Omz

Hey everyone,

Im new to this forum and am very glad to have across a place where everyone can share their personal knowledge and experiences to assist one another.

We all know that it is not cheap to maintain a ski in good order, and that even when we do our best to keep it well maintained, sometimes s**t happens and ends up costing us a fair bit. I put in "cheap yamaha parts" on google and came across several replica/non genuine suppliers mainly in China and Japan, who claim the parts are made with the same precision and quality as OEM parts also with guarantee.

Would like anyones advise and experiences if they have dealt with any parts/accessories other than and cheaper than OEM, if it meet their expectations, any issues, etc

Thanks

Ernest T

About the only high quality non-OEM parts you usually find for skis are things like ride plates, intake grates, impellers, oil and air filters, sponsons, etc...........things that are frequently replaced.

There are a few companies like SBT that sell cheap replacement (made in China) parts, but I would not recommend using them for any critical component (like a crankshaft). I think you are better off looking for used OEM parts.

__________________
2008 Yamaha FX HO Cruiser
2010 Hurricane Sundeck 2100

Omz

Hey Ernest,

I have been made aware that the OEM parts are made/outsourced to China/Japan and Taiwan and just have a Manufacturer label on them like Yamaha, l'm sure that these factories would have gone through stringent Yamaha checks as their capability, production, capacity etc... But do you not think that another competent factory could easily manufacture or replicate a finished product to the same standard and be cheaper as it hasn't got the manufacturers name on it, even if it were a piston, connecting rod, bearing, electrical part or whatever?

Would love your opinion

Also, upon doing some research l came across SBT, and WSM parts, are there any others that you know of? as would love to compare the prices and products

Thanks

Ernest T

I'm not saying that a company cannot make high quality aftermarket parts. For instance, you can find high quality pistons, and other individual parts, but a single source for high quality cheaper parts is simply not out there at this time.

There have been numerous discussions on this and other forums about the failure of aftermarket parts that were supposedly fabricated to the manufacturers specifications by some of the larger suppliers. Bottom line is to get quality "cheaper" aftermarket parts expect to have to shop around, and do some research to find what you are looking for. There is no one stop shopping, and depending on what you are looking for you may be better off going with OEM.

__________________
2008 Yamaha FX HO Cruiser
2010 Hurricane Sundeck 2100

Omz

Hey Ernest,

Thanks for your kind advice, do you know of any other non-genuine part manufacturers, only ones l have come across - SBT & WSM

Thanks

Curlycherry

Grab a beer, pull up a chair and let me tell you about China and metal parts. I work in the world of industrial abrasives. Metal grinding, sandpaper, finishing wheels, you name it, we are one of the world leaders and we sell all over the world.

Metal parts when they are made have gates (where the metal enters the part from the outside of the mold) on them and seams and defects that need to be removed. In the US and countries that did not just crawl out from under a rock those gates are removed by operators working at a grinding station often using a sandpaper belt on a grinding backstand. They carefully grind the gate or the seam or any defects off by holding the part against the spinning belt. In good companies the workers are careful not to heat the part up by applying too much pressure or grinding away the metal too fast or worst yet, using a belt that is worn out.

Also in the rest of the world the company that is paying the workers buys the belts and the workers just use them until the belt does not cut enough to make it worth their while, or the belt is dull enough to start to heat up the part. Heat damage is very bad to metal parts.

China is a whole nuther world! In China a worker buys their belt from their company owner and they use it until it is toast. I mean totally fried beyond belief. Along with this they get every bit of money they can out of the belt. In the beginning of the day the belt cuts fine and the parts are nice and cool and all is well. As the belt wears out the operator will push the parts harder and harder into the belt. In some factories the workers will hang boards against their chest so they can literally lean into the part applying their body mass to push the part into the belt. This in turn causes the parts getting ground to get hot in those spots they are working on. This = bad for the part. So as you can see parts made in the morning will be drastically different than the ones made in the afternoon or at the end of a shift. These workers literally use a belt for an entire 8 hour shift. In the US or most other places a worker might use a belt for an hour or so before they toss it and get a new one. After all it does not matter to them because the boss is buying the belt.

I will attempt to attach a photo of what a typical used belt looks like from a China factory. Where we would recommend they grind 100-200 gates or less on this type of belt, these operators often grind 2800-3500 in a single day. As you can see there is virtually no mineral left on the belts and that is very, very bad. New belts are show in the left of the picture, and it will be obvious which belts are used. As you can see they literally use the belt right smack down to and often through the backing. This is also a horrendous safety hazard because belts used this much often break thus injuring the operator.



I am not slamming on China, they make a lot of cool things, but next time you buy a metal part, think about if it was made at the beginning of the day or at the end of the day and how that will affect the quality of that part.

Omz

Hey Curly,

Thanks for that, very interesting. Thing is that this may be apparent in up and coming economies such as China/India more so than Industrial/Manufacturing economies like US & Europe at the moment as they are lm sure they are still learning as did US & Europe. And your right they predominantely do so to try and save a few buck, cut corners and are compromising on quality which is a shame for the sake of a few bob. Lets hope they all learn and keep the highest standards of quality possible.

Apparently Yamaha OEM parts are made in China, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore. Similarly so are alot of other things ranging from clothing to electricals. Alot of electrical stuff like Laptops, TVs etc... parts etc are made in China and supplied to different 'Manufacturers' such as Sony, HP, LG etc where as the basis of the product are the same.

Most definitely there are manufacturers in China who do or if not are capable of producing high standard/quality parts.

Thing is finding a supplier/retailer who is selling the high quality parts from a good manufacturer at a reduced price to save some money, and how to tell without installing in your engine and blowing it to pieces!!!

Curlycherry

A local guy here near me was getting products made in China and for about a year or two things were fine. Then they started compromising on quality and the products he was selling suffered. They would do a good job when he was over there but the minute he turned his back they would drop their standards. He ended up pulling his product line out of China and bringing it back into the US, although he had to raise his prices. I saw the previous thing in a former job. The minute our inspectors left the plant they would stop all manner of quality controls.