OEM vs. Aftermarket, when it's OK

[pappy]

Go OEM...I have learned the hard way...It's too expensive to be cheap. Then you only have to cry once.

This brings up a discussion we have not had here in awhile. Since we have plenty of new folks I thought it would make a nice discussion. So, when is it OK to go aftermarket?

[My Opinion, of course]

First, I'm Toyota OEM anal. I'm lucky to have CruiserDan in my neighborhood, and consider him to be a friend. Other options for knowledgeable discount dealers represented on MUD are Beno, and Sam Stewart. Use them.

For the most part I say anytime a part of equal or greater quality is available. So what does that mean? There are several companies out there that provide Toyota with their parts. You don't really think Toyota makes everything, do you? Four that come to mind off the top of my head are Denso, AISIN, TIMKIN, and Koyo. The nice thing is those companies also offer their parts, sometime for significantly less cost, in the aftermarket world.

So, what am I willing to purchase through aftermarket channels?

Ox sensor (Denso)
Fuel pump (Denso)
Spark plug (Denso or NGK <- another OEM provider)
Clutch (AISIN)
Bearings (TIMKIN and Koyo)

I'm even willing to purchase oil filters aftermarket. Examples are NAPA Gold, Purolator, and a few others. But, in reality, why? I get OEM filters for less than $5 each which is hard to beat in an aftermarket part. So even though I would use an aftermarket oil filter, I don't.

If you do a little searching you can find other products out there. For instance Denso also provides sparkplugs, oil filters, and air filters aftermarket, but I've not seen a price advantage that would make me pay the freight (unless combined with some of the above). I've also seen reman alternators and starters available for less than dealer.

So there you go. I'm curious what you all are willing to purchase outside the dealer.

 

[Mudder]

Well I guess I'll be the first to respond. I love Toyota and I love buying Toyota parts. When I had a LBJ go out I went OEM same with the fan clutch I'll be ordering the fluid through beno. But other times I don't see the advantage. For instance with a front axle rebuild I'll go with stuff from marlin. Not because its less quality but because its cheaper as far as I know. I love OEM don't get me wrong but there's some things that its just not worth the cost. (If anything is wrong please correct me, autocorrect and lack of info some times)

 

[pappy]

For instance with a front axle rebuild I'll go with stuff from marlin. Not because its less quality but because its cheaper as far as I know.

Agree. I don't pay the big bucks for axle kits either. In fact, if I thought about it long enough I could come up with other things I purchase aftermarket. Radiator, coolant, oil, brake pads/shoes ... come to mind.

 

[KLF]

I try hard to buy OEM, but like you say sometimes it's not worth it. For example, I would never buy brake calipers from Toyota, they are crazy expensive. I bought a set from NAPA this summer and they were really nice. But you better believe they got a good cleaning and a couple coats of go-fast Rustoleum red caliper paint, just to make them last longer.

Sometimes it's also about WHERE you are buying the aftermarket part. I had to put calipers on the front of the Highlander this summer, I was in a hurry because my wife was trying to leave for a trip. So it came down to who had them in stock. I called Toyota first, no they didn't have them, but it was almost $200 per caliper. Not kidding. Closest place was Advance Auto, I think it was $40, so I went and bought them. Were they as nice as OEM? No. But I can buy 5 of them for the price of one OEM.

I've never bought an alternator from Toyota. Mostly because when I need one, I need it NOW, and they never have them in stock. But I'm sure they charge a premium.

I buy cleaning products and sealants stuff from AutoZone, but their parts are pretty much garbage.

I bought a front axle kit from All Pro on eBay this summer. IMO the gaskets weren't as nice as the OEM ones, and the felts were not as thick. Meh... it did the job.

 

[snobdds]

Unfortunately, some things are getting phased out by Toyota. Example, a power steering pump for a 1988 pickup. I bought the rebuild kit, but the reason I needed to replace it was a loud grinding noise that it gave off when really cold out and the kit didn't fix the noise (replaced front bearing too). I flushed ATF of all different varieties through it and nothing quieted it down. I was forced to buy a NAPA remanufactured one. Guess what, the thing still sounds like it did.

