Last summer, I replaced the A.C. compressor, and at the same time, changed all belts.
Well, every belt is now dry enough to split if you bend it between the teeth.
Autozone house-brand.
Garbage, and from Mexico, no less.

Seth

 

Correct me if i'm wrong but there is only one belt on a serpentine setup. I replaced my belt two years ago and its fine even with my new 358 in it.

 

What do you expect... you bought the house brand....

 

AC came on a non-serpentine setup as well. There are three belts with that setup IIRC. The belt that drives the water pump and alternator is a serpentine type belt with multiple grooves or whatever.
You get what you pay for NoTransistors. I wouldn't have thought that belts would have a notable bad quality problem. Suck it up and drop another $20 on belts. Buy some better ones this time. It's not a tough job, so quit your crying.

 

Quit my crying?

Everything that I buy, from prepared resturant food, to grocery store products and produce, to furniture, to electronics, to small or large appliances, to CDs and DVDs, to just about everything else, is crap. Everyone has to have a cellphone, an Ipod, a large flatscreen, and all other digital toys, or they are out of step. To hell with quality. Manufacturers know what they can get away with, and most consumers are in LaLa Land, which seems to be to everyone's advantage.
I sued a big bird cage manfacturer, because they nearly killed my parrot with zinc in the paint. [I won]
Highly unlikely that spending more money on belts will yield a better product.
The Gates serpentine belt on my Grand Marquis is far from the be all to end all in quality.

Seth

 

Gates belts and goodyear belts (if you can find those) are the best I have used yet. Anything from Autozone or RnS Strauss are all mass produced bottom of the line parts to last a short span to keep the consumer coming back and spending more money.Its like buying a kitchen faucet from Home Depot works great about a year and a half then wallah time for a new one. Go to a GM dealer and see what they offer.

 

I just recently bought a gatorback belt from autozone. When you go in there and get parts do you get the cheapest one on the list? They had the really cheap autozone brand, but i decided to spend a few extra bucks to get the good stuff. I will echo the point, you get what you pay for.

 

I agree with TMZIrocZ350. I also bought a gatorback belt and it works well.

 

There is S-K Speed out on Sunrise Hwy. Bet that they have something decent.

Seth

 

Dude, just like anything else in the world, you don't buy the off-brands... you know they suck, so why even bother? AutoZone is a great place to get your parts. Everything I've replaced on my car so far has all been from AutoZone... my starter, my master cylinder, my spark plugs, everything for my car comes from the Zone, but I don't buy the house brand generics...

Think of it as going to the grocery store... what's better... Mountain Dew or the gerneric 95 cent sodas? lol.

 

hey buddy common sense would say you dont buy duralast just like you dont pick up a hitch hiker holding a freakin axe. Dont flame a company or manufacturers just because your too cheap to drop the $5. Manufacturers know what they can get away with BECAUSE of people like you who try to cut corners so they can do the same in their manufacturing process. Stop being cheap, quit your whining and deal. NOt trying to be a jerk but come on! Belts are not too much $, they're not hard to replace and it just kills me when people try to save money on the cheap brands, its goodyear or bust flat out for me, the extra 3$ is worth it IMO

 

I don’t recall ever having trouble with stuff I bought from Autozone, but then again for my 3rd gens I don’t go with the cheapest stuff I can find.
I usually stick to the brands I trust for the most part.

Sometimes generics are good, but it is like playing Russian roulette, but with only 1 bullet missing, instead of only 1 bullet loaded.

Going generic you will be burned more often than not.
So is the chance worth it? For my 3rd gen I say hell no.

The only gripe I ever have about Autozone is their employees lack of knowledge and sometimes depending on the arena, their general laziness, but I have come to expect that out of chain stores.

 

My mother's father owned a paint store.
Who made his 'house-brand'? Dutch Boy. Same stuff, but 1/2 the price.

On a slightly different note, Bose audio is a very well-known brand, but all their audio gear is just very-well-hyped chalk-screeching-on-the-blackboard crap. Their expenditure on advertising and electronics store displays is enormous, and it has payed off big-time, with everyone believing their hype, and being willing to fork over bucks for WalMart-quality gear.
So my point here is that name-brand, and bigger bucks doesn't always pan out for the best in a product. You need to be lucky and well-informed in that area.

Seth

 

wow guys, cut the man a break, he was just sharing a story!

 

Nowadays everything is made in China, Mexico,, etc. All they do is change the brand name on most items and you end up paying more for the same crap!! I usually buy Zone brand because its all the same to me! IMO

 

I agree, sometimes duralast has its place....

For example, I bought their "lifetime" wires, and now I change them when I change my oil....

 

nice!

 

I work for an auto parts retailer and I second this. House brands for any retailer are often made by the same name brand the retailer stocks. It isn't always the same quality level but often it is. There are only so many manufacturers to make this stuff, particularly that can supply a national chain. Example, there are only 3 or 4 real battery companies making all the various brands you find. Different labels and maybe different specs for the bigger retailers but same plant. In fact a lot of well know consumer brands are little more than marketing firms that outsource most or all of the actual manufacturing.
I always recommend that people buy the best part that they can afford especially if they plan to keep the car.
For some people price is the only issue which is why they have to stock to low price lines. For all of us on who love our cars like our kids, its more about quality. Plus if you work on your car you will occasionally find some parts that work for you and some that don't. It's frustrating and we all need to let out a good rant once in a while but no company can get it perfect every time.

 

ROCDriver has hit the nail on the proverbial head.

To add to Dstss's thoughts, Autozone warrants many items for years, even though they also may be the same crap.
This certainly does not make things better for the consumer. I would prefer to not get stuck on the road, with a failed part, even though it has that lifetime warranty. It would be great to simply have parts that are made right to begin with, with or w/o that warranty.