Chinese wheel bearing

Yep--they arrived yesterday. I wanted a spare set to have on board for an emergency--this was prompted by one of our folks having to replace one at Carlisle a few days ago a real PITA.

These bearings were supposed to be FAG brand made in Germany.

The brand is "onehunglow" from China. (Actually they say "Auto parts the professional source") They go back to the bait and switcher tomorrow.

I'll find German bearings if it hair lips the deacon!

NO FRIGGIN CHINESE PARTS WILL GO INTO MY CAR!!!!!!

Ah so, velly intelesting. You want rice with your order?

I can understand your frustration, Jack. What do you think the odds are that you have Chinese parts on your car now? Maybe not something you put on, but someone else did. The VW world is filled with parts that are Chinese origin, but hide the fact efficiently.

I have been forced to realize that Chinese parts are a reality for me. I live in Fiji, and one of the things I do here is operate a digger business, i.e, an 11-ton, tracklaying excavator for roads, building pads, etc. When I needed a rockbreaker for my digger, I found I had 2 options: $150K for a German or English one, or $6K for a Chinese one. I bought the Chinese model, and it has worked extremely well.

You and I are both old enough to remember when "made in Japan" meant the goods were crap. China has put themselves in the same category by making cheap stuff, but they are learning how to make quality goods also, if there's a market for it.

It's the way the world is turning, whether us old dinosaurs like it or not. Keep the faith, podna'.

The part that frustrates me, is that the Chinese made junk is allowed (or getting away with) putting it in boxes that appear to be the German bran, or in some cases, actually say they are made in Germany in the boxes (or US, etc).

If I have spent extra money to buy the German part, I want the GERMAN one, not the knock-off made in China. If that is not important to me - then I would willingly pay less for the Chinese made part.

I feel this is very dishonest advertising.

angela

The prices for genuine German parts are quickly climbing, lately.

I bought genuine German Fafnir or AKG Heim joints for the hex bar kits I made up and over about 2 years they went up by 50% in price! Same part, same manufacturers but with the strong Euro and decreased demand in the US, the prices go up, up, up!

It sucks, though, when you think you're buying one thing and they do the old switcheroo on you with something possibly inferior.

So, how do you know that the Fafnir or FAG Chinese bearings you get (or AKG, or Schlag) are not, let's say, "genuine" FAG bearings? Just about everybody in manufacturing all over the world now has a presence in China and are manufacturing the same stuff there as they do everywhere else. It's the largest emerging market there is so, of course, everyone tries to build there! (even my old company is building some PC boards in China now, in the same facility where IBM builds their boards. Both companies also source their PCB's in Canada and the US)

Take a look at the Alibaba web site (its a Chinese version of LinkedIn) and look up something that you're sure is only made somewhere else and I'll bet you'll find that company manufacturing in China, under their own name, or by a Chinese company who is building to the original company's spec (for a lot less cost to manufacture, but it might also be a slightly inferior part). I'll make it easy for you - I looked up "German bearing Manufacturers" and got these hits:

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/german-bearing.html

Next, I'll try to find a web site to help you get your eyebrows off of the ceiling......

So, Jack......I had earlier written that you could have a competent mechanic take a look at those that you received to see if they were quality parts, but I guess that would be missing the point. You ordered German bearings and you should get German bearings. They're getting harder to find, but they're still out there (and getting harder to tell from the knock-offs).

gn

Volkswagen has a lot of their manufacturing done in China with a worldwide setup in which some parts are made in China but then shipped to Germany for packaging and sale by their own outlets. Someone posted a link to a site that detailed VW operations around the world and it was a fascinating thing to ponder over.

I think the day of Germany made parts for VW is close to all gone but the parts made in several other places around the world, including China and Malaysia are supposed to be quality controlled by VW.

VW is gigantic and not contained in Germany anymore. Even their cars sold in Germany may be actually made in someplace else.

I think maybe we can't fret over it - no matter WHAT you get, no matter how it's marked or packaged, it's likely made in China or Africa or somewhere besides Germany. Look at this:
http://www.volkswagenag.com/content/vwcorp/content/en/the_group/production_plants.html

Crosby-try SKF ( http://www.showmetheparts.com/skf/ ) - plug in your year/model info. Try to find a local distributor.
Also research Timken-they have distribution in Little Rock: "Parts Warehouse". (you'll have to spec your replacement info-try the Timken web-site). Perhaps you know someone in aircraft industry or try to get them thru Raby.

Thanks, Scott--I'll start with those tips. Gordon---you are so right and thanks to the others who chimed in. I should have started this with a post about where to find the best bearings rather than just buy like I did. Ready, fire, aim--right?

Seems like a bearing would require very close tolerances so I want the best available. I'll report back for others looking for good bearings.

Thanks!---Jack

I recently had a similar experience with Pelican parts. I paid the premium price for OEM Porsche 914 bearings and received FAG brand made in Mexico. I called them on it they did not have a good response.

I wouldn't use them on a lawn mower.

