Hudson Parts? Aftermarket?

[arjun90]

Is this brand for the aftermarket? There's no business profile pertaining to this company anywhere on the web. They make PCV Valves for the older Audi's. FCP mentioned they were Aftermarket, but I'm hearing the exact opposite from another vendor who is desperate to make that extra buck.

[julex]

99% of companies buy the same crap on alibaba.com or aliexpress.com in bulk for cent on a dollar they then charge in US. They offer "lifetime warranty" only because they really have a massive profit on these junk parts and not everyone returns them anyway, and if they do the shipping both ways is on the customer anyway so company loses literally nothing.

Ebay is full of this, there are numerous companies off ebay doing this too, including the big FLAPS. FCP itself started as such re-seller and I have EXTREMELY negative experience with this company due to that. Yes, they recently started selling OE stuff too (legit parts).

Unless you buy from dealer or some legit US made part, you will get some POS that will fail in short order and you don't even bother sending it back.

For example, you can get control arms for like $7 a piece if you buy in bulk. The same stuff" under brand name of "Super Dper Suspension Co" is then listed for $40 with some nice sounding warranty which would trigger in customer's mind: "since they offer 10 year warranty it must be a part that will last!" - cannot be farther from truth.

[arjun90]

Yikes, its either the genuine piece from Audi $100+ or junk as you mentioned from these online resellers. My current PCV is not clogged, and appears to function within the normal limits. I'll replace it with a genuine part when absolutely necessary.

[FromS60toB61.8t]

i will be trying out the hudson/FCP control arm kit just because they are local to me and i dont pay for any shipping.

If the parts last atleast 2 years then thats a win in my book, $350 FCP kit vs $850 oem Lemforter kit is quite a difference.

on any engine parts/sensors id suggest goin OEM or the OEM equivalent, id suggest ECS, Europaparts, 034, or Genuineaudiparts.

[Sales@DriveAuto]

Hudson is aftermarket.

[julex]

i will be trying out the hudson/FCP control arm kit just because they are local to me and i dont pay for any shipping.

If the parts last atleast 2 years then thats a win in my book, $350 FCP kit vs $850 oem Lemforter kit is quite a difference.

on any engine parts/sensors id suggest goin OEM or the OEM equivalent, id suggest ECS, Europaparts, 034, or Genuineaudiparts.

$350????!

You can get the same stuff directly from china for $140 shipped, 5s search, forgive is wrong part#, you can find hudreds on listings there with whatever part# you need:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Contr...028800612.html

[arjun90]

Heres what's really alarming me, EuropaParts lists the Hudson Brand as OEM. The same Hudson Brand part is available on eEuroParts and FCPEuro explicitly providing the Brandname, with the preconceived notion that Hudson is solely Aftermarket. This is what EuropaParts had to say,

Hudson is not a manufacturing company... it is a company who sells OEM parts at wholesale. They do not manufacture anything

There is conflicting information being given by EuropaParts; they are either misunderstanding where some of their parts are sourced from, or are simply providing false and misleading information indicative of some of their parts significantly not as described.

Who regulates the import of these wholesale lots? Aren't there legal terms to comply with? eEuroParts and FCPEuro are as truthful and open as they can be. Whereas other resellers are going to obviously receive numerous consumer complaints and loose business. Where's the common sense and courtesy to be transparent?

[julex]

Heres what's really alarming me, EuropaParts lists the Hudson Brand as OEM. The same Hudson Brand part is available on eEuroParts and FCPEuro explicitly providing the Brandname, with the preconceived notion that Hudson is solely Aftermarket. This is what Hubert from EuropaParts had to say,



There is conflicting information being given by EuropaParts; they are either misunderstanding where some of their parts are sourced from, or are simply providing false and misleading information indicative of some of their parts significantly not as described.

Who regulates the import of these wholesale lots? Aren't there legal terms to comply with? eEuroParts and FCPEuro are as truthful and open as they can be. Whereas other resellers are going to obviously receive numerous consumer complaints and loose business. Where's the common sense and courtesy to be transparent?

That went out of the window years ago when Chinese stated making cheap-o junk parts. In addition you fell into the OEM vs OE parts, looks up the terms. In reality you were probably told truth but misunderstood what OEM stands for.

OE = Original Equipment - exactly what is used on the assembly lines when your car was made. Parts were made by the exact same manufacturer, to BMW's specifications, and are usually stamped with the BMW logo. These parts must also meet all the BMW quality control specs for that part, same as any part that's accepted into the production process.

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer - parts are made by a manufacturer that supplies original parts to BMW. These parts do not have to pass the BMW quality control tests for that part, and do not have the BMW logo on them. Quality of these parts can vary greatly - they can range between the exact same part as the one that's put on the car on the production line (but minus the BMW logo...), to something that wasn't good enough to pass quality control, so the manufacturer just sells them as OEM. Another issue - the part may be made by a manufacturer that supplies parts to BMW, but that part may not be a part that particular manufacturer supplies. For example, ZKW may supply some of the OE lights to BMW. However, if they felt like it, they could manufacturer suspension components, and label them "OEM" - after all, they are an Original Equipment manufacturer, just not for suspension components.

