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REBUILT PARTS
Rebuilt parts have long been a popular alternative to new
ones because they save your customers money. Most rebuilt parts
sell for 25 to 40% less than their new counterparts, so rebuilt
starters, alternators, carburetors, water pumps, clutches, brake
calipers, master cylinders, steering racks, FWD axle shafts, fuel
injectors and electronic control modules are often preferred to
new parts to lower repair costs.
Yet in spite of the potential savings, some consumers (an
professional installers) are reluctant to accept rebuilt parts
and insist on new parts. With some it's an issue of quality.
They may not be convinced that rebuilt parts are just as good as
new ones. They may think rebuilt parts are nothing more than a
"cheap" fix that won't hold up. Maybe they've had a bad
experience with rebuilt parts before and don't want to take
another chance. With others, it's a mindset that won't accept
anything less than original equipment quality. They'll willingly
pay more for a brand new OE part because they believe in the
reputation of the OE supplier. There's also the issue of "direct
fit." Some people don't want replacement parts that don't look
or fit exactly the same as the original.
Are rebuilt parts really as good as new? Do they provide
good value for the money? You bet they do, so keep reading and
we'll see how rebuilders are addressing these issues.
GOOD AS NEW
Many rebuilt parts are as good as new -- and some are even
better than new. But you usually get what you pay for. Quality
runs the gambit from bargain priced rebuilt parts that have been
cleaned and "reconditioned" with a can of spray paint ("spray &
pray" rebuilds) to ones that have been completely remanufactured
to exacting OE standards and contain a high percentage of new
parts. In some instances, the replacement components in the
rebuilt part may even be more durable or perform better than the
original.
As for quality, every rebuilder today is keenly aware of its
importance. Most rebuilders strive to build the best parts they
can so their customers will receive good value for their money.
Rebuilders know that if they don't keep their customers happy,
their customers will buy from their competitors. So keeping
warranty returns down has become just as important as keeping the
pipeline filled with product.
But quality costs money, and quality-conscious rebuilders are
under considerable price pressure these days from jobbers and
retailers who demand rock bottom prices. The buyers of these
kind of parts are primarily interested in price, not quality.
They want a part that works but are willing to trade OE quality
for a lower price. And as long as they believe they're receiving
good value, they'll settle for less than the best. The question
is whether or not they're really receiving good value. If a part
lacks durability and fails in a few thousand miles or less,
where's the value? Or if it doesn't perform the same as the
original, was it worth the savings?
Sad to say, not everyone understands this difference. Many
consumers don't have the slightest idea of what they're buying.
All they know is that they need a starter, alternator, water pump
or whatever. To them, a rebuilt starter is a rebuilt starter.
But as we all know, there's a huge difference in quality and
workmanship between a quality starter that's been painstakingly
remanufactured to OE specifications and one that's only had the
brushes cleaned up or replaced. Yet both look the same on the
outside even though it's an apples to lemons comparison. The
only difference the consumer sees is the price tag. So unless
someone explains the differences to him or unless he's been
burned before on a cheap quality replacement part, he'll usually
opt for the one with the lowest price.
Your job is to help educate your customer by explaining what
the differences are. This is especially important with the
higher tech rebuilt products such as alternators, starters and
steering racks.
If all a customer wants is a cheap fix and he isn't overly
concerned about reliability or performance, then maybe he can get
by with the cheapest part that's available. On the other hand,
if he wants a part that's going to work properly and hold up the
same as or better than the original, then he'd better give some
serious thought to such things as quality, durability, longevity
and warranty -- which means either a new part or one that has
been remanufactured to like-new or better-than-new standards. If
he wants the advantages of a new part -- but doesn't want to pay
the price -- then give him the best of both worlds by
recommending a top quality remanufactured replacement part that's
good as new but costs less.
NEW OR REBUILT?
In some instances, the only part that may be available for a
particular application is a new one. This may be the case if a
vehicle is too new or if it's a limited production model.
