Clete <lecllaij@halifax.ca> wrote in
news:bau8f5h7jsb47pfut25asu7929u1qmt8cq@4ax.com:


>
>
> Do you really think a company retools their production line to
> produce 2 different quality parts?



Yes! All the time!

They usually cannot use the same line to produce parts for the aftermarket.
They are usually not allowed by the terms of the contract.

All the gauges and jigs that are used to confirm fit are the property of
the automaker (it even says so right on them). Plus they are also
ordinarily not allowed to use the automaker's CAD files or working drawings
for their aftermarket part.

This means that companies that do aftermarket parts as well as OEM may need
to use employees with no exposure to the OEM data. Those employees need to
reverse-engineer an actual OEM part to arrive at the necessary information
to be able to produce their aftermarket part, making a lot of guesses in
the process.

There are some exceptions, of course. Sometimes the automaker will allow
the supplier to sell their own version of the part which is just about
identical to OEM, but without the automaker's name on it. The supplier in
those cases will often cheapen the part a bit in order to help make a
margin on the part (which won't sell for the same as OEM!). Less expensive
polymers, smaller bearings, looser tolerances, that sort of thing.

The primary problem for aftermarket is that OEM development and tooling is
created with minimum 3-year warranties and high-volume production in mind.
The aftermarket operates on far lower volumes, and usually competes on
price and not quality. This leaves much less in the way of resources to,
for instance, send molds and stamping dies back over and over again until
they are "just so". For OEM, getting a tool "just so" can literally take
months of expensive revisions. Aftermarket just hasn't got the money for
that.

And there are many companies that Honda buys parts from which do not sell
to the aftermarket at all. I believe NTCL is one of those.



--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/