The last thing I want to do is to support the new car dealerships and give up on the aftermarket companies. In all fairness, Cardone reps have called me with these issues and they invited me to their next tech council meeting. They know they have problems and do not want to loose the confidence of the independent repair shops.

 

I don't know how this race to bottom with respect to pricing started. Maybe is our fault, maybe not. I really don't know. But with low prices came low quality. I have been around the block more than I care to share, and I can tell you a rotor in 1990 was not the same as it is today. And it cost anywhere from 50 to 90 bucks, or more.

 

Now we are getting rotors that are made in China, shipped in containers across the ocean and it cost 17 dollars? Really? This is a good thing? And most shops wonder why their gross profit dollars is eroding more and more. We made more gross profit dollars years ago then today. I am talking GP Dollars here. Not percentages. The percentage you are making is the same, but I pay my bills with dollars not percentages.

 

We all need to get back to quality. I hope this country wakes up. I don't want to bash other countries like China, but it is clear that too much of what they produce is inferior. And we are putting these parts on our customer cars, our family cars and friend's cars.

 

It has got to stop.

Source: Cardone Part Failures: Rack and Pinions