Thanks for posting!

Being newly to the market of 7.3 parts I really appreciate these review posts. If some company messes up or cheats you, I want to know before sending off my hard earned dough!

 

Just remember, Glowplugger, as has been stated in other but similar threads, ALL companies make mistakes, even the best of them, and when you're dealing with the best of them, they will typically make up for the mistake in how well they respond and handle the correction effort. Again, though, no one is perfect and there will eventually be anomalies in customer service with every company.

 

On a positive note, Dorman must be pretty good if he stocks them.

Just a thought!

 

I faced reality some time ago....My truck is 16 years old with over 400K....Does it really need overpriced OEM parts that most of time originate in China? Dorman has worked for me in the past. Having said that, I'd be pissed as well if I ordered something that was switched.

 

This is where I stand as well. If the non-OEM part works fine and there is no real issue with using it I'm all for using the aftermarket part. This whole push for making 16-17year old trucks 100% whole can sometimes lead to head-scratching decisions.......

"Sure my body is 45% rust and pieces fall off when I hit bumps but check out that gen-u-ine OEM transmission cooler I got, like it came from the factory just yesterday".......

I would also be pissed if I paid a very obvious premium for OEM and got Non-OEM.....just like paying for a Honda generator and getting a Generac in the mail instead.....

 

Did you get in touch with John? Did he fix the error?

 

I personally have had fit issues with Dorman and have heard enough credible stories about others problems that I will stay away from them. I do not understand why Chi nee=junk but it does. It doesn't have to but it does and I will avoid it whenever possible.

 

Yes I called, I told him I was expecting to receive a Ford OEM cooler because that's what they told me they were sending me. Instead I got a cooler that was painted black with a sticker on it that said Made in China.

He told me it's the same cooler, It's just painted black. I told him it has a "Made in China" sticker with the Dorman part # 918-216 on it. He said "where do you think the OEM coolers come from? I guess these are all he is selling now. He should change the picture of the Ford OEM cooler he has advertised on his website to the Black Dorman cooler.. If I wanted a Dorman I would have bought from RockAuto for $150.00.. He said to send it back for a refund and that's what I did...

Kevin

 

Well, that's a different ending than I anticipated, but at least they refunded you and took the Dorman part back.

You find a true OEM one? Do dealerships still carry them?

 

Yes they still carry them. I'm gonna get the 26 row cooler from my local dealer for $325.00. And then just get the fittings and hose from Napa.

 

I used to own a 99 Cobra. I bought new coil packs from Tousley Ford (or whatever they're called these days)....8 of them, almost 500 bucks. Imagine my surprise when the words "Made in China" were printed on the package in bigger font than the Ford emblem....I wont buy OEM again unless I really have to....

 

Sounds like a good resolution. He gave you a valid reason for the "substitute" but still offered a refund on the 100% customer satisfaction commitment.

I do see your point that if they are sending "Dorman" vs OEM, it would be nice for them to point that out on their site. It would help people like me who aren't parts experts

Glad you got it worked out to your satisfaction

 

OP, I run a JW transmission and LOVE it. Having said that, if you have a problem with a company, you absolutely have the right to get on here and complain about it without speaking to them first! People on here take it personally if you say a bad word about someone who is liked on here.

Everybody makes mistakes.

 

I have bought Dorman products for my old F-150 with good luck. The only Dorman product I've bought for my F-250 was the degas bottle and cap. Cap failed shortly after installation so I bought an OEM cap. Threading is slightly different on Dorman degas bottle so there's a small leak. Now I've bought an OEM bottle from Riffraff to install. Thought I was saving $50 but in the end spent $85 more. No more Dorman for me.

 

I'm glad you got your money back. I'm also glad you reported your experience online.

I think most people would expect that Dorman parts be advertised as Dorman parts, not OEM Ford Parts. Most people prefer truth in advertising, and anything less suggests an effort to mislead.

Most people expect that OEM Ford Parts are more expensive, and therefore those who insist on OEM Ford parts (like I often do) expect to receive them in a Ford logo'ed wrapper or box with a Ford part number stamped into them.

The question isn't whether or not Ford parts are necessary, or whether or not Dorman parts are good enough. The question of this thread is whether or not a popular and highly regarded vendor advertised a Ford part that people expect to pay more for, but sent a Dorman part that people can easily buy for even less money elsewhere.

I've long looked for the difference between John Wood versus Brian of BTS. The transmissions made by both builders seem to last a long time, making a choice between the two a toss of the coin. But stories like the one in this thread serve as a reminder to not only consider the characteristics of the transmission, but to also consider the character of the builder.

What kind of character advertises a product in such a way to induce people to believe something that isn't quite so?

I bought an OEM cooler from Ford. I personally picked it up at a Ford dealer, and removed it from a Ford box. It was made in Canada, by Long Thermal products, formerly known as Long Manufacturing, and now a subsidiary of Dana. It was not made in China. It was not a Dorman part. It was not painted any color.

Why are products from China often painted? To conceal manufacturing defects and material inconsistencies? Why would a heat exchanger be covered in paint, that reduces the efficiency of heat transfer? Even these questions are immaterial to the subject of this thread, in my opinion.

What really mattered to me in this story was character. "Selling" a Ford OEM part and then shipping a Dorman part is not the kind of character most people would trust. I am kind of surprised to hear this about John Wood, and yet thankful to the OP to learn of it all the same.

If Mr. Wood justifies his marketing choices with "it's all the same" or "does the same thing" on such an obvious and tangible external part, then what kind of equivocations are made concerning hidden parts inside transmissions that I will never see or understand?

Getting one's money back is great... but not at the expense of time, shipping, and aggravation that the OP indicates could all have been avoided in the first place with more direct truth in advertising. No one likes a fast one being pulled on them, even if one part is said to serve just as well as the other. One man's "good enough" may not be another's.