My Indy says BMW parts only

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by maharaj1

To the OP, nothing wrong with buying aftermarket parts for your X, I've done it with my E53 as well as the other vehicles myself and my family own. The key is to do your research before you purchase them. There are certain components that I choose to go aftermarket with. Others I will only go with Original BMW Parts. Things to look into are the components typical failure rate, cost, fit/finish, reputation of the brand (if it is an aftermarket part) and even reviews on the forums or place you are purchasing them from. Also think about the frustration factor. If something aftermarket does end up failing think about how frustrated you will be that you have to replace it again, you will tell yourself that you should have spent a little more on one of better quality, especially if it something that is labor intensive to change.

In regards to the whole parts situation it depends on the shop you go to. We don't discourage customers from bringing in their own parts but we can not warranty them if they fail prematurely. If we purchase parts from one of our distributors/vendors there are expressed warranties to replace/repair them in the event they fail.

If a shop owner were to warranty parts their customers brought in they would probably end up going out of business from the losses they would take. Also it is not a case of "my way of the highway" it is a case of being reasonable. It protects both the owner/technicians who work at the shop as well as the consumer.

Short story as an example. Customer with a Honda Accord had some suspension components replaced on the front end of their vehicle. One of the parts replaced, a ball joint, failed causing the hub & spindle assembly to subsequently fail. The entire hub separated from the front end causing damage to the front fender and nearly caused an accident. When it was determined that the ball joint was the culprit the parts supplier was contacted and they have taken responsibility for the faulty part and as a result they are also covering the entire cost of having the car repaired. I've left out some of the details as well as the name of the supplier for obvious reasons. Not to say this is a painless process but it is a lot easier since we purchased the parts. Had the customer purchased these parts and brought them in it probably would have been much more difficult to receive adequate compensation for the damages.

This example is a little on the severe side but hopefully this helps put things into perspective.

[Domo018]

I purchased an a/c compressor kit off of ebay for $169.99. Came with everything even o-rings and oil. Had a shop evacuate the system for me and replaced everything on my own. It was pretty simple (im experienced). Pulled the compressor out through the top instead of removing a bunch of stuff to get it from the bottom. Went back to the shop the same day to get them to pull vacuum and recharge. A/C blows cold.

[TiAgX5]

Unfortunately, Indy shops take the blame when cheap parts fail.

The average vehicle owner thinks ALL parts available are of similar engineering/quality/materials/tolerances, and are manufactured with the same inspection/verification processes. The cheapest part is HARDLY the most economical in the long term.

Many good Indy shops are unwilling to accept a bad reputation due to cheap part failure.

There are some good non-Genuine BMW parts out there, just don't expect a busy Indy to research and warranty like Genuine parts.

[upallnight]

I normally buy a use compressor at the pick n pull for 20 bucks. I have 30 days to return it. Batting 100% for all the compressors I have brought and installed.

[esntrk1]

Ok I am going to yield to the advice of my elders. I'm not going with the 4 seasons reman. Tomorrow I'm going to try and replace the clutch only. If no success then I'll take it to the Indy and get a full OEM job done.

I can see that this could be a slippery slope. If I install a reman AC compressor and it fails, I'm back at square one with double the labor. Too much risk.

So I hope this clutch-only job works. I have the part.

[edogg]

FWIW, the Indy I used ordered parts from the same distributor that the local BMW dealer ordered from. They were exactly the same quality, with a shorter warranty (1 year instead of 2 years), and at a lower price.


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[esntrk1]

Check it out. New OEM compressor from discountacparts.com. It turns out that this part is manufactured by Ranshu, a company based in Sparks, Nevada. They have 4 warehouses across the country. One of them in Fort Worth. Ranshu Inc. Automotive Air Conditioning Parts and Accessories. Apparently they are a major player in the AC parts industry.

The interesting thing is that they have an new Aftermarket compressor as well as the new OEM compressor. My guess is that the internal design and/or parts are different. That could mean that the aftermarket is better because they have identified and resolved the issues with the OEM design. Beats me. What I know is I now have what appears to be an OEM AC compressor and I'll be getting it installed this week. I need to find an Indy that will do a proper job or else it won't last.

[TiAgX5]

Just curious, what issues do the OE BMW AC compressors have?

I'm over 200k miles/13 yrs on original compressor, all in FL/TX heat.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by TiAgX5

Just curious, what issues do the OE BMW AC compressors have?

I'm over 200k miles/13 yrs on original compressor, all in FL/TX heat.

Yeah I am with you my Denso unit has been a trooper when it comes to AC operation. No problem that I am aware of.

[Babytank]

What I often do is find out who originally made the part from BMW and get it from them. If its engine cooling its Behr, suspension lemforder, hella, mahle victor reins. Use your brain.

Also I have found that the aftermarket parts are better made with tighter tolerances and better materials than BMW for way less. Most notably the water pump I just did; it had a solid machined impelled instead of a pos composite one from BMW.