Nope, same guy. We've been selling and installing DRX glow plugs since 2011 I think, with lots of success. I've had a lot of customers requesting Motorcraft plugs recently so I carry those now too. Can't go wrong with either of these in my opinion. I've had DRX plugs in all of my personal trucks for years.

Edit: I bought my '96 new, and around '01 or '02 I pulled the engine to replace the oil pan that had already rusted through. While it was out I decided to check the condition of the glow plugs and 2 of them were stuck in the head and wouldn't budge. These were oem with 55,000 miles on them. I had to pull the heads off and pound them through from the under side to free them up. So for me just because it says Motorcraft don't mean squat. Yes, they are good, but so are DRX and Bosch.

 

Thank you for chiming in Jim, we do appreciate you taking time out of your day to address the community. I didn't want to assume you were the same person without verification from you or Nate. Too much misinformation on the interwebs already.

It doesn't surprise me that various levels of knockoff manufacturing can be found. Although, which are we receiving when buying a knock off? Are we getting the "platinum package" that is as good or better than Motorcraft or are we getting the "poop package". If the chances are as good (or bad based on how you read it) as the sensors we can purchase from the parts stores, I'm a hard pass.

I don't know about anyone else, but at $95.04 for Motorcraft ZD-11 from Riffraff or at $64.39 for Diesel Rx via Amazon, I will stick with what I feel is a good product and I am comfortable with. I am not willing to take a chance on the engine having a catastrophic failure in order to save $30.66 which would buy a couple of large pizzas and a six pack of IPA. I am a thrifty shopper, but I am also a firm believer in quality, longevity and reliability.

Obviously there are exceptions, just like Jim mentioned above. Anything made or designed by humans can and will fail at some point and we never know when that point is.

I appreciate that you give your customers the option to choose between Diesel Rx and Motorcraft, that says something about how you run your business. Your reputation precedes you and I for one am grateful people like you, Matthew, Bob, Clay, Charlie, Corey and Clayton are here to jump in when there are discussions such as this one that arise.

Cheers!

 

Thanks for the education Jim. It's always good to be reminded of other options that are viable. Who knows? Ford MoCo could always be discontinued as other genuine Ford parts have been.

 

I swear when I started buying/selling/installing glow plugs the Motorcraft were really expensive, which made the DRX very attractive. But that was 10 years ago and online shopping and pricing has become a tad more competitive since then.

 

The FTE search function is poopy. But here's a trick; type the text below in an easily accessible doc then copy and paste it in front of any search terms in your browser, google or Duck Duck Go or whatever. All results will come from FTE. Works for other websites too, just change the web page.

site:www.ford-trucks.com

For whatever reason FTE changes the text I typed above into a link, and I can't un-link it.

 

OK, Sounds like we should compile a list of vendors who can and will supply only the authentic Motorcraft common replacement items. I , for one, purchased from Riff-Raff mu glow plugs, UVCH, and many other Motorcraft packaged items. Am I wrong to assume they are buying from genuine suppliers and making sure we are getting Genuine replacement parts ? Or do I have to assume that they may be also getting ( conned) from their supplier and not inspecting their shipments for authentication ? Just taking this thread and discussion to the next level of suspicion. What do you all think ? Am I getting to paranoid or if I purchase from a reputable vendor like the above for mentioned that I have nothing to worry about.

 

I thought about this as well being that the fakes look almost identical whose to say reputable vendors dont know they are getting duked. I will say that I feel most comfortable with riff raff and diesel o rings when purchasing Motorcraft or ford genuine parts but the thought did cross my mind. I know they would never knowingly sell fakes but the counterfeits are pretty hard to tell apart

 

Our reputable vendors are buying from reputable sources.

I have confidence Riffraff will only sell authentic products.

Now diesel power products, db electric or Rudy’s will sell you some cheap crap they got from ali with their name on it.

 

I buy Ford parts from Ford dealers, full stop.

Motorcraft parts however, are distributed differently... at least they were when I back when I was more privy to how that part of the business worked. With Motorcraft parts, the Ford dealers would get their stock from the same distribution center that supplied independent and chain auto parts stores who happened to carry Motocraft parts, and who did not have their own DCs.

I've been to the Motorcraft distribution center serving my general area to pick up parts on behalf of my local Ford dealer (as if I was a parts running delivery driver), although the parts were actually for my own truck... invoiced through the Ford dealer. The same distribution center supplied Motorcraft parts to other parts stores.

This is why I don't have a problem with buying red box / red bag Motorcaft parts at reputable and established local auto parts stores, since the same distribution center supplies the local Ford dealers.

However, blue box / blue bag Ford parts are different. Those I will only buy at Ford dealers.

I generally don't buy automotive parts online.

 

I have purchased MoCo parts from O'Reilly's and Rockauto without issue....not sure that has changed though, but those reputations are important to CEO's I would bet. Sure I love supporting Clay and the like, but once in awhile you need something that day, like I needed GPs last October and O'Reilly's had them in stock. I kept my old set though because they were not in bad shape at all. I just replaced because I did the normal check to make sure they were not Autolites or something else. Should I find fakes when I get back under there this month, I'll find out and report back. I might have a photo in the Betsy thread.

 

They both sell genuine motorcraft.

 

Found the photo of what came out of my truck. Glad I kept them. They were functioning just fine

 

In my opinion, this thread was not intended to be a "stay away from this vendor or that website". It was intended to be informational and provide details about what you may or may not be buying and if you are aware of what you are buying and installing.

Autolites was mentioned above and is a great example... How do we know that the non-Motorcraft GP's are any better or worse than Autolites? We don't...

Again, I saw the GP's that SkySkiJason posted in the first post in person, as did a couple of other FTE'rs at the recent GTG. We were simply amazed at how close the knockoffs were to the genuine Motorcraft. The first thing I did was look for the Beru etching on both of them, it was there... On the knockoff and the Motorcraft.

So, now that people can make an informed decision and select a vendor based on what they know, the purpose of the thread has been fulfilled. If you need parts that day, then shop wisely. If you can get some Motorcraft GP's, great! If you can get some Diesel Rx, maybe great! If you can only get some Autolite or the unidentified GP's, go ahead! But, I would rather delay the project and install a quality and reliable part than to rush the job simply because I couldn't or didn't plan ahead.

GP's are not typically an "I NEED THEM NOW" part like an IPR, steering gear or IDM, but each person is different and looks upon events in life differently.

Be informed, be educated and be cautious about what you are putting in the cylinder of your engine.

 

The spacing on the english font is what gives away a lot of china products. They haven't figured that out yet.

 

This thread and some other items I've learned of recently have opened my eyes on what is and can be counterfeited out there. I have always had some suspicions on things like that OtterBox for my cell phone going for 1/3 the ripoff price of the OEM and others. Some things won't matter, like that OtterBox but others do. I am generally opposed to buying knockoffs because it goes against my grain but I also don't like overpaying just because.