Dorman: A possible unpopular opinion

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Boots97

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Hi Everyone,

I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion per se, but here's my opinion on Dorman parts...

@kennythewelder touched on this breifly regarding Dorman door pins, but these kits are GARBAGE! People, please stay away from these things, even the pins are trash. About 6 months ago, I bought a kit of Dorman pins, Cunningham Machine bushings, and Cunningham Machine roller pin for the driver's side of my truck. The roller pin was fine, but the Dorman pins are not too spec and I beat on those pins FOREVER to get them to seat into the Cunningham bushings. Well, as time goes by, the bottom pin start to work itself out of the hinge. The door started creaking like it used to and eventually I said screw this. I went online and bought AC Delco pins (old school type) and bought new Cunningham Machine bushings bc I thought the bushings in there would be FUBAR from the Dorman pins. My dad and I re replaced the pins last weekend and when I tapped the AC Delco pins in place, they slid in no problem. Now my door is finally fixed and I know those pins and bushings will last for years to come.

Second story with Dorman, I bought replacement radio knobs for my radio bc 3/4 of them were broken/missing. The Dorman knobs don't look nearly as good as the GM ones and while there's nothing wrong with that functionally, it just looked ugly and I didn't like it. I went on Amazon and bought the GM Genuine radio knobs and they look SO MUCH better.

That being said, I also bought Dorman Lug nuts bc I lost a couple while replacing ball joints, so far those are fine so I'd say lug nuts are OK from them.
 

someotherguy

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Dorman is sort of like today's version of the stuff you'd get decades ago out of the JC Whitney catalog. It's "OK" at best, and in most cases it's just outright trash. Dorman makes very little that is actually good quality, and I'm convinced that anything of theirs that IS good quality is purely a happy coincidence and not intentional.

Richard
 

HotWheelsBurban

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Back in the 70s when I started in the auto parts store, Dormant was the go to for nuts, bolts, brake hardware, trim clips, and other automotive hardware/small parts. You'd go in the parts store and they had stacks of the famous orange drawers, bins full of this stuff. And their parts were good quality, domestically manufactured. To me, it wasn't a proper auto parts store (or "auto supply") if they didn't have Dorman drawer racks.....
Then in the 80s, there was a company called Motormite that had the "HELP!" line of trim parts and such, on red cards, blister packed(like Hot Wheels) and their stuff was decent looking, but some was made overseas. Before they were around, there were companies that had what was called "service lines" that were trim parts like window crank handles (remember those?)power steering pump caps(and other parts like that, that you used to have to get from the dealership parts department) and stuff a "mechanic" would need like grease guns, shop brooms, etc. TRW and Champ Items were the two brands of this stuff that we had access to, and the Curtis rep that we got key blanks and the machine to cut them from, had trim clips and sundry items like that, sourced from the same people who made them for GM and the other makes. I remember talking to friends from the Midwest, particularly Michigan, and hearing them talk about how many small companies up there made parts for the automakers. Like a shop that made nothing but trim clips or emblems, or so forth.
Then in the mid 80s when the economy up north was going bad, the parts warehouses and distribution companies started heading south where we in Houston area were still doing well, and bypassing the established network of regional warehouses that sold to the parts jobbers (your local parts store) and then we'd sell to service stations and the walk-in trade( the people working on the car in the home garage or driveway).
Companies trying to make money, any way they can.... this also started driving (pun intended) manufacturing to look for cheaper places to make stuff. So this is when you begin to see a surge in overseas manufacturing of car parts....
The Motormite stuff wasn't too bad initially; I think it gradually got worse as the company got resold a few times. Dorman ended up with them, and by that point, they're making everything overseas.
And that's where we are currently.....
 

Boots97

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Dorman is sort of like today's version of the stuff you'd get decades ago out of the JC Whitney catalog. It's "OK" at best, and in most cases it's just outright trash. Dorman makes very little that is actually good quality, and I'm convinced that anything of theirs that IS good quality is purely a happy coincidence and not intentional.

