Date:         Sat, 24 Aug 2013 01:21:18 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Subject: German quality?
In-Reply-To:  <CAKbau516_Ukk+1E=DJc=SHwod0zfJUkUF6Ho1dYN=23n2_bpPQ@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

> The Continental belt that inspired my original post on the subject of German
> quality had "Made in Germany" stamped right on the belt. The replacement that
> the vendor sent had the same part number stamped on it but was not the same
> part at all. So the way see it, either  Continental has poor quality control or there
> are parts being sold as Conti parts that aren't really Conti parts.


Welcome to globalization. Continental has various supply sources, just like most other major suppliers. I have received a single shipment of the identical part number in the identical box (not Conti specifically) that contained parts which were absolutely nothing alike inside the box (different tooling marks, different countries of origin, sometimes branded on the part itself sometimes not). I have seen the blatantly identical parts (and I mean identical) variously labeled as made in the USA, Germany, or Taiwan depending on who the distributor was. And don't even get me started on retailers. There is one Vanagon parts retailer I know of who flaunts "made in USA" products that I happen to know are not, and another that sells Chinese made products as "Original German Quality." (The latter is at least a value judgment and therefore could be debated, but I still find it a bit misleading.)  We list German companies as such, with a footnote that the product itself may or may not be German made, and try to list in the description those items that we actually know to be OEM or German. Even that is a moving target, since who knows what the next shipment will bring, making it a constant battle to stay accurate.

 So this is a long-winded way of saying that it is entirely believable that both belts were Conti belts from two different batches and two different factories.  

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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