Broke down comparing factory oil coolers vs aftermarket ones on a 6.7 Cummins job last week

That Chinese aluminum cooler saved the customer $200 but leaked after 2,000 miles, and now I'm doing the same job over for free, so has anyone else learned the hard way that OEM parts are worth the extra cost?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryanh771mo agoTop Commenter

Yeah that's the kicker right there... you save a little money up front but then you're eating the labor twice plus the customer's time. I've seen that same thing with those cheap aluminum coolers more times than I can count. The OEM ones just have better welds and thicker material where it actually matters. By the time you factor in your lost hours and the pissed off customer you're way deeper in the hole than just buying the Mopar part from the start. It's one of those lessons that sticks with you after you've done it once...

ivan5221mo ago

Hate to say it but you're speaking the gospel right there man. I had a kid bring in a cheap Amazon intercooler last month and the welds were so thin you could see daylight through them after a few heat cycles. Charged him for the install and then had to do it all over again with a real part. He was cool about it but I could tell he felt burned. That whole "buy once cry once" thing is real. Sometimes you just gotta let people learn the hard way I guess.