OEM Belt Tensioner comes with Chinese bearing

I just replaced my belt which was squealing with all OEM parts. Belt, tensioner, and idler pulley. The belt was manufactured by Bando. The tensioner was stamped Dayco.

For fun, I took off the pulley on the old tensioner, which I think was original to the truck. It was also stamped Dayco. The bearing inside is Chinese. I think this was what caused the squeal. Sucks to know that we are paying for Made in USA or Japan parts, but the consumable part is Chinese.

 

Where did you get the part?

 

I got the part from JoeJoe, but the one I took apart was the original part, not the new one.

 

My bad, no good if that is the case.

Regardless though, Ebay and Amazon is a hotbed of fake parts that are packaged to look real.

 

Welcome to the world wide marketplace! Where ya been? Parts for most any complex assemblies come from all over the world these days. Well known companies (like Bosch for example) manufacture parts in China.

 

Looks like the bearing is an NSK bearing. NSK is quality Japanese company that produces a lot of OEM parts for Toyota, Honda and many more I'm sure. I wouldn't hesitate to use anything NSK, even if the actual manufacturing took place in China.

 

I have changed my mind somewhat on parts made in China. I think that while it is made in China, Toyota still specifies how it should be built and to what quality standard. China is cheap for labor and why probably every company now build their stuff there. Now any other aftermarket part made in China will be built at the cheapest cost. I dont particularly think that just because its built in China, its bad.

 

The TRD OR wheels are also made in China. Probably other as well but the ones on my 2015 had CHINA cast right into the back.

 

Parts in China can be built well, it’s all about the specifications they are built too.

And just because it’s made in the US doesn’t make it quality. I had a pair on US made shocks from Monroe, made in Paragould, AR, that were absolute garbage.

There’s a lot of factories in the US staffed up with entitled union workers that half-ass everything they do.

 

The Chinese economy has literally imploded since Oct/Nov of last year with major OEMs across the board from Walmart, Apple, and Hyundai pulling up stakes and leaving. I wonder what impact that will have on stuff still being manufactured there and even stuff being moved out to places like India and Indonesia. I purchased what is supposed to be an OEM belt tensioner for my 97 LX450 from Amazon, and it looks legit, but I have my doubts.

 

Chinese bearing made with Chinese steel. There are a lot of people that say Chinese trailer bearings are junk.

 

Products produced using inferior materials produce inferior products. The Chinese figured out a long time ago that the most people are cheap and given the choice between a great product for $50 and a cheap product for $25 they will choose the $25 product and then just bytch about it later, LOL. .

The point being the Chinese are adept at manufacturing to a price point. Want cheap? They can do that. Want something well made? They can do that too but it then isn't cheap. They probably sell cheaply made stuff compared to well made stuff at a 100-1 ratio. All due to consumer demand for cheap shyt.