11th Apr 2024, 21:03

I am the one who wrote comment 20:25. Obviously there are others involved in this.

Sorry to say but you are missing my point. Yes, there is a different manufacturing process between aftermarket and remanufactured parts. There is if you ask me NO difference in the quality which is hit or miss. Mostly miss. You sold auto parts for a living and I used to install them for a living at a mom and pop shop many years ago. So yes, we both have our experiences. And I never said that Delco wasn't made in the US. Wherever they are now made, China ,Mexico or in the North Pole, they have better quality and outlast the cheaper part store brands. Same goes for ALL the car brands companies that make their parts including Motorcraft and Mopar. Ever hear the term "you get what you pay for"? It applies to auto parts too.

Lastly, yes, the author of the review did reply they purchased a dirt cheap remanufactured brand caliper. What they didn't say was what brand such as Duralast like you said. Could have been Carquest, Cardone or Dorman. Whatever brand it was, I'm surprised that they got 10 years out of it.

12th Apr 2024, 01:45

So you're saying that aftermarket is better than new? Explain.

13th Apr 2024, 13:42

I'm sorry, but if you were employed at Auto Zone you should be aware that the company in the link you provided has the same name, but doesn't manufacture steering and suspension parts for cars. In fact the logo and products that they produce are completly different.

17th Apr 2024, 17:04

I don't recall what the brand of brake calipers I got: It was sort of emergency so I just got what they had in re-manufactured form. There isn't exactly a lot to go wrong with brake calipers. They're just big chunks of iron with cylinder and rubber bits.

That isn't to say I've had all good experiences with aftermarket stuff. I decided to replace the plastic side marker lights and ordered some cheap ones from Taiwan. What arrived was in no way the right fit and they were completely unusable. I wound up buying some NOS ones online instead.

I try not to skimp out on critical things like oil, coolant, spark plugs, wires and for example seat belts. The originals finally wore out and I ordered new sets from an American manufacturer. They cost over $300. But if I'm going to trust my life to something then it needs to be good quality

11th Jun 2024, 13:19

Small update: For the first time in 28 years the truck "almost" left me stranded. Pulled up to a long-ish stop light and the engine started to get bogged down, as if it was in gear. When the light turned green I couldn't get it to go into gear. The engine died and I rolled over to the curb. After a minute it would go back into gear and I was able to make it home. The master cylinder for the clutch is leaking. I assume the rubber bits inside have rotted from age. I was able to order a new master and slave cylinder and they were insanely cheap despite being a good name brand. I guess this sort of thing can happen when a vehicle gets up there in age.

11th Jun 2024, 19:30

I can't believe that you have not done one service to the A/C . No replacement parts or even a freon recharge or top off, or is the truck even equipped with it?

13th Jun 2024, 13:07

Well, interesting the mention of the AC unit. Where I live it's a nearly constant 65-70 degrees and so I don't use the AC that much. The AC at this point was barely putting out cool-ish air. But we did get a heat wave a few months ago. My parents were visiting and my Dad asked: "Have you ever recharged the AC system?" Short answer: no. That had not occurred to me. So I bought a bottle of R-1234yf, recharged the compressor and voila! Cold air again. Guess the old stuff dissipated after all those years.

15th Jun 2024, 17:17

Not sure how you managed to add R-1234yf to a 1996 Tacoma A/C system that was designed to use R-134a (the fittings on the charge ports are totally different) but, assuming you did, you may expect some expensive A/C repairs in the future. The two refrigerants are NOT compatible, and mixing the two can cause evaporator freeze-up, along with other problems.

15th Jun 2024, 21:38

How long has the new R134 lasted you? I think you might find that you have a leak in your system.

18th Jun 2024, 18:00

It's like mixing Dex-Cool engine coolant with the regular green, a disaster waiting to happen.

20th Jun 2024, 12:47

The AC has been fine. All I did was go to the store, look up whatever was sold that was labeled as compatible with my system and let er' rip. I would assume there wouldn't be a company that would advertise a product that they said would work when it doesn't. Otherwise they would be out of business. So yeah - AC is fine, no problems, no locking up, no leaks.