Quality of AC Delco Parts?

[Keystone_Hate]

I'm doing a lot to my truck right now to get it where I want it. Suspension, brakes, engine swap, drive line and so on. I have been trying to get mostly AC Delco parts when available, because, from what I understand they were the original manufacturers for a lot of GM stuff. BUT I have been really disappointed lately. I got a reman alternator and the top hole for the adjustment bar was tapped to fix stripped out threads then had a metric bolt jammed into it, all but destroying the threads. It also has a metric nut for the battery wire, and the fan is a little wobbly. I also got some reman calipers for the front and both of them had damage to the rubber around the piston seal. One of them the seal was not even pressed into the caliper the entire way.

Has anyone else had these issues with AC Delco reman parts? Any suggestions for better brands? I imagine they all come from the same place, just in a different box. I don't have a limitless budget so I'm trying to get quality stuff at regular working dude prices.

[flashed]

AC/Delco used to mean something a long time ago but seems like now everything is just reboxed junk from the same place .

[DeadheadNM]

The new AC Delco R44t plugs I just received were made in China. No thanks. Fortunately, US made NOS examples can still be had on eBay for a reasonable price.

[harpo231]

The AC Delco brand is owned by GM. The manufacture of the actual parts is subcontracted to a supplier who is supposed to make the part according to GM's specifications. That being said, you should get an OE quality part , should !! that's not always the case,,I like napa premium line,but some say they made by same company as ac delco

[Keystone_Hate]

Originally Posted by harpo231

That being said, you should get an OE quality part , should !!

And that's why I have been getting them. But the quality is not there.

[davepl]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

The new AC Delco R44t plugs I just received were made in China. No thanks. Fortunately, US made NOS examples can still be had on eBay for a reasonable price.

That's funny, I just ordered a box of eight NOS ACDelco R43N plugs because they don't actually make that plug (or an exact cross reference) anymore.

My engine builder thinks I'm a but kooky running NOS spark plugs...

[DeadheadNM]

Originally Posted by davepl

That's funny, I just ordered a box of eight NOS ACDelco R43N plugs because they don't actually make that plug (or an exact cross reference) anymore.

My engine builder thinks I'm a but kooky running NOS spark plugs...

Then I'm a kook also. I'm buying and shelving US/Canada Delco or equivalent replacement parts for any future need. Two years ago I got US made Napa air filters - now outsourced to Mexico. I just got a batch of NOS gas filters for Qjet for less than the new India-made examples.

[harpo231]

Originally Posted by davepl

That's funny, I just ordered a box of eight NOS ACDelco R43N plugs because they don't actually make that plug (or an exact cross reference) anymore.

My engine builder thinks I'm a but kooky running NOS spark plugs...

There are some 50 yr old parts it just don't make sense to use ! Plugs ok long as ceramic not cracked ...ya gotta use good judgement ..

[jocko]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Then I'm a kook also. I'm buying and shelving US/Canada Delco or equivalent replacement parts for any future need. Two years ago I got US made Napa air filters - now outsourced to Mexico. I just got a batch of NOS gas filters for Qjet for less than the new India-made examples.

So THAT'S why I can't find any! Ha, just kidding Pete - I have been doing the same to some extent. Add me to the kooky bunch. On plugs, specifically, I've found I only buy the ones that show pictures of the plugs themselves outside the boxes - have seen some (unused) NOS ones for sale with crusty, rusted threads (and the seller did post pics, so that was nice for a change), but one could potentially get burned (no pun intended) by unopened NOS plug buys that are still in unopened boxes.

[Bigdav160]

ACDelco is not the same company as AC Delco. From Wiki:

The brand "ACDelco" should not be confused with GM's former AC Delco Systems, formed in 1994 from the merger of AC Rochester Division and Delco Remy Division. In 1995 Delphi Automotive Systems absorbed AC Delco Systems.

1994: General Motors formed Automotive Components Group (ACG)
1995: ACG renamed Delphi Automotive Systems
1997: GM and Hughes Electronics Corporation spun off from Hughes Defense electronics business, and transferred Delco Electronics from Hughes to Delphi
1999: Delphi Automotive Systems became a fully independent publicly held corporation
2000: Delphi purchased UK based Lucas Diesel Systems from TRW Inc, who had purchased its parent LucasVarity plc in 1999
2002: Delphi Automotive Systems renamed Delphi Corporation reflecting its diversified business direction
2004: Delphi subpoenaed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for irregular accounting practices and financial transactions
2005: Delphi disclosed irregular accounting practices. A number of executives, including CFO Alan Dawes, resigned. Delphi Chairman J.T. Battenberg retired. Delphi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to reorganize its struggling U.S. operations
2009: Delphi's core assets purchased by a group of private investors to create a new Delphi Corporation. Some of its non-core steering operations sold to General Motors Company, the successor to the bankrupt Motors Liquidation Company that used to be the old General Motors Corporation. The stock was cancelled. The old Delphi Corporation was renamed DPH Holdings Corporation. The new Delphi incorporated in the United Kingdom

ACDelco now sells repackaged products. I am not sure if they make anything anymore.

