As I posted in another thread, we were at South Padre Island and I thought my water pump was failing. I ordered a Gates water pump from Rock Auto and several days later it arrived.

Upon inspection, the pump looked perfect. I did notice there were no directions and the tag number on the pump did not match the box. Upon more inspection, I noticed a stamp on the pump and it said GMB. I looked up water pumps on the GMB site and the number on the pump matched the number in the GMB catalog.

I called Gates and talked to technical/customer support and the fellow told me that gates did not make any water pumps or anything out of metal. I mentioned to him how I was impressed how Gates mentioned their technical abilities throughout the water pump information and their great design on their web site. He said he thought Gates bought their pumps from several sources.

I called the Gates corporate patent attorney and had a nice chat. We talked about deceptive trade practices and he said that Gates used many suppliers in their products and that while they were a reseller of someone elses water pump and this was not disclosed, it did not constitute a deceptive trade practice. He did say the lifetime guarantee was good.

I believe that the attorney is correct within a narrow view of the law but I believe that the Gates' description of their product leads one to believe they actually manufacture water pumps to their specification.

What do you think?

 

I think almost all the parts are in the same boat as what you are talking about. China is pumping so much stuff out that is not up to par and they can make it at a fraction of the cost than here and companys are jumping all over it and selling them just to try to make a buck. Everything is getting more expensive and less quality.

 

Call Rock Auto and tell them you are unhappy. Never had a problem with their customer service.

 

I did call Rock Auto first and the customer service representative read me a statement from Gates off of her computer screen that said that Gates might substitute other manufacturer's water pumps in a Gates box but Gates would stand behind their lifetime warranty. Then I called Gates. If the pump lasts I'll be happy.

 

I guess you would have one heck of a hissy fit in knowing out of all the automotive battery brands, there are only a handful that actually produce them with Johnson Controls being the biggest.

I have to admit surprise you didn't know companies resold other companies products.

Josh

 

Josh,

Your comment was interesting but not relevant. First it is common knowledge that batteries in the United States are made by a few manufacturers. I just bought an Energizer battery at Sams the other day for another car and while it was marked as an Energizer battery, it also said it was made by Johnson Controls - the manufacturer.

With respect to the water pump, before you rant on about my comments, take a look at the Gates web site and the Gates information that is available on the Rock Auto site. You will note how Gates goes on about their technical design and manufacturing quality regarding their water pumps. How they maintain quality control in their manufacturing while sourcing from several suppliers doesn't equate unless they have onsite quality control at the source. After you read, digest and comprehend what they say, I'm sure you will see that the information provided indicates they make the pumps. If you see it differently, write back.

I'm not quite sure what a hissy is and I don't think I've had one but if it's your thing, enjoy yourself.

 

So from what you said, they directly stated they will source from other suppliers, perform a quality control and stand behind their product with a lifetime warranty.

Yes they also said they manufacture their own, but then again do also re-sell other companies stuff.

 

No, that isn't true at all. There are a gazillion battery manufacturers.

List of Battery Manufacturers

It is true, that only 3 or 4 companies make the majority of them. Take a look at this list though, it's one of those things that Americans seem to do quite well and still remain competitive, though imports are making inroads, unfortunately.

 

As long as this thread was revived....

"I called Gates and talked to technical/customer support and the fellow told me that gates did not make any water pumps or anything out of metal. ........ He said he thought Gates bought their pumps from several sources.

I called the Gates corporate patent attorney and had a nice chat. We talked about deceptive trade practices and he said that Gates used many suppliers in their products and that while they were a reseller of someone elses water pump and this was not disclosed, it did not constitute a deceptive trade practice. "

It's how the entire aftermarket world works since I started working in it in the late 1970s. We even made parts for our competitors when their plants went on strike, and they did the same for us. For the more complex parts, in the USA and Europe, it sometimes is not cost-effective to ramp up tooling and design, just cheaper to buy from the source. It even gets weirder when people think they are getting the same exact part that one company makes for the OE production line, but yet their aftermarket part sold under their name or their aftermarkets division name is not the same part or quality at all. It's why when I see OEM, Orginal Equipment Manufacturer" it means nothing to me. They may have a leg up in the tooling design, but for OE production most manufacturers own the tooling for the parts and the supplier can't use them for anything else.

 

Look at all the AC Delco parts for sale on Amazon. Same AC Delco logo us old timers came to equate as GM, but it's not. It's whatever part they happen to source in an AC Delco box. I've ordered several of their parts and some look to be high quality import, while others you can tell were from a different manufacturer. Still good, but not as good looking as a related part of theirs. So far, I've been satisfied with what I've gotten from them. I go in knowing what I'm getting, and just hope for the best cheap import I can get.

I know I'm going to get import parts at AZ, Advance, ect, so I figure I may as well save around 50%, wait a few days, and get the parts from Amazon from whatever part has the best ratings that read like real ratings, not the fake, choppy english ratings that are common.