Richard
Yeah, I'm starting to realize that too. I used to think that all parts were more or less the same, but as I get older and my car knowledge increases (especially with this truck) I've learned that there are a lot of garbage aftermarket parts. Right now I'm trying my best to stock with AC Delco or GM Genuine parts. If I get aftermarket, it's bc GM doesn't make the parts anymore and I make sure I'm buying from a reputable company.
 

Boots97

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Back in the 70s when I started in the auto parts store, Dormant was the go to for nuts, bolts, brake hardware, trim clips, and other automotive hardware/small parts. You'd go in the parts store and they had stacks of the famous orange drawers, bins full of this stuff. And their parts were good quality, domestically manufactured. To me, it wasn't a proper auto parts store (or "auto supply") if they didn't have Dorman drawer racks.....
Then in the 80s, there was a company called Motormite that had the "HELP!" line of trim parts and such, on red cards, blister packed(like Hot Wheels) and their stuff was decent looking, but some was made overseas. Before they were around, there were companies that had what was called "service lines" that were trim parts like window crank handles (remember those?)power steering pump caps(and other parts like that, that you used to have to get from the dealership parts department) and stuff a "mechanic" would need like grease guns, shop brooms, etc. TRW and Champ Items were the two brands of this stuff that we had access to, and the Curtis rep that we got key blanks and the machine to cut them from, had trim clips and sundry items like that, sourced from the same people who made them for GM and the other makes. I remember talking to friends from the Midwest, particularly Michigan, and hearing them talk about how many small companies up there made parts for the automakers. Like a shop that made nothing but trim clips or emblems, or so forth.
Then in the mid 80s when the economy up north was going bad, the parts warehouses and distribution companies started heading south where we in Houston area were still doing well, and bypassing the established network of regional warehouses that sold to the parts jobbers (your local parts store) and then we'd sell to service stations and the walk-in trade( the people working on the car in the home garage or driveway).
Companies trying to make money, any way they can.... this also started driving (pun intended) manufacturing to look for cheaper places to make stuff. So this is when you begin to see a surge in overseas manufacturing of car parts....
The Motormite stuff wasn't too bad initially; I think it gradually got worse as the company got resold a few times. Dorman ended up with them, and by that point, they're making everything overseas.
And that's where we are currently.....
I'm 21 so I honestly don't remember anything like that. It's sad to see how Dorman used to be a respectable brand though. Kind of reminds me of Craftsman Tools. Used to be all made here in the USA but is all made overseas now as far as I know. My Papa (Dad's Dad) was a Ford Mechanic for 43 years and he loved Craftsman bc it was good USA made quality but far less expensive than Snap-On Tools. I don't think they've deteriorated like Dorman as a company, but it's sad to see that they're not like what they used to be.
 