[Keystone_Hate]

Originally Posted by Bigdav160

ACDelco is not the same company as AC Delco. .

Interesting.

[hewittca]

That is interesting, I never knew that. I've tried to stick with ACDelco when I'm replacing parts and not looking to upgrade. I figured, if they were good enough for GM 50 years ago, they should still be at least as good, if not better with the advancement of technology. Now I know that isn't necessarily the case! I have noticed that the ACDelco parts I buy always seemed to be repackaged, like the brake lines I just bought that say Sunsong on them...

[volksworld]

just for the heck of it went on rock auto...and clicked on a couple acdelco chevy parts...when you hit "info" some of them come up as ''GM original part" but many do not....they even list acdelco suspension parts for volkswagens....

[LH Lead-Foot]

Many companies have found the burden of regulation, competition and market share, much less profit margins dwindle over the years. Maytag & Bluebird Bus company has moved from Iowa into Mexico...Sad! In full discloser, I was a contract labor for ACDelco for 7 years. I saw them having no choice in many cases a even Delphi was in reduction mode and sources of suppliers dried up in the states. I was part of a group of 50+, who went thru a re-man rotating electrical supplier, in the states. When moved from station to station to impress upon us the quality, I noticed strange things. The guys in quality control where pretending to measure, writing down their findings and moving on. But looking over their shoulder, I found the employee pretending to write anything new down...just moving the pen over the paper. Then pallets of product to be shipped, I climbed up to racks to find empty boxes. Mean while, management was going on a trip. Where? Across the boarder to see the new plant that employed workers for 20% of what is cost them in the states. I can't blame GM or ACDelco, it's just the cost of labor, healthcare, retirement, union pressure and other things has forced companies out of the U.S. While all manufactures of vehicles I have worked on, at dealers, have two or more vendors supplying parts in case one has labor issues, material issue, political conflicts and transportation problems, has forced plants & vendors to try harder to get that contract and produce parts to specs. ACDelco has a professional series, that is a higher grade, but each can have issues. As for myself, anywhere you go, the local part stores, little is made in the states. GM found a huge market in China for the production of certain Buick & Chevrolet vehicles...Then the TECH2 from china started to hit eBay. Copies that are not well made. It is true, the quality of certain parts is questionable and when good, have a vendors name on the product from NGK, to whoever. GM was selling vehicles and parts in over 67 countries, so some of this is to be expected. I will still go for ACDelco parts and deal with a defect when I cross that bridge. I have seen the flat-rate customers pay go from $6 per hour to $23, then $28 and now, the Master Tech has no retirement and makes less than 20% of the flat-rate. That also is sad, but too many get their cut, before a profit margin is seen at the shop or dealer. How many new tire machines or alignment systems have you seen over the years? They are not getting cheaper either, so cost is past along.

[harpo231]

As long as the corporate tax laws remain the way they are and the companies emphasize corporate globalization and GE pays less in taxes than I do,you may as well get used to it....

[Boog]

It's hard to guess right each time when buying new parts, one brand or another. I have long been a GM owner and when I could I bought AC Delco replacement parts. Some times AC prices at the parts houses were way out of line so I would buy another brand but I always stayed away from the more generic off brands. I tried to stay with the middle priced brands.
In AC's defense. I needed a brake light switch for my 09 Yukon as the cruise had quit working. Available at the parts store was an AC switch for $19 or a Borg Warner for $38. hmmm. At twice the price I reasoned the BW might be a better switch so I bought it since this is my wife's vehicle and she is on the road a lot. I installed it and all was fine. For one week. Numerous dtc's began to appear and the brake lights began staying on and the cruise was inop once again. DTC's for traction control and things like that were there. Fearing terrible things I sent the truck to a dealer's garage who replaced the BW switch with a Delco one and all was good once again. They also remarked at the failure of the BW switch and it's twice higher price than the Delco. It's been two years now and still working.
Last week I bought an AC window switch from Rockauto. It arrived and the label said AC Delco and made in Taiwan. It was listed as one for the left rear window location and was the only one I found available for that window. It arrived and did not fit. It was not correct for the left rear window. Fortunately I was able to disassemble the switch and move the good inner parts to my old one and all is well.
One has to wonder what folks on the other side of the world go through in maintaining their vehicles. Are they going through the same issues we are?