I have bought some stuff through Marlin and Low Range that are not packaged in Toyota red, but are supplied by the same OEM supplier...as Pappy said. Usually these are "kits" and I am happy to buy everything ready to go.

However, all parts that I have replaced with OEM stuff...have never needed replacement again unless it's a wear item. I just hope Toyota keeps the support for these vehicles for years to come.

 

[Kris]

I personally like the Toyota spark plug wires. There's nothing like the snap of a quality wire on a plug.
Otherwise I agree with everything on the list thus far.
I honestly can't think of anything besides brake pads, belts, hoses and lights that I would buy elsewhere - assuming I wasn't in a time crunch as KLF described.

The more I think about it the more non-OEM stuff I think about.
I did buy my last clutch/pressure plate from Marlin, and it seems to be holding up well.
My Carquest alternator has already imploded once, a year after I installed it - thank you lifetime warranty
My aluminum radiator is OK. Great cooling, but the plastic tanks are crap.

I am probably going to be in the market for tie-rods, balljoints and CV's soon - I am not looking forward to that bill.

 

[Mudder]

Funny plastic rads were brought up. On my 89 I bought a plastic one and its never failed me. Even held the coolant in when I flipped my truck. I also had a water pump from engnbldr and a new t stat from Napa in it. That thing was the best cooling truck I've ever seen. I don't buy the whole plastic rad vs aluminum one. I paid $62 for it and it did a hell of a job and I don't regret it. As for CV'S I rebooted mine so I could keep them Toyota and I bought my LBJ from Toyota as the quality of them was worth the $72. I wouldn't ever buy after market there.

 

[pappy]

For example, I would never buy brake calipers from Toyota, they are crazy expensive. I bought a set from NAPA this summer and they were really nice.

I've never bought an alternator from Toyota. Mostly because when I need one, I need it NOW, and they never have them in stock. But I'm sure they charge a premium.

I bought a front axle kit from All Pro on eBay this summer. IMO the gaskets weren't as nice as the OEM ones, and the felts were not as thick. Meh... it did the job.

Calipers. I've bought reman calipers from NAPA several times. No regrets.
Alternator: I never buy reman alternators aftermarket. I've had too many bad experiences and I can't afford to be stuck in the middle of Baja with a dead battery. I always go OEM, and the cost is not that bad. Besides, most of the time the issue will just be the brushes ... and I carry a spare.

Axle kits. Marlin's kits are real nice. I highly recommend them.

Hoses and belts. I always go OEM, even though they are sometimes marked Goodyear, or I think even Gates. I've had too many aftermarket belts strand me. I change the belts and hoses every 50K miles regardless of how they look and stash the ones I pull off for emergencies. OEM have never failed me and they always look good coming off.

Funny plastic rads were brought up. On my 89 I bought a plastic one and its never failed me. Even held the coolant in when I flipped my truck. I also had a water pump from engnbldr and a new t stat from Napa in it. That thing was the best cooling truck I've ever seen.

Radiator. When I installed my new engine I replaced the radiator. The options were all brass, or plastic/aluminum. The guy at the radiator shop asked me if I off-road, and I told him yes. He told me to stay away from the plastic/al because the stress of twisting the truck will wreck the radiator. I went brass.

Thermostat. Always OEM.

Water pump. This is a AISIN product from Toyota and are available aftermarket, but I haven't purchased one in a long time to be able to tell you if there is a cost savings. Same with oil pumps ... but how often do we need to change those?

 

[stevezero]

On my 88 4r, I just did the following. Rad (CSF brass rad...based upon pappys comments, and it replaced a csf brass that had been in it for 8 years), napa hoses, toyota belts. During that fun, my alternator went bad. Bought a brush kit from the dealer, didnt fix the prob. Voltage regulator was needed. New alt from stealership was ridiculous (they wouldnt sell just the voltage regulator....wasnt happy there), and a wait for it to arrive, new altnerator from autozone was 60.00 with lifetime warranty, and the voltage regulator from autozone was 71.45. If that fails, I'll either swap it for free, or go with one of the chevy alt conversions. I needed the truck back on the road that day, so i had them test the new alt on their machine before i took it home. I'm going to order an oem lower rad hose and new clamps, because the napa hose got a little loose from all the repeated off and on dealing with the alternator. I have a very small weep at that hose/rad joint.

