Agree. Have managed outsource suppliers ... all over the world ... the people of China are amazing ... everyone wants the same thing ... all people are good ... only governments have (potentially) evil intent ... BUT ... I do agree, the US needs to re-establish its manufacturing base ... but requires major tax code changes ... that created the current situation over the past 40-odd years ... something BOTH political parties have supported. Time to get serious ... with Chip Manufacturing being first on the list of strategic / national security importance to on-shore ... ASAP ...

 

Capitalizing a manufacturing plant is huge ... where any company does not build a factory for one customer and another factory for another customer ... so for those that have worked in the WW manufacturing space ... yes ... the "same" product is produced on the same manufacturing line ... but can have customer specific specs that are different ... which sometimes is limited to the label ... for marketing / warranty purposes ... a total risk / reward analysis when there is absolutely no difference in the product sold.

Beyond that, "Made In ......... " is a total misnomer ... where Toyota (for example) ships major assemblies (from Japan) ... engines, transmissions ... etc. into the United States for final assembly ... and then based on convoluted "Parts / Labor" calculations ... the "Country of Origin" is designated. The country of origin is a total shell game. We are in a global economy of our making ... not necessarily a bad thing ... the bottom line, it's all about the company behind the brand ... no matter where "produced".

 

There are also considerations about counterfeit parts. Spark plugs are a great example. You can buy discounted Denso or NGK plugs on eBay, and they're absolute junk. The packaging looks right, the markings on the plug look pretty close to right unless you're really looking hard, but the fact is, the plugs are NOT what the box indicates when you do a close inspection.

Same thing with suspension springs. None of the Asian brands actually measure what the box says when you put them on a spring compressor. The only brand you can actually trust (yes, this includes those classics like Eibach and Swift) is Hypercoil. Everybody else's stuff is questionable at best.

All that said, I've bought from RockAuto many times, and I look for Denso parts (their O2 sensors are functionally identical to the OEM Denso units at a fraction of the price) because they've proved their worth over time. I have a Denso rebuilt alternator from RockAuto in my IS F right now. Same with Aisin for coolant pumps (also currently in my IS F). Are they identical to the OEM part? Maybe. Maybe not. They might have gone cheap on some internal piece and there's no reasonable way of knowing this unless people are talking about it on the web.

AFA radiators themselves - my experience with a range of Toyota/Lexus cars is the radiator is going to die somewhere between 80k and 120k miles. It's going to fail near the hose on the top either by the seal failing or the tank cracking. The wife's GS F is on borrowed time right now with 140k miles. Supra died at 120k and got an all aluminum PWR replacement in 2004. It's still doing great. IS F got a new radiator under an LSB, but I knew the replacement was equally doomed, so it got replaced with an all aluminum unit from Figs recently. The proof is in the pudding. Sure, do we have questions about "Made in China"? Yes indeed. When I was a kid we questioned "Made in Japan" because most of the stuff in the 60's and early 70's was pretty sketchy. Not true since Deming went there and set them on the path to quality.

It's not terribly civil to crap on someone's choice unless they are asking "what do you think?" We can all have opinions, and we can all be adults and express our opinions without personal commentary. We also have rules about political commentary - it's not a part of the conversation here purely because when we did allow it, the signal got lost in the noise. Let's focus on signal, not noise.

 

We are in a global economy of our making ... not necessarily a bad thing ... the bottom line, it's all about the company behind the brand ... no matter where "produced".

^^ No politics here ... no soapbox necessary ...

 

Anyone that tells you that every Denso part is EXACTLY what is found when the vehicle was manufactured new, doesnt know what they're talking about.

Denso THEMSELVES saying this:

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2...%20aftermarket

"David Williams, Denso original equipment service parts division director, told a July 25 Collision Industry Conference audience his company sells parts to every automaker and also features a remanufacturing plants and aftersales operation.When DENSO distributes its own aftermarket parts through retail channels, “it doesn’t meet that same criteria” as what it builds for an OEM, Williams said."

The brand on the parts can really mean anthing. But just because it says "Denso", that's not the exact same as what Lexus puts in their cars new. These companies make different grades of parts for different markets. Toyota/Lexus will insist on a different quality level than what Denso can get away with selling at say an AutoZone. GM is especially notorious for this, an AC Delco part from the factory versus some AC Delco part even from the dealership can be junk made in China at the lowest bid.

 

No question ... the exact same (Denso) manufacturing line will produce "the same product" to different specs based on the purchaser. Why is this so hard to understand ? So yes, OEM does typically specify higher standards.

The long-short ... why save $200-odd on a radiator when it has a useful life of 100,000-odd miles ... so just go OEM and stop splitting hairs.

 

Now you're completely contradiciting your previous posts. See below.

Bottom line, there are differences, it's not all the same except for marketing and branding. They're built to different standards at completely different manufacturing plants at different price points.
Knock it off with "I'm an engineer and I'm an expert at everything", it gets tiring. Engineers are a dime a dozen, it means nothing.



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Knock it off with being clueless ... said same plants to different specs based on the (branded) customer ... can you read and actually follow ? Apparently not ...

 

I wish more people understood this.

 

... not the way the world works. Denso does not make Radiators on the Toyota manufacturing line in Japan ... they are sourced from the Denso factory that makes ALL Denso radiators ... to different specs based on the customer ... with Lexus OEM (as is the case with most OEM's) having a higher spec standard than what is sold into other aftermarket channels ... but sometimes not ... it's all about branding / risk / warranty management ... a numbers game in many cases. Charge more as an OEM to absorb the failure rate that may be no different than Denso aftermarket ... who will ever know ?

We are all saying the same thing ... so again, let's get beyond the "Made in ..... "

 

Strawman, I never said they did. Denso and other OEMs make parts to a standard demanded by Toyota and others, what they make for the aftermarket world has no obligation to meet the same standard. It is VERY obvious that some Denso rads are a pale imitation of the original part, according to you this is impossible.

To be blunt you don't understand at all how any of this works.

 

You say one thing that supports exact my point, then flip and misrepresent to make an argument ... pick a lane ... so to be blunt, maybe a logic check is in order ...

 

Almost everyone here does.

 

You edited your post which completely changed the meaning now you're retroactively telling me to check my logic.

 

No change in meaning whatsoever ...