THE VALUE IN PARTS PARTNERSHIPS

摘要

There is a saying that price is what you pay, but value is what you get, and that is very true in the automo-tive parts world these days. Many manufacturers are aware that shops want more than just quality parts; they want to know that the manufacturer will back the parts with training, warranties and ownership should something go wrong. Around 10 or 15 years ago, we saw a very dramatic increase in the number of off-shore brake rotors and brake drums making their appearance in the U.S. market and on the shelves at many of our parts stores. Besides the fact that many of these imports were challenged by look and feel (they really looked terrible, both the unit and the packaging) even more significantly, they often didn't fit. That shockingly low price was less impressive when the part inside the box wouldn't or couldn't bolt up. This rough start put a lot of us off, and because of these significant issues and a general reluctance to risk our name and our customer's good will, many of us just said no to these cheap imitations and continued to buy the more familiar, more expensive alternatives.