Coolant is aftermarket napa or zerex toyota
Oil filter is napa gold
plugs and wires are OEM
Dist cap/rotor OEM
Air filter napa gold (was on sale for 4.99)

Front brake pads were autozone lifetime (middle or high end pads). Dealer didnt have them in stock, and I didnt want to wait. When it needs pads/rotors this go around, I'll figure out how far down the slippery slope i wanna go (v6 calipers, oem vs aftermarket system, etc). Same thing for when the rear drums go. I'll look at converting to rear discs. I believe I've already got the 1 inch master cyl.

In the tranny, i used the marlin bushing upgrade. As funds permit, I want to install their short shift kit, which should take out any/all slop, and move the shifter back closer to me. When the clutch goes, I'll figure out my options. My daughter would love for me to convert it to auto so she can drive it, but it would be easier to put a spaceship on a comet.....

 

[Sam Stewart]

Things that I have bought aftermarket and would buy again with no hesitation:

Radiators
Axle rebuild kits (Marlin on my crawler, was good stuff even though it was all actually Yukon Gear and didn't say Marlin anywhere on it)
Anything discontinued... Basically stuff I couldn't buy from Toyota anymore I went aftermarket. That being said, I didn't have any problems with any of it. THAT being said, I only drove the truck like 3 times a year. On a street truck daily driver, it could have been a different story.
Front cover... Got the aftermarket one for the mini I recently had. Couldn't stomach the OEM price since I knew I was probably going to sell the truck soon. But it looked great, fit perfect, and had no issues. I mean, it's just a chunk of aluminum but I was pleased with the result.

Things that I would NEVER use aftermarket:

Alternators and starters, I have sold and installed many parts on many vehicles at work and on personal stuff. Bottom line is, the aftermarket options on these are garbage. Hope that it fails before the warranty runs out. It's not a question of if, it's a question of when.
Fuel pumps. Some people have had great success with them, and that's great. I know lots of people that have used them on personal vehicles and been fine. My experience comes from work. We have installed a few (usually at customer's request because of price or whatever) and they ALWAYS have come back. Much like the above, in my experience anyway, not a question of if, but when.
Plug wires. Don't know what it is about Toyota's and plug wires. We have had more vehicles than I care to count come in with misfire codes and running rough that were from junk plugs and wires.
That leads me to plugs... As some have already posted, you can buy NGK and Denso plugs usually at the parts store. Here's my advice, as long as you buy direct factory replacement, you're good. If you buy some BS plug wires and Bosch platinum plus 4 plugs... I'll see you pulling into the service drive on the back of a wrecker... They are flat out garbage. And again, price wise (like the oil filters) most of the time the OEM plugs are extremely cheap. I'm talking like $1.67 each in some cases. So why buy aftermarket???
Brake pads. Just never had good luck with them. There is no replacement for the OEM pads with OEM shims in my (probably biased) opinion. Good example of this is the Lexus we just bought for my wife. Had brand new pads all the way around but they were aftermarket and crazy loud and scrubby sounding. Immediately took them off and slapped on some Lexus OEM pads and shims and cut the rotors. So much better now.

Again, my opinion is obviously going to be biased but I'm trying to be objective based on prior experience.

 

[pappy]

Again, my opinion is obviously going to be biased but I'm trying to be objective based on prior experience.

Sam, exactly why I started this thread. There are several of us that have touched every part on our trucks and know what works, and what doesn't. I have no problem running NGK plugs from Autozone, but Dan gets my money every time for Denso. As far as brakes, I just can't choke down the cost of OEM pads.

 

[Sam Stewart]

Sam, exactly why I started this thread. There are several of us that have touched every part on our trucks and know what works, and what doesn't. I have no problem running NGK plugs from Autozone, but Dan gets my money every time for Denso. As far as brakes, I just can't choke down the cost of OEM pads.

