Amazon". It's a crapshoot on what ya get sometimes.

Also, don't forget to get an alignment. If you screwed the tierods on too much or too little that will throw off the alignment alot. If you have other suspension work to be done, might as well do it before an alignment.

Again, good to hear you got USA parts. Keep us working.

peterls

Ha ha, I hear ya deanshark!
I bought tie rod ends at Rockauto.com. Arrived quickly, with Made in USA all over them. I imagine seeing 555 would be even better, but I still consider this a lucky find. And the price, even though they are listed under "premium", was only $23.79 ea.
I hear you about the alignment, especially that I just put on new tires, but I am waiting for my OEM lower ball joiints which should be arriving any day now, and then I will take it for an alignment.
Even though I made sure the new tie rods are positioned the same as old ones, that means very little because I changed pretty much everything: upper contol arms, outer tie rods and soon will be changing the lower ball joints. (and all new struts including the rear coils, all OEM not long ago)
But even without new ball joints, the car is running, steering and behaving like a new car now. Beautiful feeling!

peterls

Here is another one. Two drive belts for LS400, both made by mitsuboshi. Guess which one was made as an aftermarket part and which one for Toyota:



Notice that USA made has its logo crooked, while Toyota's printing is perfectly straight (I can see that better here at home, but picture show it too)

Now, a little peek at the differences:



The bottom one, the one without Toyota logo, is made in the USA, it says so on the cardboard it is wrapped in. No other markings or logos or "made in" on it, everything that is printed on it you can see in the picture above.
The top one in the picture above says nothing about where it is made, but I bought it on Amazon from TOYOTA, and there is an all too familiar Toyota part number sticker on it, covered a little by the yellow label you can see in the picture. In addition to the printing you can see on the picture, it also has a bright yellow line every foot or so (you can see one such line in the top picture).
But, most importantly, they are made differently. The Toyota Mitsuboshi belt is first of all a little tighter. When I stretched them between my hand, together, the original Toyota one is a little shorter - just a tad, barely noticeable, but it's there. Considering we have a tensioner, that probably doesn't matter. Also, the material the belt is made ON THE INSIDE feels like it has more rubber on the Toyota version than on the USA version. I can run my fingers along those groves and Toyota belt resists them more than the the US version which feels like it has more felt/cotton/whatever they use, in it. Toyota one feels more rubbery. Even the stitching on the side, the white stitching which you can barely see, is much more consistent and cleaner, practically perfect on the Toyota belt, and not so perfect and uniform on the American made one.

There you have it: two belts from the "same" manufacturer, two entirely different products. The American one is made probably by MBL USA (I believe it even said so on the packaging). The Toyota one has "Made in" entirely missing, which makes me a bit suspicious as Mitsuboshi, I hear, HAS a factory in China. But they do have one in Japan as well and I would imagine they would not import from China what they can make at home. I also imagine that if Toyota orders an OEM part, they expect it to be Made in Japan.

BTW, USA Mitsuboshi belt costs around $22 on Amazon (not available on Rockauto), while OEM Toyota belt also made by Mitsuboshi I paid double that. Barring Amazon, Mitsuboshi belt is also available from Amayama, from Japan, so I would hope it would be the same as OEM, and it costs there around $45 with shipping.

YODAONE

Aisin waterpump/timing belt kits contain Mitsuboshi timing belt made in Ottawa, Illinois.

I noticed differences between the kit belt and Toyota dealer labeled belt.

Mitsuboshi said both from same production line...

Was challenged to accept that.

My earlier post;

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...eficiency.html

For different reasons than yours, and adopting your comments, suggest NOT using aftermarket timing belts....and for $50 more, buy Toyota belt and park the Aisin timing kit belt. (They still.have not addressed the issues raised in post)

Your post questions belt integrity....which of course is worse than makings and lettering rubbing off.

Someone have something more definitive?

Are timing belts purchased from Amayama made in Japan??

peterls

Just spotted a mistake I made in my original post about Mitsuboshi belts: I refered to the top one as non-toyota belt, when it was the other way around. I said: "The top one, the one without Toyota logo, is made in the USA, it says so on the cardboard it is wrapped in"
Instead, I should've said: "The bottom one, the one without Toyota logo, is made in the USA, it says so on the cardboard it is wrapped in"
(I've edited my original post since, so the mistake is no more, but wanted to bring your attention to it, to avoid any confusion: it was the non-toyota belt that felt inferior in every way - from printing, to the amount of friction and even its size)