Question89 Corolla 4dr Sedan, 2 Wheel Drive,Carbureted.
I will probably own the car for another 5 yrs.
This is for the Rear Wheels,so maybe the [lower quality] Chinese Drums are acceptable?
Do you feel Chinese parts are reliable compared to US [or Japanese,etc ] Brake Parts?
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Is it worth it to pay the following higher prices for non-the Chinese parts ?
1]Brake drums [no warranty on these] $50 for OMC brand,Italian ; vs $17 for Partsmaster, Chinese
2]Wheel Cylinders: $20 ea Adler, Japan ;
vs $ 11 ea, Wagner [probably made in China],Warranty: 1yr
3]Brake shoes: ;$20 Covina Brand,US made ; vs ValueCraft [made in China-?], $12.99 Warranty: 1yr
Answer I used to think that the cheaper Chinese (and other Asian developing countries, not Japanese(Japanese stuff is of the highest quality)) parts were a problem, but as time went by all of the big reputable suppliers (such as Wagner) were turning to them to cut costs. So, I would say, based on my experience of the last twenty years, there is no reason not to buy Chinese parts. The Japanese OEMs (Toyota, Honda, Nissan, etc.) are all having most of their new parts (the parts from which their new cars are made) manufactured in China.
Just two things: (1) Examine the parts carefully for obvious defects or corrosion before you commit to installing them, and (2) pretty much ignore the warranty; unless you are driving 30 or 40 thousand miles per year that is just not going to be a factor (and if you do drive that much, don't figure on that car lasting that long). Corolla is Toyota's most popular and widest-selling car, the quality of any replacement parts should be good and availability should be excellent.