Absolutely understand. I often offer advice based on cost. If I don't think it's worth paying extra for the OEM, I always let people know. I'm in the advice business as much as the parts business. You gotta build relationships and trust with your customers. That's what keeps them coming back.

 

[Mudder]

As for brake pads I tried o Reilly rotors. Worst mistake they rusted quickly as for pads I ran Wagners and they worked great.
And pappy thanks for this thread. Great read with lots of ideas

 

[Sam Stewart]

As for brake pads I tried o Reilly rotors. Worst mistake they rusted quickly as for pads I ran Wagners and they worked great.
And pappy thanks for this thread. Great read with lots of ideas

Yeah I should have added the aftermarket rotors to my do not use list. We have had a few sets and they make more noise than the cheap pads.

 

[pappy]

I don't recall where I bought my rotors. I actually have a third rotor sitting around. Why? Because the aftermarket junk warps and I need to pull them before the pads wear out and get them turned. As soon as they wear to zero I'm giving Dan a call and getting real FJ60 steel.

 

[Mudder]

I think it comes down to cost for me. I love OEM and try to buy it when I can but sometimes the cost is just to much for me. Like a timing chain kit was $280 from Beno last year and I got one of equal quality from engnbldr for $58.

 

[Waterboy]

I'm an OEM junky but have bought some aftermarket stuff from Marlin Crawler, Engine Builder, and 22reperformance. Sometimes Toyota can't supply me with what I'm looking for.

 

[KLF]

Last 2 alternators I had to buy were both aftermarket.

• 2007: had to get one on the road while in Toronto, trying to get home. Closest dealer told me it was gonna take a week to get one. Canadian Tire had a reman'd "Champion" unit, all I could find. Changed it in the parking lot, it lasted about a year and quit. No way to get the warranty coverage. Rebuilt one of my spares, it's been working ever since. Eventually I'm upgrading to the GM hi-output unit.
• Last winter: 35 miles from home, Saturday night, visiting friends, alt quit in the car out of the blue, only 85K on it (only "failure" I've had in that car). Spent the night on their couch, wasn't sure the car would make it home on the battery, fortunately NAPA was open on Sunday, had a reman'd Bosch that has been fine. Don't even wanna know what Lexus would charge for an alternator (he he... charge... get it?).

I've installed a few engnbldr timing sets, don't like them. His gaskets suck, don't fit right. The metal guide hits the timing cover, had to always grind it. The tensioner feels flimsy.

I only use OEM gaskets and seals. Except for Marlin's HD seals.

Every hose I have is OEM.

Always use OEM brake pads. Except for my RDB that uses the Monte Carlo calipers. The brakes on my 10 year old Lexus are still from the factory, after 105K miles, and they have lots of life left. Good enough for me...

I was doing a brake rebuild on my last '98 ES, ordered the parts from Dan, he convinced me to go with OEM rotors. OMFG, those things looked like jewelry when I opened the box. Never seen a rotor that looked that nice.

Bought an alternator belt from NAPA for my engine, I think I forgot to add it to the order I made with Sam, so I figured it would be OK. Within hours of getting it running, it was stretched out so far I couldn't get it tight. Put the old OEM belt back on.

Don't remember if I've ever had to buy a starter. I've swapped the contacts, then they keep going.

 

[pappy]

I've installed a few engnbldr timing sets, don't like them. His gaskets suck, don't fit right. The metal guide hits the timing cover, had to always grind it. The tensioner feels flimsy.

On a Baja trip a few years ago my timing chain broke (DOA kit). Abandoned the truck in Flagstaff with a mechanic with instructions to get the guides from DOA, but use OEM sprockets, tensioner and chain. A year later (last summer) the engine failed and I had to rebuild it. I told the engine builder to reuse the timing set and replace the cover which was trashed when the chain broke. In this case I did NOT want the plastic OEM guides installed, but wanted to make sure I didn't have any timing chain issues ever again.

 

[KLF]

Oh without a doubt I would never put the OEM plastic guides in an engine. I also have the DOA metal guides. This last build I put a new OEM chain and tensioner in, kept the old sprockets.