[harpo231]

One has to wonder what folks on the other side of the world go through in maintaining their vehicles. Are they going through the same issues we are?




They dont need parts they drivin hondas and toyotas.....

[mike16]

The only acdelco part is the box. I seen acdelco napa and pep brothers rebuilt alternators, identical in absolutely every way except the install booklet and the box. the plastic bag and the inspectors decals ect, were identical. there was about a 23 dollar difference in the price. to save a bunch of pennies on shipping they would sell out thier reputation.

[LH Lead-Foot]

I posted on this earlier, but let me make this clear. GM uses ACDelco parts during the assembly of vehicle on the line today. The difference is when the vehicle was under warranty, parts that failed where turned in while other where requested. Engineering test for workmanship, components and design. If a problem found regarding the later two, the part was re-designed with different materials or what ever. The end result, other copies the original to be competitive...it the old design. So, second design is issued, part number changes, sometime the price. This equates to a part the will last and work better. Parts and the components used in them have requirements, the main one being 5000 hours of trouble free usage. This is 150k mile on a vehicle. I will buy that part anytime. GM vehicles I work on at the dealer had three or four items that failed early on, the replacements where different in color, part number or other markings. But once installed, they never failed again. Failure to install properly or maintain is the death of any part. Yes, 3 miles of wire is found in a 93 Corvette, while the 2018 Vette does more and has 1.7 miles of wire, mostly 20 AWG. The use of serial data communications allows a service tech to use the diagnostic flow chart & scan-tool to quickly diagnose the fail part. This architecture is used all over the world, in every GM vehicle. The price of parts cannot be controlled, the cost of labor to change a part cannot be controlled, but the time spent diagnosing the root cause-fail part is reduced and more accurate. The aftermarket parts share of any company is brutal, but I will buy from the ACDelco professional parts line every time.

[leddzepp]

I think overall quality of outsourced parts has improved. I buy most everything at autozone, if they don’t have it they can order it. The last electric window regulator I bought for my 01 Yukon was made in India and I was very impressed with the quality and fitment. The price was reasonable as well.

[demian5]

This exact conversion and thread could be applied for almost any american product anymore...

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by demian5

This exact conversion and thread could be applied for almost any american product anymore...

It does, and it comes up here ALL the time

[MARKDTN]

Originally Posted by harpo231

One has to wonder what folks on the other side of the world go through in maintaining their vehicles. Are they going through the same issues we are?


They dont need parts they drivin hondas and toyotas.....

I think that is a bit harsh. My son now drives an '01 Tahoe that I have had since 160K. It now has a tad over 300K miles. Parts replaced in total, other than tuneup, are fuel pump at 140K before I got it, alternator at 199K, water pump at 253K, HVAC controller and 1 injector (I did all 8) at about 260K, transmission at 299K. Never had a valve cover off. Not the first bearing. Starter never been off. A/C never been into, all the switches, dash, and radio still good as new. Everything still works. I use all Delco parts as did the previous owner who was also a stickler for maintenance.

Also my wife has an '07 Pontiac G6 bought new. It has 236K miles. Never had an alternator, water pump, starter, a/c compressor, or anything. It needed both front wheel bearings at about 100K and have had issues with the exhaust manifold cracking but that is not a lot of parts for that kind of mileage.

Neither have ever had a catastrophic failure that left us stranded in these 2. My point is that GM is building some good cars now. I have worked on Hondas and Toyotas too. Alternators and water pumps don't last forever on any make. Even the bulletproof Toyota 22R engine will fail if you run it out of oil. Every dealership has a service department, none are immune. Good maintenance is the key to long life of any vehicle.

[harpo231]

,Lexus[a toyota] ,kia, honda.Toyota, in top ten Porshe and Buick round it out for least service,,,

Ya don't have to like it,, but it's true

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by harpo231

Ya don't have to like it,, but it's true

I agree. I own an 01 Yukon and an 03 4Runner. I’ve replaced nearly EVERY part on the Yukon over the years. I’ve replaced the gas cap on the 4Runner There is absolutely no comparison. I only own the Yukon because it can haul more people.