Quote:
Originally Posted by joedoh
if you are looking at the lowest price you have found, you are being cheap.
the lowest price is never the best product, only the lowest price, almost without exception. by that measure the highest price does not mean the best product, especially from the same manufacturer. manufacturers usually sell 3 products that are exactly the same except for incremental options as good better best. been at the parts store lately? i have these pads for 20 or the lifetime warranty pads for 30 or the ultra deluxe for 40. pads 1 and 2 are the same pads. pads 3 is likely a small upgrade in the same mold, ceramic, or sintered. what do you do? you dont buy the house brand, you buy the name. raybestos, brembo, because even though it might cost 50 you know the reputation. chances are you are comparing the price of your china column to flaming river or ididit. you should look at either of those before the china columns.
a GM column was designed by a team of engineers with million dollar budgets. it was designed to be serviced easily with commonly available parts and have a useful life at least 2.5 times the expected life of the shell. I would buy a GM column and use it as is over any chinese column. just food for thought.
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OK. Sigh. I hear this all the time. It's misconstrued. I'd like you to lay ididit, flaming river, GM factory and a Chinese knock-off and tell me where the differences lie so I know what I'm paying for. Some people always buy the best brand and I get that. For the extra cash they bring in on every sale they have enough profit to be great stewards of their brands for warranty and service, etc. But the actual item, I can't put my hands on them or see them up close so how do I know that the quality of ididit is twice that of a secondary brand?
And I expected the response about the factory GM stuff. Of course the factory stuff in the bone yard is the original stuff and has been engineered for it's specific purpose. But how safe is a steering wheel from a wrecked truck? And what fits? I can tell you personal style I don't want a new-looking steering wheel and column from a 1990's Suburban or an S10. Besides, from an engineering standpoint, all aftermarket manufacturers start with a factory part to work from. For them to sell their parts they have to interchange with other GM parts. Crane couldn't very well sell cams and roller rockers if they didn't fit properly into the engine block they were designed for.
And when it comes down to it, yes, I'm being cheap. I just spent $2k on engine work, another $750 in full exhaust, and hundreds of dollars in little parts to fix this or that thing. My interest mainly is in doing something once in the most affordable way, but also in a way that looks attractive to the truck and/or improves it's performance or functionality. I want the Ididit column, I truly do. I just don't know why it has to cost $600 when there are others that cost less than half. Answer that question and I'll delay my purchase until I have the cash.