Aftermarket - anything goes. Caveat Emptor.

[chris@fifteen52]

I bought a Hudson Coil pack for another car and it was OEM, had the VW/Audi logo and part number melted/scratched off.

[arjun90]

I do understand OEM vs. OE. Hudson may be manufacturing to OEM spec but they don't supply parts to Audi and Hudson is not OEM. They don't manufacture anything, they only source.

[arjun90]

I bought a Hudson Coil pack for another car and it was OEM, had the VW/Audi logo and part number melted/scratched off.

Seriously? Could have been a high quality fake, logo added then scratched to give you a mixed perception.

Or could be a part which was sourced from an OEM lot but was rejected due to quality control and resold in the Hudson brand. How likely is this?

Reminds me of purchasing refurbished electronics, lol

[chris@fifteen52]

No wasn't a fake. Basically my parts guy said that they get and buy a lot of wholesale OEM parts and have to rebrand them to be able to sell them. Not sure if all parts are OEM, but mine was.

[arjun90]

Off-topic, I think we as consumers have always indulged ourselves in trying to buy quality items when quality nowadays is virtually inexistent. Sometimes genuine parts fail preemptively before their aftermarket counterparts.
I wouldn't purchase from EuropaParts from hereon. Not because of the products they stock; but as a result of how some of their items are miscategorized. In conclusion, Hudson is aftermarket. Aftermarket is analogous to OE "replacement"

[arjun90]

If that's the case, I need to avoid the Brands I don't recognize from the start, haha. I had EuropaParts acknowledge that the part they were attempting to sell me was under the Hudson brand

No wasn't a fake. Basically my parts guy said that they get and buy a lot of wholesale OEM parts and have to rebrand them to be able to sell them. Not sure if all parts are OEM, but mine was.

[arjun90]

I'm not sure if I need to give EuropaParts the benefit-of doubt. Their response was bland and they didn't seem to acknowledge my concern, other than stressing and claiming that the part was OEM, which originally had me doubtful

[Brandon002]

Yikes, its either the genuine piece from Audi $100+ or junk as you mentioned from these online resellers. My current PCV is not clogged, and appears to function within the normal limits. I'll replace it with a genuine part when absolutely necessary.

The stuff from the online sellers isn't "junk" just because it's not OE Audi.

Honestly man, you are far too hung up on the OE Audi stuff.

I have an aftermarket PCV on my car, have used them on other cars and have never had a problem. My brakes are from Autozone, my valve cover gaskets are Victor Reinz, my spark plugs aren't OEM, my control arm bushings aren't OEM, my axles aren't OEM, my wheel bearings aren't OEM, my expansion tank isn't OEM...

I don't have a problem with anything.

[Brandon002]

I'm not sure if I need to give EuropaParts the benefit-of doubt. Their response was bland and they didn't seem to acknowledge my concern, other than stressing and claiming that the part was OEM, which originally had me doubtful

also...

OE - Original Equipment
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer

One usually has the audi symbol on it, the other does not, yet both are made by the same company in the same place. Just like buying a Bosch relay, it may not have the four rings on it like the one that came in the car, but it's the exact same part.

[arjun90]

The part and packaging from EuropaParts was virtually identical to what FCPEuro was selling with the difference being that FCPEuro clearly indicated this part was a Hudson brand, aka aftermarket; whereas EuropaParts indicating this part to be OEM. May or may not be junk. I may be having a preconceived notion that aftermarket is junk. OEM and aftermarket are not the same as per my understanding.

[FCPEuro]

Guys,

I just wanted to chime in on the Hudson brand that we offer and clear up some of the confusion. Hudson is a re-boxer similar to Beck Arnley if you're familiar with that brand. In some cases the part will be an OE part comparable or the same quality as Genuine and in other cases it can be strictly aftermarket.

I oversee the Audi VW parts catalog for FCP, we recently added more of this line because the parts are of good quality at a price point that fits within budget for our customers. I like to make things transparent and want to be totally honest with every brand we sell. I definitely wouldn't want to pass this brand off as OEM but rather a good quality aftermarket alternative.

Sometimes you'll notice a part number or stamp removed from the part.. In most cases this is a Genuine part being sold by Hudson but with the logo removed because of licensing agreements.

We also have a complete line of the more recognizable brands including Lemforder, TRW, Meyle, Genuine VW Audi, etc.

I'm currently gathering info from my vendor so we can update descriptions on Hudson products to provide more details on the brand.

If you have any questions now or in the future feel free to send me an email [email protected]

Best Regards
Dave

[arjun90]

Thanks Dave, greatly appreciate it! That's the response I was looking for.

[julex]

Bottom line is... you want quality go with Audi/VW part or at least with recognized and respected OEM. House brand names - you know where the parts are from (look at the link I posed above).

[arjun90]

I was looking for the OES, but was told by FCPEuro that the OES may have discontinued manufacturing of this part. Perhaps Audi has very little stock left in their inventory.

Then again, they say, "If it ain't broken, don't replace it."

[Scotty@Advanced]

I sell and use Hudson and it's decent stuff. Control arms last longer than Vaico and the 3 number brand.