I was just pricing up parts for my dash overhaul and there is decent price difference between Mopar and aftermarket heater core and ac evaporator

$36 for spectra heater core, $135 for Mopar

$49 for four seasons evaporator, $330 for Mopar

Mopar or nocar? I'm having a hard time justifying the over $300 price difference just for a genuine oe part. Any input?

 

 

Personally I would skip the Mopar stuff. I've installed a ton of chain store and NAPA  parts without any issues.

Same here... Napa core hasn't leaked yet.

If the manufacturer has a good reputation and the part has a good no fail history then save some bucks and go aftermarket.  Ask around and see what others have used.

Well I'm not real impressed with the parts store radiator I put in, believe it was a spectra. None of the mounting tabs or holes were even close to lining up and the drain petcock is wedged tight against the intercooler outlet. 

It does seem to be cooling the truck just fine and it was cheap so can't I can't complain about that.

 

I also wonder about stuff I've bought online that says its an OE part and even comes in fancy mopar packaging but it's half the price of the dealer. 

Yesterday I had to order a radiator from a supplier. He didn't have the brand (Cryomax) that I like in San Diego and tried pushing on me something other brand. The last time he sold me 'some other brand' the fittings for the engine oil cooler would not snap in fully and leaked. I told him I'd wait for a Cryomax.  He order it out of the Oakland warehouse and I got it this morning. 

There are different grades of after market parts.  The low cheap grade is good for fixing a vehicle getting sold and maximize your profit margin.  The middle grade is used by shops and DIY'ers and some times is as good as OEM.  OEM is made to the vehicle manufacture's specifications and should last as long as the original part.  

4 hours ago, Buzzinhalfdozen said:

I also wonder about stuff I've bought online that says its an OE part and even comes in fancy mopar packaging but it's half the price of the dealer. 

You have to be careful buying parts on line.  There are a lot of Chines knock offs out there.  They look almost identical to an OEM part but are made with inferior materials and probably fail in 6mo to a year.   Know who the seller is other wise you'll be doing the job twice.

Edited January 19, 20169 yr by IBMobile

I used a TYC heater core from Rockauto ($38) and an Everco A/C evaporator core ($61) from Autozone. Both seemed like quality units. 

Both the A/C evaporator and the heater core are NAPA. 160*F vent temperature on 0*F and 35*F air in the summer time... Can't ask for much more.

12 hours ago, Buzzinhalfdozen said:

Well I'm not real impressed with the parts store radiator I put in, believe it was a spectra. None of the mounting tabs or holes were even close to lining up and the drain petcock is wedged tight against the intercooler outlet. 

It does seem to be cooling the truck just fine and it was cheap so can't I can't complain about that.

 

I also wonder about stuff I've bought online that says its an OE part and even comes in fancy mopar packaging but it's half the price of the dealer. 

I just instaled a spectra radiator last week. And before  I put it in I compared it to the original and the mounting tabs were about an inch off. I just extended holes on each side about 1/2 inch, other than that a good fit

as far as the drain petcock my factory one was really close to the intercooler too

I I had to do the same thing on mine. I also had to trim the petcock some and redesign the feet that sit in the lower radiator support. The price you pay for buying cheap parts I guess. 

Theres no doubt that the mopar equipment is better quality.

That being said i still bought spectra/Napa units for my truck.

Ya, I'll be ordering spectra heater core and ac evap. next month....unless tbo can get me some awesome dealer pricing.

10 hours ago, CTcummins24V said:

Ya, I'll be ordering spectra heater core and ac evap. next month....unless tbo can get me some awesome dealer pricing.

Email next month before u order anything. 

My question would be are they really the same parts they used 15 to 20 years ago? I might buy their ball joints if they were the same ones. But how do you know. Mopar can change their specs anytime they want to.

49 minutes ago, dripley said:

My question would be are they really the same parts they used 15 to 20 years ago? I might buy their ball joints if they were the same ones. But how do you know. Mopar can change their specs anytime they want to.

I think your on to something there. I just got an OEM tail lamp assembly for a Volvo.  The original was made in France and the replacement was maid in Taiwan.  I'm not sure how it's going to hold up.   

Lets say there is times to look towards dealer for parts, there is time to hit your local part store and there is times to come here and ask what is best. Like in my shock I was trying to buy a key lock for my 1996 Dodge Ram Truck come to find out NAPA wanted $85 bucks locally. That's when I went over to RockAuto and got a key lock for $34 shipped. Kind of like NAPA selling VP44 injection pumps for nearly $2000 bucks when you can buy a quality pump from one of the site vendors.

I bought a Tstat from a Dodge a good while back and the one I got was not like the original. This had a shroud around the lower portion that goes in the block. I know my OE was not like that. The mopar ball joints are ridiculously priced but if I got 200k out of them, maybe. but who is to say they are the same ones that came on the truck. But $150 bucks for a ball joint is way out there. Ball joints, I feel a headache coming on already.

Dave I'd just pay somebody if they are original ball joints and unit bearings.  I'd replace everything.  Steering linkage, sway bar links, Unit bearings, ball joints, u joints.  I did ball joints alone last year and I've gone back one. Part. At. A. Time. And replaced everything else but u joints.

30 minutes ago, CSM said:

Dave I'd just pay somebody if they are original ball joints and unit bearings.  I'd replace everything.  Steering linkage, sway bar links, Unit bearings, ball joints, u joints.  I did ball joints alone last year and I've gone back one. Part. At. A. Time. And replaced everything else but u joints.

I replaced all of the above about 4 years ago with MOOG. I bought the unit bearings, one from NAPA and I forget where the other came from. Lost the Moog track about 10k ago and the drive side ball joint has a little play. I was thinking about the discussions we have had on ball joints and thats what gives me the head ache. Searching for them is no fun, especially the 00-02. Except for the track bar the Moog stuff is holding up alright despite all the bad things I have heard folks say about them of late. So for now I am good. But OE stuff held up for near 200K. but today's pricing on oe is way out there.

Just like the cheap RockAuto stuff I'm using... No issues.

One thing to keep in mind,  Dodge, Chevy, Ford assemble vehicles.  They "for the most parts" don't build parts.   They will only build their own parts if it is super cost effective, or to protect some type of technology.  Sub contractors build the parts for them to assemble.   Sometimes, those parts were made by sister companies (Saginaw, delphi, Fisher, etc were GM companies, but sisters to Chevy, Olds  etc)   As our trucks move further in time, Dodge may keep parts for us, but will not be sourced from the main channels (and main manufacturers).  Dodge is not going to place a blanket contract for 10,000 ball joints from TRW or Delphi.  They are just not going to see that many in the dealership.   So, as the quantities fall, the sub contractor that gets the bid to fill the order, is smaller.  While this is not always bad, it can affect the quality of the part. 

The OEM is only required to maintain parts for a car for 10 years if i am not mistaken.   

We just noticed this on some control arm bushings for a suburbasaurus.  While the prices were significantly different for the replacement parts, comparing each of them out of the box, they all looked like they were from the same supplier.  (A truck that old, I think moog, Delphi, etc, are buying the same parts, just putting them with their packaging.  The molding marks were identical.  The only one that looked different was ONE balljoint that had been on the store shelf for a long time (you could tell by the outside box, printing was different colors etc), it looked significantly different from the newer one from the same brand....)

Hag