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I've been buying GM parts since about 1996, and admittedly I haven't gone straight to the dealer and bought a "New" GM part in the last couple decades. So I bought a hood louver for the Iroc off Ebay, supposedly new authentic GM. What showed up doesn't pass the sniff test to me. Seller says they're a GM dealership and the part came from the GM parts system, so before I leave scathing negative feedback, figured I should ask the community for a second opinion.
So what say you? The box is a typical generic brown cardboard box, the only markings on it are the shipping label with my address. No GM logos, no GM label, return address is the ebay seller's name, not a GM dealers name. The bag is nothing special, closed with a couple staples, and the only markings are the label pictured. Has the Government bailout resulted in GM no longer putting their mark of excellence on everything? Are they no longer using the heat shield plastic with "can not be returned if opened" printed on it? No sign even of the yellow black and white barcode pick ticket... Just strikes me as odd.
The part itself looks like a Chinese repro made on the GM molds. It shows the mold rework dates from 87-95 molded into the plastic on the underside. Lots of really rough edges, molding flash around the edges, but it seems to be the appropriate semi-matte black, not glossy like the repro grills. The plastic it's molded from feels like it'd break if I sneezed while holding it. If I don't hold it so it's supported in several places you can feel it bow. Seems like garbage to me, really... But I'm guessing all the repros are just as bad. It didn't have OER or other repro labels on the box, so I don't really know what it is.
So opinions? I'll see about getting some detail pics later when I get a moment to show the actual part... Gotta review a few aftermarket parts that've come in lately...
If you Google that part number, you'll see several outfits selling this at varying prices and from what I see, none of them list "aftermarket" or "reproduction." All of the text used is GM or New OEM for what that's worth. Interesting for sure.
Yeah, the 14081351 is the GM part number, and I'd venture the GRP 8054 is probably the GM group number from the catalog, I'm just accustomed to something like this being plastered in GM logo packaging. Even repros I'd expect to see licensed GM logos. They're usually so proud of their mark of excellence. Usually, they won't let you forget it.
Is there a GM part number molded into the louver itself? Thats usually the giveaway it is a real GM part.
Maybe... But who's to say where the GM molds have been, and which manufacturer may have injected crap plastic into those molds and produced garbage parts that were rejected or God knows what. You come to expect a certain level of quality from authentic parts, and licensed parts. When the actual part is chintzy as hell, and the packaging is generic with a label I could whip up in minutes, it's a bit disconcerting.
Not exactly the easiest thing in the world to capture in photos, but these should convey how all the edges of this part are virtually unfinished. Before this thing goes on my car, at the least I'll have to clean up the mold flash, probably smooth the edges with fine sand paper. Just seems a bit excessive for an $80 chunk of shitty plastic.
Maybe... But who's to say where the GM molds have been, and which manufacturer may have injected crap plastic into those molds and produced garbage parts that were rejected or God knows what. You come to expect a certain level of quality from authentic parts, and licensed parts. When the actual part is chintzy as hell, and the packaging is generic with a label I could whip up in minutes, it's a bit disconcerting.
Not exactly the easiest thing in the world to capture in photos, but these should convey how all the edges of this part are virtually unfinished. Before this thing goes on my car, at the least I'll have to clean up the mold flash, probably smooth the edges with fine sand paper. Just seems a bit excessive for an $80 chunk of shitty plastic.
That's the thing... If it was a good quality part, I wouldn't really be all that bothered by it. It's more that the part looks like cheap garbage, which makes me really question the packaging. The Chinese are more than a little notorious for producing an item under contract, and then producing the same item and selling them out the back door or through other channels. Often those lesser grade parts end up trading in other markets competing with the contracted parts. Heard plenty of horror stories about Chinese firms copying a product and going to great lengths to look the part, when in reality the product isn't remotely close. This louver would certainly give me that impression.
I'm kind of at the point on some of this stuff that there isn't a really good option. It's either crap reproduction, or nothing, or try to fab something that will work. Wouldn't have jumped on this part if it weren't listed as a genuine GM part.
A sticky subject, for sure, especially in this day of global marketing, where some German and Japanese cars are built in the US, certain Buicks and Volvos built in China, and other 'American' cars are built in Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere. The replacement parts market is equally confusing as well.
While every 'GM' part I've ever bought has come in a package with the 'GM' logo on it, some of the packages have clearly stated that the contents were manufactured in other countries. Maybe I've just been lucky, but all those parts, regardless of their country of origin, have been good if not excellent quality. These parts, however, have mostly been considerably more expensive than non-GM parts I could have purchased locally or through ebay, etc.
Dorman products, in particular, come immediately to mind. Cheat me once, shame on you. Cheat me twice, shame on me.
If your part's quality is substandard, it's likely you've been hornswaggled; ebay is rife with sellers of counterfeit stuff, most of it coming from back-alley Chinese sweat shops. Your best recourse is to seek a refund, and then look elsewhere for your part(s).
Oddly enough, many of the Honda and Toyota parts I've purchased from local dealers were made in the US. Go figure.
I did a little digging, the GRP on the tag is the group number in the catalog, and I found a few sets of real deal NOS louvers on Ebay and looked them over closely. Even the ones in obviously authentic GM packaging have the same rough edges and shitty molding artifacts. Gives me the impression that this louver is probably as good as any other currently available copy, and certainly as good as the NOS parts over a decade old on Ebay. Guess it makes me a little less grumbly about it. It'll probably clean up good enough to do the job when I get around to it. I'm building up to a repaint on the Iroc, so it'll be awhile until I'm there, I just generally fall for NOS GM parts for the Iroc whenever they pop up on my list.