Almost all fair sized towns have at least one supplier of industrial drives and bearings..... If you go through one of them you can specify brand, type, grade, etc..... I stopped using mail order bearing suppliers years ago..... Its usually quicker on the delivery too.... Price averages out if you include the shipping on the "mail order" parts.... Just my .02 8-)

Almost all fair sized towns have at least one supplier of industrial drives and bearings..... If you go through one of them you can specify brand, type, grade, etc..... I stopped using mail order bearing suppliers years ago..... Its usually quicker on the delivery too.... Price averages out if you include the shipping on the "mail order" parts.... Just my .02 8-)

Arthritic trigger finger.....Grrrrrrrrr..

Leon is right. For me in Massachusetts, I go to Eastern Bearings. They have offices in eastern Massachusetts and southern NH. Real good outfit, lots of stuff. ISO9001 and NASA certified, too. In Beaufort, SC, I have to go to Charleston (2 hours one-way) for a somewhat limited offering.

HOWEVER!

If you google "Eastern Bearings", you get a site in Shandong, China.

Eastern Bearings (the name of the holding company) actually got their web site up first, in 1998, and Shanghaied (pretty good pun, there) my Eastern's web site by requesting the site name first. - It does business throughout Asia as Eastern Bearings and claims to be ISO9000 certified, which means that they have written procedures for everything. Whether they actually follow those procedures or not is unknown unless you're the ISO auditor.

My Eastern Bearings has since (just this January) renamed their company to Eastern Industrial Automation to get past the confusion and are still sourcing high-quality parts from their original sources.

Now.......If only we could get some automotive distributors to do the same and let us know about it! I smell a business opportunity here for high quality parts, but I also smell a relatively small market (SOC members) which isn't always interested in paying somewhat higher prices for low volume, high quality parts. Just look at prices from Stoddard's, Automotion or Pelican for potentially better quality parts and how often many of us opt for the cheaper versions instead.

You're right, Gordon.

If you can get the number from the old bearing and take it to an industrial supply outfit that deals in or will order bearings there's almost always a cross to a good Timken (I assume a lot in thinking that Timken hasn't gone to the dark side too) that's made of the right material and meets dimensional specs but it'll cost more and there may be a wait.Those factors are too often unacceptable to too many of us.

It's our own fault, but it would require a political rant to describe why. I think at least half the country has finally realized how our own greed brings us poor bearings from elsewhere.

I've learned to ignore any part number on the old bearing, as long as I can remove it intact. If I take it to Eastern they just take dimensions of the old one (OD/ID/Thickness) and then look up a new one by those dimensions to fit. They used to ask if it's English or Metric, but the last few times I've done this they just measure it in thousandths and get a new one. THEN I can specify whether it needs to be high or acceptable quality, depending on application. Pearl gets high quality, while my snow blower or lawn mower gets "acceptable".

Most other bearing places can do the same (especially if the office/counter folks have been around a while).

Ya, I used to have a place where th guy at the counter practically insisted on measuring every bearing brought in for replacement, but up here I've yet to find such a place (and have a lot less need for bearings now than I did 10-15 years ago.

Hey Hill,

 

Whats big idea posting photos of my dog

 

LOL! Hey, what are you doing TO my dog??!! 

 

That's my boy Henry who passed in 1994 at age 11, but I'm posting his picture again because I'm currently in a "first pick of litter" standing with a breeder in order to reincarnate Henry from parents who are the spittin' image of him.

 

I've passed on a lot of good dogs since 1994 because I really don't think I could keep from comparing any new one to the best breed and best dog there is. So finally I realized that there's nothing to do but have a berner again.

 

I know that you know what I mean....you've got a looker there!

Thanks for the reply as we get a little off topic.

 

That’s our Chloe she’s 8 and. One wasn’t enough my wife wanted a bigger one as Chloe is only 85lbs so we got Sophie she’s 4 now. Funny thing was she picked the biggest female and Sophie turned out to weigh about the same but she’s a little shorter than Chloe.   

 

In an attempt to bring the thread back on topic both my dogs where born in Germany which is where the good bearings used to come from. So I figured if they make good bearings the dogs must be good as well.

Peter,

Abby ruined me for all other dogs. I love them all but there is a special place for her. She was my girlfriend for 17 years and without hesitation would throw herself between me and anything that was threatening me or mine. 20 lbs of something to be reckoned with. I don't care who you are....she would stop you in the driveway. (unless you were the UPS guy with a cookie...smart guy)

Hey our UPS guy carries cookies too. I wonder if it's a company thing.

-=theron

sorry for the hi-jack. my bearings are fine . thanks for asking.  I miss you nuckleheads, when is the next event?

Great photo Al thanks for sharing that. Next event, exclent question. I think we are going to have to make somthing up.

Alice and I have had 4 Berners over the years.  Nothing like these dogs in the world---period, end of story.  Trouble is that after you form an amazing bond you loose them---the last one, our beloved Elisa lived only 7 years then like many of the giant breeds, died. Their life span is just too short.  We still love this breed and maybe when I get to the age where a 7 year old dog outlives me, we'll take the plunge again.

 

For now it's two insane, lovable French Bulldogs.  But they aren't Berners.

 

Damn---I added to the highjack of my own chinese bearing post!