someotherguy

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Back in the 70s when I started in the auto parts store, Dormant was the go to for nuts, bolts, brake hardware, trim clips, and other automotive hardware/small parts. You'd go in the parts store and they had stacks of the famous orange drawers, bins full of this stuff. And their parts were good quality, domestically manufactured. To me, it wasn't a proper auto parts store (or "auto supply") if they didn't have Dorman drawer racks.....
Then in the 80s, there was a company called Motormite that had the "HELP!" line of trim parts and such, on red cards, blister packed(like Hot Wheels) and their stuff was decent looking, but some was made overseas. Before they were around, there were companies that had what was called "service lines" that were trim parts like window crank handles (remember those?)power steering pump caps(and other parts like that, that you used to have to get from the dealership parts department) and stuff a "mechanic" would need like grease guns, shop brooms, etc. TRW and Champ Items were the two brands of this stuff that we had access to, and the Curtis rep that we got key blanks and the machine to cut them from, had trim clips and sundry items like that, sourced from the same people who made them for GM and the other makes. I remember talking to friends from the Midwest, particularly Michigan, and hearing them talk about how many small companies up there made parts for the automakers. Like a shop that made nothing but trim clips or emblems, or so forth.
Then in the mid 80s when the economy up north was going bad, the parts warehouses and distribution companies started heading south where we in Houston area were still doing well, and bypassing the established network of regional warehouses that sold to the parts jobbers (your local parts store) and then we'd sell to service stations and the walk-in trade( the people working on the car in the home garage or driveway).
Companies trying to make money, any way they can.... this also started driving (pun intended) manufacturing to look for cheaper places to make stuff. So this is when you begin to see a surge in overseas manufacturing of car parts....
The Motormite stuff wasn't too bad initially; I think it gradually got worse as the company got resold a few times. Dorman ended up with them, and by that point, they're making everything overseas.
And that's where we are currently.....
Yep, used to love being able to dig through all the Dorman bins and drawers. When things started to migrate to all blister pack (like assortments of fasteners) that's when the bins started to disappear. I'd blame not only manufacturing cost but inventory shrinkage since you know lots of people would just dig through the bins and pocket stuff. Even 30 years ago you could walk into the Hi-Lo and find the bins a jumbled mess of disorganization. :( Still, it was far preferable to what we have today, at least from a customer perspective.

Richard
 

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Dorman door pins, but these kits are GARBAGE!
Back when things were still SAE, my machinist friend would make his own door pins from 5/16 valve stems. Hard-chrome plated, beautifully smooth, durable as all get-out. I guess he bought generic bronze bushings, made his own pins. Worked great.

It's sad to see how Dorman used to be a respectable brand though. Kind of reminds me of Craftsman Tools. Used to be all made here in the USA but is all made overseas now as far as I know. My Papa (Dad's Dad) was a Ford Mechanic for 43 years and he loved Craftsman bc it was good USA made quality but far less expensive than Snap-On Tools. I don't think they've deteriorated like Dorman as a company, but it's sad to see that they're not like what they used to be.
Craftsman tools sold in the USA were made in the USA.
Craftsman tools sold in Canada, were (mostly?) made in Canada.
Damned fine philosophy.

Now Crapsman is destroyed. I heard the big-deal new factory in Ft. Worth that was going to start the American-Made Renaissance of Crapsman tools was just shut down. Craftsman advertised itself against Snappy for awhile, and they really were "Pro" quality tools...if we acknowledge that an apprentice is a pro that is at the beginning of his career, and will need to move-up to better (and more-specialized) stuff as he progesses.

I still have a lot of Craftsman tools; the ratchets and screwdrivers wore out on a semi-regular basis, and the wrenches were mostly too-short. Sockets and extensions were the best part of that deal.
 

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Update #1:

Today I finally got around to replacing my driver's side door handle. The lock cylinder kept sinking into the handle and the handle was always loose. Well, turns out the door handle was missing one of its bolts. I went to the Treasure Yard today and picked up 2 door handle bolts, A passenger side taillight out of a 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe, and a couple of transmission cooler brackets for an upcoming project. I removed the "original" door handle out of my truck and well, well, well...

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No wonder that lock cylinder was loose.

The tooth on the bottom of the cylinder was a bit rusty too. Hit that with a shot of liquid wrench and a few taps with my pliers and the tooth stuck up a bit more than it was.

Replaced that garbage Dorman door handle with a quality GM part. Part number #15742229 on Amazon or #15706073 as shown in the photo.

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Looking great now! Door opens like it's new and it's nice and tight with a nice firm lock that doesn't sink into the door!

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I understand that Dorman parts are cheaper. I know they're easy to get at the auto parts stores. A Dorman driver's side door handle is going for $22.28 rn on Amazon. But people, I beg of you to PLEASE spend the extra money and wait a few days to get the AC Delco or GM Genuine parts. The extra money and wait time is SO worth it and there is a very noticeable difference in quality between the two in person.
 
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