I recently ordered a set of wheel hub bearings (JLM1708) from jagbits.com -- they were marketed and sold to me as OEM equipment, but arrived in a box bearing "Powertune" branding and several "Made in Taiwan" stickers.

I haven't been able to find any official information about Powertune (and it seems quite odd/alarming that they don't have an internet presence) and web searches have turned up just a few results from other British car forums. Those posts don't indicate whether or not the Powertune equipment was sold as OEM, but the consensus seems to be that the quality is inconsistent.

So...did I just get screwed?

 

When I replaced my diff bearings I made sure they where timken made in UK funny thing I live in Australia and they came from the USA go figure
if jag bits are selling them they should be all right not much gets made in the west any more and made in Taiwan is pretty good if they said made in china I would be worried

 

It's very to know what you're buying these days. There's so much label engineering, global manufacturing, corporate buy-sells, etc.

Plus, vendors who play things a bit free-and-loose with the term "OEM".

Me? I'd return them and get a brand with a known reputation (Timken, Quenton-Hazel, something like that) , especially if we're talking about *rear* hub bearings....which are a bit of a chore to replace. Not the type of job you'd want to do twice if you can avoid it.

The front bearings are not bad to replace so a gamble isn't so risky, but, still, in the case of bearings, the price difference between a known quality part and an "iffy" quality part is probably only a few dollars

Just my 2 cents.


Cheers
DD

 

Thanks for the replies. I think I will be returning these bearings -- this is the third time Jagbits have sent me parts from unknown/shady manufacturers while claiming they are OEM. I spoke with a local Jaguar mechanic who said that he does not use Powertune parts. He hadn't even heard of the brand, and advised me to go through a different parts supplier.

 

As the owner of Jagbits maybe I can help. We order parts from OEM suppliers in the UK however they now source bearings and tons of other parts from different manufacturers in other countries as long as the deem them OEM quality. Many of the OEM manufacturers no loner make parts for Jaguars and many were simply re-boxing companies who don't make any parts they buy them from other companies and put them in their box. Every part we sell we support 100% or we wouldn't be selling it. You will not have a problem with these bearings we have been selling them for years. But as always they can be returned for a refund.

 

Jagbits, good of you to jump in and offer reassurances.

What follows is general (and somewhat randomly constructed) commentary on the issue and the industry and, even if I use "you" and "your", it is not directed at you specifically.

I'm sure you can appreciate the concern we have for getting quality parts. It's good to know that a vendor will stand behind what he sells but, still, we want to buy parts that will give the highest possible chances of a successful and long lasting repair. We'd prefer that there be no need to take advantage of your return policy/warranty....and I'm sure you feel the same.

Consumers are at a bit of a loss. In the past....years and years ago....we could depend on certain brand names. We could reasonably expect that "Bosch" or AC Delco", for instance, would be a higher grade part than the Brand-X selling for half the price at the local discount/frnachise parts store down the street. Now we just don't know what we're getting. Unheard-of brands (like Powertune) just add to the confusion and frustration.

As far as the term "OEM" goes, well, I really take exception to how the term is used these days. If Jaguar used (let's say) USA-made Spicer U-joints, then, by God, SPICER is the true OEM. Not a Spicer owned subsidiary in a third world country. Not a Spicer look-alike. Not a brand-x packaged in a box similar to what Spicer uses. Not some other alternative that somebody (who, exactly?) "deemed" to be of identical quality.

Now, we all know that other companies make high quality u-joints.... perhaps better than Spicer. But, if they are were not the OEM supplier to Jaguar they they shouldn't be marketed as "OEM".

[This Spicer u-joint example is just to illustrate my point. I don't know for a fact who supplied Jaguar]

Getting back to wheel bearings......

I know how competitive the parts vending business can be. And I know that many consumers are driven purely by price. However, I can't help but think that there's a market for *known quality* parts. I, for one, would gladly pay (let's say) 25% more to get Timken bearings versus a brand-x that I've never heard of.

Well, enough venting for now . Again, I'm not trying to attack you. But this issue is important to many of us.

You've been selling Jag stuff for many years. I like to hear any commentary you might offer. Not a scripted reply, mind you, but your genuine thoughts and appraisal of how replacement parts are marketed and sold. I'd like to learn more....from someone with the inside line on how things work nowadays.

I'm trusting that my fellow posters will appreciate an honest discussion and not let it become a bash-the-vendors session

Cheers
DD

 

I like everything you said and I agree with it all. Things were much different 10 15 20 years ago. My goal is to only sell quality parts period. Price is not as important as quality. You aren't going to be happy if a part fails and you have to do a rear wheel bearing job twice. I source parts with years of use experience. I never just jump in and start selling a part because I can pay less for it. It's complicated these days finding a quality part at a competitive price but we do our best. If you are looking to pay the lowest price for a part, you are in for trouble. I see lots pf parts that really don't work properly from day one. I also sell many parts that are far better than the original Jaguar boxed part.

 

I have just obtained a set of proper OEM bearings -- they are Timken, made in France and USA. I haven't yet attempted to return the Powertune stuff because I wanted to wait and see if they were reboxed/relabeled OEM parts. I have provided links to some pictures for comparison:

Complete OEM bearing set JLM1708
OEM packaging
Timken USA
Timken France
Powertune bearing set
Powertune close up


To summarize: Powertune is not an OEM supplier. Timken -- quite well known and quite in business -- is the legitimate OEM brand for this part. We are clearly not dealing with relabeled/reboxed items from the same factory.

I agree with Doug's sentiments here. It is misleading to sell something like this as an OEM part. Sadly, pretty much every third-party parts vendor will make similar claims regarding reliability and "standing behind our product, 100%", regardless of the actual quality, which makes it difficult to have any real faith in the validity of these claims. It is quite frustrating to receive something from a company like Powertune when you've been led to believe you're buying the real thing (like getting Wal-Mart cola when you have ordered a Coke).

Aftermarket parts are usually described as being built exactly to OEM specifications, but in too many cases, they don't fit correctly -- sometimes they don't even match the part number printed on the box -- and they are often made with inferior materials. I have been burned too many times (generally with aftermarket parts purchased from reputable vendors) to risk going with something from the sort of manufacturer that won't even advertise its own existence or provide potential customers with assurances of product quality.

As for the Powertune bearings: they are lighter than the Timkens, and the rollers are actually not of the same construction scheme. The Powertunes have fat axles on the rollers, and the Timkens have skinny axles on the rollers -- additionally, they are of different dimensions. The rollers in the Powertune bearings are slightly smaller and spaced farther apart than the ones in the Timkens.

Cliffs: I wouldn't trust these Powertune guys. Proper OEM parts are available and in the case of JLM1708, it's only $10 more than the shady gear.