Finding a rebuilt electronic rack & pinion steering unit for an
Accura NSX would be like finding the proverbial needle in the
haystack. There might be a couple out there somewhere, but
you're chance of finding one without a lot of phoning and
searching would be slim. So if you can't locate a rebuilt part,
new may be your only option.
On the other hand, rebuilt parts are often the only ones that
are available for many older vehicles. Once a vehicle reaches a
certain age, the new car dealers discontinue stocking parts and
the OE channel of distribution dries up. That leaves the
aftermarket to supply the parts.
Carburetors are a perfect example. How many new car dealers
still stock carburetors today? Few if any do. Carburetors are
an obsolete part. Yet there are still a lot of carbureted
vehicles on the road that will need replacement carburetors for
years to come. The primary source of supply for these
carburetors is now the aftermarket and salvage yards.
Overhauling a used carburetor can be risky because of worn
throttle shafts, warped housings, etc., so the best option is to
go with a rebuilt carburetor that's backed by a warranty. It's
as good as new and costs a heck of a lot less.
REBUILT VS. REMANUFACTURED
Rebuilders are as diverse a group as any you'll find in the
aftermarket. They have different philosophies about how parts
should be rebuilt and what constitutes good value for the
customer. Some insist on calling their products "remanufactured"
rather than rebuilt to denote a higher level of quality. The
exact meaning of remanufactured isn't easy to define, however,
because each remanufacturer defines it differently. But
generally speaking it means disassembling parts down to their
basic components, replacing worn or failure-prone components and
restoring the rest to OE standards before assembling the
components to make a finished product.
Unfortunately, there are no universally agreed upon standards
by which rebuilt parts can be compared to one another or to new
parts. Rebuilders can't agree upon common standards because they
all have their own ways of doing things. To some, a rebuilt part
is one that has been restored to functional utility. To others,
a part must be reconditioned to original equipment
specifications.
When rebuilding an alternator, for example, one rebuilder may
replace diodes only if a failure has occurred. But another may
automatically replace all the diodes with ones that are more
durable to improve reliability. One rebuilder may do nothing to
the armature commutator other than to clean it up while another
always recuts the commutator on a lathe to minimize runout for
smooth high rpm operation. One rebuilder may reuse slip rings
while another replaces them or resurfaces them on a lathe to
minimize runout. Some rebuilders do not full-load test their
alternators for fear of damaging their units while others will
always full-load test each and every unit to make sure they meet
specs and won't fail.
WHO REBUILDS
Regardless of their philosophical differences, rebuilders
fall into one of several categories based on size. There are the
small "custom" shops that serve a local clientele and primarily
overhaul parts that are brought to them by their customers. They
often work directly with installers and jobbers. They may keep a
small inventory of ready-to-go units on the shelf, but are
primarily accustomed to overhauling a customer's unit when it is
brought into their shop. This type of rebuilder is usually quite
flexible (they can handle the odd-ball jobs) and may even do
installation work.
The small custom rebuilder often subscribes to the "fix-it"
philosophy of rebuilding. They test a part, figure out what's
wrong with it, fix it and return it to the customer. Only those
components that are obviously defective or worn are replaced.
The next category is the regional rebuilder. This type of
rebuilder may sell direct to installers and jobbers, but will
also market their products through warehouse distributors and
possibly even retail chains. The regional rebuilder likely
started out as a custom shop that expanded their market by
catering to a broader geographical area. They enjoy many of the
benefits of a larger scale operation (lower per unit costs) but
may not be as flexible as a small custom shop in being able to
take in anything and everything. Some units may still be rebuilt
on a one-for-one basis, but chances are the regional rebuilder is
buying cores in bulk and process batches of parts at a time.
