Pennywise, and...?

A tale of a small part and large consequences.

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By Eric van Spelde
Editor in Chief, ReMaTecNews Online

Anyone rebuilding automotive components can tell stories about how much cost pressure has been applied to system suppliers over the past decade or so. Our disposable incomes haven't exactly soared in most parts of the world, and we all want 'more' car for our money - more safety and comfort systems, more space, better performance... Ever tightening environmental regulations ensure that engines and fuel systems tend to be a lot more advanced and costly than before.
All this, for the same or less money - allowing for inflation - means something will have to give.
Often, that 'something' is small and seemingly inconsequential - like the rubber boots on the end of steering racks. Except that nowadays, they're seldom made of rubber anymore - the vast majority of manufacturers has long switched to cheaper, plastic boots.
Why does this matter? "Plastic boots are always loose on the clamped end," says Edwin Roozing of rebuilder Auto Elect Hydroline as he effortlessly spins a plastic boot around the rack and track rod end, even though it's secured to the rack with a jubilee clip and with a tie-wrap at the track rod end. "As a result, they won't seal as well as proper ones."

Next he takes a rubber boot and exerts a significant turning force on it with his hand. The boot deforms, but stays put.
The steering racks in the opening picture are from a fairly recent, mid-sized saloon from a European brand that prides itself on its 'sporting heart' and positions itself more or less at the premium end of the market. The track rod ends are quite short, which means the steering rack itself protrudes well into the inner wheelwells - a more hostile environment for the inner surfaces of a steering housing and the rack itself can hardly be imagined. The problem is compounded by the plastic boots posing little resistance to moisture ingress. As a result, the racks on the picture are now rendered non-rebuildable.
The good news is that while the OE supplier has made an expensive mistake for the consumer by using a cheap part, you don't have to. Quality boots will cost less than a euro a piece if you buy enough of them - small beer compared to the cost and reputation damage associated with comebacks...

Some do, some don't - part 2

Discrimination against parts

By Hans de Boer,
Owner, De Boer Transmissies

It's a fact of life that many spare parts are not made available by the original equipment supplier. Fortunately for us, there's always the aftermarket to fill in the gaps. However, no matter how quick the aftermaket suppliers are to respond to market demand, they will always be lagging behind the OEs to some extent. Also, the levels of demand for specific parts tend to vary greatly between markets.

In cases where neither OE nor aftermarket parts are yet available, sometimes we are lucky when used - often nearly new - parts are available. This way, we can still repair and rebuild the components affected by non-availability of spares.

Except of course, when the parts are needed in a country that forbids the import of used parts!

Last week I had a visit from a few Turkish customers. They bought lots of new spare parts, but also a couple of used ones that were unavailable any other way. These went on the bottom of the shipping crate.

Now they will need to pray that the parts arrive, so that a vehicle owner on a budget who has a small part failing on their transmission can be on the road again, and the repairer can earn a living in economically tough times.

Of course, the parts vendor would be more than willing to pay import duties on the parts. Only they cannot: the parts they need are illegal to bring into their country - just because they have been used previously...

Oh, and following on my previous blog, at the end of last summer Jatco announced that in 2012, they will only carry spare parts for the JF506E anymore; all the rest has been discontinued.

Ah well, just another challenge...

Some do, some don't...

By Hans de Boer
Owner, De Boer Transmissies

Why is it that some transmission manufacturers don't sell spare parts to the aftermarket at all, while others not only sell any part you like, but also support the installer with things like parts catalogues and detailed instructions with every part they sell?

Genuine Aisin-Warner parts are not available to the aftermarket. Instead, Aisin Warner would suggest replacing a transmission with a broken C1 clutch - aftermarket price 300-500 euro - with a new one at a cost of 4,000 euro. On the other hand ZF is all too happy to provide us rebuilders with a replacement clutch for one of their transmissions at an average price of 80 euro. ZF also offers complete kits with everything you need for a specific repair - a comprehensive set of installation instructions included.

Is the difference in stance towards the transmission repair market between transmission manufacturers a result of agreements with the OEMs they serve? Hardly likely, since for instance the Volkswagen Group uses transmissions from both ZF and Aisin Warner in its cars. ZF transmission parts for VAG cars are freely available for the repair market, while Aisin Warner parts are not.

Transmission rebuilders will always find a way to repair or remanufacture a transmission. Parts that are not available from the OES will become available from aftermarket suppliers in due course - at a price, of course - and with experience, rebuilders become quite apt at 'reverse engineering' newly developed transmissions.

Handling aftermarket sales the ZF way, however, not only has a benefit to the rebuilder but also to the manufacturer themselves: a ZF transmission will likely be rebuilt with genuine ZF parts, as they are available at reasonable prices and rebuilders get full support. It's no secret that ZF Aftermarket Services is a net contributor to ZF's bottom line.

As an aside, Mercedes-Benz, too, is happy to supply spare parts for their transmissions... except when those transmissions happen to be in a Porsche.