> I'm wondering what the differences are between the OEM and > aftermarket heater blower motors I've seen on some FLAPS web sites. > > This job is such a bugger I wanna know if spending the extra > $$$ is truly worth it.
Having sold many of both (we list both on our website), I've seen a slightly higher defect rate on the aftermarket one, but still under 1 percent so it's negligable. That's a good sign. But it's only been on the market for a couple of years, so long-term reliability versus the OEM one is still unknown. Ask again in 5 years. Speaking as a Vanagon owner, if it were my van I'd use the OEM one. Since it's a major hassle to replace, I'd gladly pay a bit more for a part with a proven long-term track record that may increase the interval before I had to do it again. Of course it's a judgement call; the aftermarket one could prove in a few years to last as long as OEM (or you could sping for an OEM one and get that rare dud). But as a rule of thumb, I lean more toward using aftermarket parts (especially ones that don't have a 4 or 5 year track record yet) in cases where replacing the part will not be too hard or expensive if I later have reason to regret that decision. - Ron Salmon The Bus Depot, Inc. www.busdepot.com (215) 234-VWVW _____________________________________________ Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT |
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