Just went to put my new brake light switch on the MK2. Old one is original VW and is knackered. Fair enough. New part is Unipart (and cost 12!!!), plugs in fine and works. Great I think, go down the road to test it out, stops working. Unscrew dash again and the whole thing has popped off because of the spring/tension and the wimpy little clips that hold it on. It barely lasted 5 seconds for petes sake! Will now have to superglue I think but stupidly I expect better. I always try to buy from VW because the amount of times I've been let down by the rubbish that Lucas/Unipart etc etc churn out is untrue. Points, switches, well everything is just cr@p! What are your experiences then? lol
Oh, the best experiences I have had so far: - A MK2 pattern upper steering bearing / ignition housing from GSF. The casting was so poor it was untrue, and very brittle. I just couldn't use it. I dropped it on the floor and it flew into pieces. Bear in mind that this part contains the steering column lock. What if that failed while you were driving? Horrible, horrible pattern component. - MK2 steering tie-rod end balljoints from GSF. They were fitted to my 16V G60 and by the time I came to MOT the car (almost a year later) the rubber boots had completely perished and crumbled away - while the car was just sat. They had never seen the road.
right I'll keep that in mind lol, had to modify the new one with the end off the original to get it to work. Complete PITA though and took about an hour instead of 5 mins
Never buy them unless I have to however I do take recommendations from my local VAG Specialist garage on acceptable quality items where available - then choose.
I agree there are some totally naff aftermarket parts out there. I've had problems with gsf parts in particular. Mismatched shocks made on different continents, with feelably different damping rates would have been downright dangerous on a wet road. A tie rod which had play in it from new, other bits and bobs which have had to be returned. My speedo cable's done less than a year and it's already fit for the bin. There is a list on here somewhere which says who the oem are for various parts, worth checking against a list like that. Also never assume a new part is ok, always check it thoroughly before installation. They're cheap for a reason.
I had to buy a tail pipe last week and the thing wouldn't go on properly, caused all sorts of problems has it was hanging 1 inch forward. As a consequence, I had to go for the other two sections to make it sit right, ok, it all stud me at 100, fair doo's but what a pain getting it all right. End of day guy's, you gets what you pay for!
I had the same problem with paten door handles from a German company who state that they are the best fitting door handles Quote (Just Like VAG One) 18 they were so bad they didn't even fit there own gaskets, so i shelled out 47 for VW for VAG for just 2X handles so i from now on buy form scrap yard ebay or you guys
pattern exhausts just dont seem to match the oem stuff very well. you find leaks and things. Constantly replacing the odd mismatched box every time! exhaust rubbers...pattern last about 5 minutes
I once worked, for just two weeks, for a company that made aftermarket parts. The stuff they made was rubbish. They made gear box components, by measuring the OE part, and replicating it. But, they had no metalurgist, or engineer, 'till I joined them. But, the top management would not let me implement proper engineering design! So I left. Don't misunderstand me. Some companies make really good stuff. SKF, ZF/Sachs, Fag, Gates, etc. Trouble is, GSF, Europarts, don't understand. They don't employ engineers or metalurgists, to ensure that the parts they sell are of a proper quality! QH are about the bottom of the pile when it comes to aftermarket parts. I once had to compare QH clutches to Laycock clutches. The QH parts were made from 5hite!
Cheap aftermarket parts have always been dodgy. Problem nowadays is that seems to be all that is offered. Twenty or even ten years ago, companies like GSF or Autocavan (RIP) used to offer the genuine OEM part and a cheaper option, which meant it was possible to save money on the stealer price and keep proper quality in your car. Nowadays, what was the cheaper option seems to have become "best quality" and the new cheaper option is just unutterably vile rubbish. The sellers claim that they are just following market pressure to be price-competitive... Cheap parts are great for the first 5 minutes but are not the answer for committed owners (like most on here). Wish there was another way.
3 First Line clutch cables in about 3000miles. No funny routing, all fitted properly (well once I had taken the grinder to the pedal end so it would fit!) Maybe its my release bearing?
I agree with you they are just offering some rubbish parts. I dunno whom to trust with regards to online buying of aftermarket car parts. Do you guys have any suggestion where to buy online aside from rockauto.com and ebay what else do you have in mind?
Finding genuine parts for my dad's 1968 Beetle isn't easy. I need to find it a new rear wing and he wants hubcaps for Christmas. I'm going with refurbing an original set for the caps, he's obsessed with restoring the car to the way he bought it 35 years ago.
if you want quality bits go for AVS if you can over gsf. as above gsf have been gradually replacing the good stuff with utter cack. shame avs dont have everythign on their website, but if you give em a bell they sometimes have the bits you need.
Maybe we should create a definitive list of parts to avoid e.g. GSF heater matrix hoses seem to last 6 months and leak
I always try VW unless I have no other choice, like the other week when my local agent told me front brake pads NLS on my jetta gti !! Brake pads !! Their loss.