Then there's the national rebuilder. This type of rebuilder
is geared to produce parts in volume for marketing to warehouse
distributors and national accounts. They run large numbers of
parts through their remanufacturing process in batches (though
that is getting harder and harder to do these days because of
parts proliferation), and will typically intermix and reassemble
parts from different cores.
The regional and national rebuilders typically share the
"remanufacturing" philosophy of rebuilding. They process parts
in batches using cores from various sources, so individual
components are processed on production lines in much the same way
as new components are assembled by a new parts supplier.
Remanufacturing puts more emphasis on building parts to OE
specifications rather than fixing individual components that are
worn or defective.
This isn't to say that bigger rebuilders are necessarily
better rebuilders. Even so, large scale remanufacturing
operations do have major advantages including the ability to
afford more sophisticated test and reconditioning equipment.
They also have the financial resources for advanced engineering
capability and the technical know-how to keep abreast of rapid
changes in product design.
Regional and national rebuilders also put a great deal of
effort into quality control to maintain their reputation in the
marketplace. More than one rebuilder has lost a national account
because of warranty problems. So there's an ongoing effort to
constantly improves processes and product, and to make sure that
every part that goes out the door is 100% perfect.
WARRANTY COVERAGE
Many rebuilt parts today carry extended warranties instead of
the usual 90-day warranty. It's not unusual to find products
backed by a 1-year, 2-year or lifetime warranty. Labor is often
the biggest part of the repair job, which the warranty may or may
not cover. So one thing that should also be considered in
addition to quality of the product itself is the quality of the
warranty coverage.
DEFECTIVE OR NOT?
Rebuilders as well as suppliers of new parts tell us that a
high percentage of "defective" parts that are returned under
warranty have nothing wrong with them. The more complicated the
part, the higher the return rate and the higher the percentage of
"no faults found."
Installers often blame "defective" replacement parts for
their own mistakes. If a part is damaged during installation, is
not installed correctly or did not need to be replaced, the
technician may blame the replacement part rather than his own
mistakes when the part doesn't work or fails to solve his
problem.
The actual return rate for most rebuilt parts is typically
less than two percent, which is on par with that of most new
parts. Some parts, such as clutches, can be easily damaged
during installation if the installer is careless or uses the
wrong procedure. So it's important to place the blame where
blame is due.
The real problem, they say, is "installer error." Installer
error can occur for a number of reasons. On a clutch, for
example, it's possible to damage the clutch if the transmission
is allowed to hang by the input shaft. The weight of the shaft
can bend the clutch plate causing release and engagement
problems. So care must be taken to support the weight of the
transmission until it can be bolted in place.
A remanufactured engine can likewise fail if the lubrication
system isn't primed prior to the initial startup. If you fail to
adjust the timing correctly, don't get the cooling system
completely full of coolant, misroute wires or vacuum lines, etc.,
you can create all kinds of problems for the new engine.
An engine that fails to crank because of a "bad" starter may
in fact not have a bad starter. The real problem may be nothing
more than a bad ground strap, battery cable, solenoid, ignition
circuit, etc. But if the real problem isn't correctly diagnosed,
the replacement starter won't crank the engine any better than
the original.
Rebuilt alternators can be easily ruined by failing to
recharge a rundown battery. The alternator is designed to
maintain battery charge, not to recharge dead batteries. The
added strain of trying to revive a dead battery may overtax the
unit causing it to overheat and fail.
The same goes for such high tech components as electronic
control modules (ECMs). An engine performance problem may be
blamed on the computer because a technician doesn't know what
else to do. So he replaces the ECM only to discover the original
problem hasn't been fixed. Accurate diagnosis, therefore, is
absolutely essential when replacing high tech components.
The bottom line is that rebuilt parts can and do provide a
cost-effective alternative to buying new parts. Professional
installers are usually aware of the quality differences that are
available and won't take a chance on anything that doesn't meet
original equipment specifications. But consumers don't always
understand this and often need to be educated as to what the
differences are.
FORKLIFT
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