If anyone else happens to order a hood louver from say... GM Parts Direct, or their local dealer, I'd be curious to see how the item is packaged. I hate to order another from another source just to justify my curiousity. This one will probably be GOOD ENOUGH for this project after I clean up the edges.
A new hood louver for $80,.............? Last time I looked for a NOS hood louver they were around $150 - each; and that was probably 5-7 years ago when new/NOS fog lights were "only" going for about $100 each. I'm guessing if you paid $80 for a hood louver, you got an $80 hood louver. (New sure,... but maybe OER ??? )
A new hood louver for $80,.............? Last time I looked for a NOS hood louver they were around $150 - each; and that was probably 5-7 years ago when new/NOS fog lights were "only" going for about $100 each. I'm guessing if you paid $80 for a hood louver, you got an $80 hood louver. (New sure,... but maybe OER ??? )
I'd generally agree, but $80 is the average "discount" GM dealer price. It's not a "too good to be true" price.
As best as I can tell, OER only offers them in pairs. FWIW.
Notice this pair has the same style plastic bag, a more typical GM pick ticket labels (Dated 2007 no less), and the same goofy molding flash.
And then there's this pair...
That last picture I would say are the real deal and the packaging I'd expect for a "Real" "Genuine" GM part. If what I'd received was packaged that way, even if the part was the same hokey quality, I wouldn't have questioned WTF was going on.
But are they what a person would receive buying a louver today from GM? I can't be sure. My gut is telling me authentic GM or officially licensed GM would have GM logos all over the place. Historically most NOS GM parts from the dealership network have some form of the yellow pick ticket. Seems odd to me that the part number label, and the box are so different from the rest of the GM parts I've had. I just cant be sure that this louver isn't exactly what you'd get from the dealer. Really, the only reason it matters is whether the seller misrepresented the item. I've been on the receiving end of complaints about an item that were beyond my control. If there's a chance this part actually came out of GM stock, whether authentic GM, or licensed reproduction, I don't want to drag a seller through the dirt. For all I know, it may just be that 2019 GM changed the packaging again.
Had one of the NOS boxes down off the shelf to make room for another piece too cheap to pass up, took a pic of a few GM NOS parts to document a few variations of the packaging and dealership pick tickets.
The NOS louvers were fetching big $$ so it looks like OER started making them to profit from an under-supply of original parts. Kinda' explains why every distributor now has a set of "new" louvers for around $200.
The cost has been down for awhile now. I only started taking a renewed interest in the Iroc in 2016, and at that time there were several places with louvers priced this low or lower. I've had the louver on the long-term, low priority list for decades. They were never expensive enough to worry about, and never cheap enough to just get one and tuck it away. Regardless, at this point I'd expect any "New" louver that isn't more than a decade "old-stock", is probably going to be a reproduction, just like the grills, turn signals, fog lights, and some of the other parts that GM has kept perpetually in the catalog as available, while the actual product has left something to be desired.
The $475 pair of louvers I posted a screenshot of above, are exactly the same as the louver I just received, aside from the 07/07 dated, GM pick tickets stuck to the bags in the photos. I pick up vintage NOS parts regularly for bargain prices. For every Ebay seller with a $300 1LE brake hose, or $150 1LE coolant hose, there is generally someone cleaning out an old dealership, or workshop for an estate or business liquidation sale. Point being you can't put much weight on the sale price, because a lot of stuff goes misidentified, or unwanted, or cheap. Some of the best deals I've gotten were items listed wrong, listed poorly, or with bad photos.
I got my money's worth, that's not really the issue. It's more about holding a seller to their word. Sounds like I'm probably not going to find out if this is what GM is selling as a hood louver, short of buying another one, and I really don't see it being worth the trouble.
OERŽ reproduction of the original hood louver ornaments / louvers designed for use on 1985-90 Camaro Z28 and 1987 IROC models. Each louver is injection-molded creating a reproduction that is identical to the original GM louver. Using the highest grade polymer materials, each louver will install onto the original hood and offer an authentic appearance and fit. These OE style louvers fit into the recessed areas of the optional Z28 or IROC hood. Includes correct satin black finish, black foam rubber insulating seals and mounting hardware. .................
They sure do make stuff that looks the same - but it ain't. I couldn't tell the difference between the NOS Z28 rocker emblems when they were sitting right next to a set of NEW OER repros',... till I flipped them over and checked the markings on the back. I'm fairly sure that your experience buying NOS parts already tells you what you need to know.
Truthfully, you really don't know what you are getting these days sadly. I still trust NOS or NORS as long as it's in sealed brand packaging. Don't expect that what you buy is what you get. For example. Bought some brake hoses for my 89 last year from Rock Auto. Saw the "economy" Chinese brand on there, but opted for the "daily driver" AC Delco. What did I get you ask? AC Delco boxes, but they contained the same "economy" Nanchingaling or whatever the name was inside with Made in China stickers on the plastic packaging. I installed them and so far they work, but I told myself after a sip of beer before installing them, to expect the front of my car to just explode like it has two hand-grenades attached to the struts. This way I'm not too disappointed.
04-24-2019, 01:53 PM
