So if the Chinese one is made to exacting standards buy it? I don't know exacting standards. I get a NEW water pump it is in a box I don't bother looking at where it was made and I put it on. I looked back in my Mule M1009 thread and saw the last water pump I put on the Mule M1009 was made in Austria. Does Austria have more exacting standards then China? And my Son said it was Australia that my water pump came from. It don't seem to matter. It was one of them deals I went to Autozone and bought a water pump. When the man put the box on the counter the box was not a Duralast box. I looked at the pump and the box had other numbers and store markings from other stores on it. I could have been a douche and said I don't want it. The box was worn and torn. I had a 20% off coupon and I bought it. 1 year later 10K no problems. I did notice that from time to time things I buy at Autozone have come from other warehouses. Possibly from other parts stores that have gone out of business. Because that can bring up a whole new complain and gripe issue. How old is this water pump? When was it built? It may have been the original water pump that was on the assembly line 36 years ago at the Detroit diesel engine assembly plant and they had it there to show you the sequence of bolt installation. Now I don't want it because it is to old. See where I am going? What is the proper manganese content on the water pump shaft vs the cast aluminum alloy housing or the virgin raw cast iron /stainless steel housing. If it isn't precisely 26.8% it will warp and cause a catastrophic engine failure at 210.6 degrees F.
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I said buy the best parts you can afford.
That does NOT mean only USA.
China parts like the other poster said are either really good or really crappy.
It all depends on what you want to pay.
We've been down this road before.
Buy cheap parts, wherever their made, and don't be squawking when it fails in three months, etc.
Buy the good parts, from wherever, and replace it in a year or three.
You get the point.
Of course good parts fail but the chances of an early failure are slim.
Thats why I have a Hobbs meter. Like my aircraft, I assign certain parts an hour figure. When that part reaches a certain hour in use, I replace it. Needed or not.
Gives me piece of mind and gives me exceptional reliability in my trucks.
No one will most likely agree with that and I don't really care. Works for me.
The cheap stuff works for you. Great! I'm glad.
Like I've said before, they don't for me.