Oem partnumber?

[norseman]

Ebay is a world of stolen, broken, fake, substandard rejects or all of the above.
Why anyone would want to buy safety critical components for a car there is a mystery.

Not actually bought safety critical, I leave those component choices to my local garage or specialist Indie.

The 'household name' items I was referring to were ignition components (that gives you a clue as to the brand) .. in the past it's been cooling system parts, oils, anti-freeze etc.

 

[mointainwalker]

Some ebay stuff can be better than oem. I bought amber bulbs that had real amber glass. Oem was painted and failing MOT.

Do you buy your used oil off E-bay ?

 

[mointainwalker]

Not actually bought safety critical, I leave those component choices to my local garage or specialist Indie.

The 'household name' items I was referring to were ignition components (that gives you a clue as to the brand) .. in the past it's been cooling system parts, oils, anti-freeze etc.

Lucas / Wipac?

 

[DiyNutJob]

Do you buy your used oil off E-bay ?

I bought new castrol oil off ebay a couple of years ago. I had a thread on it. The engine hasn't blown or anything. Currently running a new (very old obsolete model binatone 3525) DECT phone from ebay. The house hasn't yet caught fire. Both the base and handset need mains.

I am about to buy this because it's cheaper than amazon by £2. What do you reckon?

For BMW E46 Front Antiroll Bar Stabiliser Link Rod, Lemforder, 31356780847 | eBay

For BMW E46 Front Antiroll Bar Stabiliser Link Rod, Lemforder, 31356780847.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Burnerman]

I like to support my local factor for various reasons.....
It keeps them in work
Delivery is usually early next day for non stock parts
The prices are more competitive than you think
Their knowledge / advice is very valuable
They have access to databases from manufacturers
If there could be a part dispute, they will get in say, both parts and let me take them away so I'm not stuck
If it's an exchange part, they say bring the old one in when I'm ready
They will deliver, especially if I'm pushed for time
Etc, etc.
My custom every time.
John

 

[Burnerman]

I bought new castrol oil off ebay a couple of years ago. I had a thread on it. The engine hasn't blown or anything. Currently running a new (very old obsolete model binatone 3525) DECT phone from ebay. The house hasn't yet caught fire. Both the base and handset need mains.

I am about to buy this because it's cheaper than amazon by £2. What do you reckon?

For BMW E46 Front Antiroll Bar Stabiliser Link Rod, Lemforder, 31356780847 | eBay

For BMW E46 Front Antiroll Bar Stabiliser Link Rod, Lemforder, 31356780847.

www.ebay.co.uk

Lemforder are excellent products - use them with confidence.
John

 

[norseman]

Lucas / Wipac?

Lucas.

These components are now produced in Turkey or China.
The latter still comes in the traditional red/black boxes bearing the well known logo & the former in green boxes bearing the name.
I have to say though that the coolant temperature sensor (for the ECU) from China seems to be satisfactory. The distributor cap however (in the green box) was of poor quality & the rotor arm was just about acceptable. I didn't use either, preferring to clean & re-use my originals, made in the UK

 

[DiyNutJob]

Lemforder are excellent products - use them with confidence.
John

I normally prefer OEM. But I can't be hassled to lift the car to see who made the old one. So, doing random buying. There is some chance the old dealer part is Lemforder.

 

[Burnerman]

You won't see what make the existing spring is......the nearest you'll get is a paint code of three dots - but that's probably long gone anyway.
John

 

[DiyNutJob]

A lot of parts have the OEM markings on it. They are there probably because of special contract conditions with the car assembler/manufacturer. With suspension parts, the ride quality could be severely affected. In that case I go dealer part if I can't identify the maker. From time to time, there are sellers for dealer parts on ebay.

 

[Burnerman]

Can you define the OEM markings please - apart from the paint dots I've mentioned?
John

 

[DiyNutJob]

If you are talking about springs, then I don't know, I have dealer ones. For other parts, they have the name of the OEM on it along with their part number. For example wheel bearings are FAG.

 

[mointainwalker]

If you are talking about springs, then I don't know, I have dealer ones. For other parts, they have the name of the OEM on it along with their part number. For example wheel bearings are FAG.

When I was involved in supplying to manufacturers - Ford, VW etc -it was not permitted to put your company brand/name on the part: suppliers were allocated codes to use. It was also part of the standard contractual terms that you were not allowed to publicly identify your customer , which sometimes led to problems at exhibitions where there was material which did do so.

 

[DiyNutJob]

When I was involved in supplying to manufacturers - Ford, VW etc -it was not permitted to put your company brand/name on the part: suppliers were allocated codes to use. It was also part of the standard contractual terms that you were not allowed to publicly identify your customer , which sometimes led to problems at exhibitions where there was material which did do so.

Must be manufacturer specific then. On my car, I found various parts with OEM identification on them along with the car maker's ID. It's how I identify some of the parts to buy from ebay or china.

 

[DiyNutJob]

To satisfy your curiosity of OEM identification, I took out the dealer electric radiator fan I bought long ago. This also allows me to inspect my engine cover leak.

The leak is bad. Not sure if it the warped cover or china gasket that is the problem. All my engine oil consumption is going to the AC compressor. The compressor is driven by a china "fly pig" brand belt. It had an extra rib that I sliced off with a knife. It's been in use for many years with no problems. I didn't need the OEM for the belt. As soon as I discovered the brand, I knew that was for me. Not disappointed at all.