Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 68

Thread: Lemförder Made in China

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Renton, WA
    Posts
    464
    My Cars
    03 540i, 04 X3, 00 328i

    Lemförder Made in China

    I bought new engine mounts for 540i, but lo and behold, the package says Made in China. I guess I should have done my homework beforehand, but it was new to me they manufacture parts in China.
    I think the Corteco ones I put to my old car were still made in Germany.

    Return or not to return, that is the question. Any experiences of Lemförder made in China parts?
    Last edited by vinyldude; 02-11-2015 at 02:38 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    6,477
    My Cars
    E34 M5
    Some Bosch parts are made in China too.

  3. #3
    AquilaBMW's Avatar
    AquilaBMW is offline Mad Bimmerist BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    17,468
    My Cars
    BMWs / Chevy
    Not everything made in China is crap. I could give you a long list of things that would probably amaze you. It's the way of the world. If you think about it, car brands are made all over the world.

    Lemforder I'm sure have a tight rein on quality and such and it's probably been made there for years now. However, you should do what feels best for you.



  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Indonesia
    Posts
    25
    My Cars
    1995 BMW E36
    Many parts in my previous E30 were made in China. Plugs, Bils shock absorbers, incld Lemfy tierods/bushings, Behr visco etc. I believe similar thing like Aquila, not everything made in China is crap though you may skip it if you're not sure. Behr radiators here also only available from China or South Africa, though many said South African Behr radiators are way better. Never use of it, can't comment.

    Lemfy parts in my E30 last 2years, I was using 17" rims, lowered. Considering my route here where tarmac is crap, it was good.

  5. #5
    AquilaBMW's Avatar
    AquilaBMW is offline Mad Bimmerist BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    17,468
    My Cars
    BMWs / Chevy
    A brand name is still it's name and identity. It would be like asking why Volkswagens from Mexico are not a Mexican branded product. That's because they are not Mexican - they are built there, but the brand still owns the product. Should Germans stop buying and driving BMWs made in Spartansburg because they were made here? Or are we mis-leading the German public with the X5's because they don't say USA on them?

    Doesn't work that way. You don't see a Chinese brand made in Germany due to high production costs. Vice versa works better as far as cost.
    Last edited by e24mpwr; 02-10-2015 at 08:58 AM.



  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Renton, WA
    Posts
    464
    My Cars
    03 540i, 04 X3, 00 328i
    Thanks, and sorry, I didn't mean to imply that all Chinase parts are low quality. Yet, I would be lying if I said I didn't feel disappointed when I saw the country of origin.
    Even if the quality is still pretty much the same, they are saving in the production costs. Nevertheless, the price of the product most likely didn't go down. End result, as a consumer, can't help but feel fooled.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Bay Area, California
    Posts
    1,305
    My Cars
    325iT, 540iT
    Quote Originally Posted by AquilaBMW View Post
    Not everything made in China is crap. I could give you a long list of things that would probably amaze you. It's the way of the world. If you think about it, car brands are made all over the world.

    Lemforder I'm sure have a tight rein on quality and such and it's probably been made there for years now. However, you should do what feels best for you.
    In all fairness, quality control is tougher when dealing with China (look at the Craftsman stuff made Apex/Danaher -- it was crap when they made it in the USA and even worse now that Sears moved all of their Craftsman line to PRC). Cars are made all over the world, but if you look at the Monroney sticker for an E39 (and most BMWs of that era) they're listed as 90% German content (give or take). Sure, Germany has fairly lax labeling laws, but not that lax.

    And, sure, moving production to China is hardly uncommon (take a look at Volvo -- plenty of their blue bagged parts are now made in India, China, or other third-world countries). Problem is, you've got to pay to get quality (the cost savings on a quality part are likely negligible). More than likely you're still dealing with a product that's significantly cheaper to make, lesser quality, but not significantly cheaper to buy (is Lemforder passing the savings on to the customers? ha), and you're also dealing with a country with non-existant environmental regs. A friend of mine recently posted pics from Suzhou. Talk about London fog! I know it's fun to bag on California (especially by those who live in sparsely populated areas), but Chinese pollution doesn't magically stop at the border.
    Last edited by blarf; 02-09-2015 at 11:51 PM.

  8. #8
    AquilaBMW's Avatar
    AquilaBMW is offline Mad Bimmerist BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    17,468
    My Cars
    BMWs / Chevy
    Quote Originally Posted by vinyldude View Post
    Thanks, and sorry, I didn't mean to imply that all Chinase parts are low quality. Yet, I would be lying if I said I didn't feel disappointed when I saw the country of origin.
    Even if the quality is still pretty much the same, they are saving in the production costs. Nevertheless, the price of the product most likely didn't go down. End result, as a consumer, can't help but feel fooled.
    I concur with your points there my man. Maximization of profits and minimization of costs doesn't always result in better pricing for the consumer, sometimes just bigger profits for the business entity. In fairness to the Chinese, they got a quick and firm handle on uniformed mass production and have been able to do it at low costs.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by blarf View Post
    In all fairness, quality control is tougher when dealing with China (look at the Craftsman stuff made Apex/Danaher -- it was crap when they made it in the USA and even worse now that Sears moved all of their Craftsman line to PRC). Cars are made all over the world, but if you look at the Monroney sticker for an E39 (and most BMWs of that era) they're listed as 90% German content (give or take). Sure, Germany has fairly lax labeling laws, but not that lax.

    And, sure, moving production to China is hardly uncommon (take a look at Volvo -- plenty of their blue bagged parts are now made in India, China, or other third-world countries). Problem is, you've got to pay to get quality (the cost savings on a quality part are likely negligible). More than likely you're still dealing with a product that's significantly cheaper to make, lesser quality, but not significantly cheaper to buy (is Lemforder passing the savings on to the customers? ha), and you're also dealing with a country with non-existant environmental regs. A friend of mine recently posted pics from Suzhou. Talk about London fog! I know it's fun to bag on California (especially by those who live in sparsely populated areas), but Chinese pollution doesn't magically stop at the border.
    Another fair point. While we get our products, while companies maximize profits, workers in China die of God knows what kinds of pollution they deal with over there. Things will hopefully improve as more international attention and exposure occurs, but expect to pay higher prices once things start to improve....



  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    2,266
    My Cars
    F10 N52
    So are there any suspension parts made in Germany anymore?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    2,630
    My Cars
    2003 BMW 540iA
    The downside of cars getting older is that it makes less and less sense to keep first world factories cranking out new parts for old cars at a premium price. Most shoppers care more for price and decent lifespan for the part.

    The good factories can focus on parts for new cars, and smaller far away factories can churn out limited numbers of less-demanded parts.

    Its not too bad if the main company is in charge of quality control and keeps them on a tight leash.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lakewood, CA
    Posts
    1,858
    My Cars
    05 2.5 Z5
    Apple is made in China but with slight twist of verbiage to "Assembled in China" people are accepting of it.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    2,628
    My Cars
    2003 530iA (SOLD)
    If you walk into a BMW dealer, are any of their E39 OE replacement parts now made in China? If not, there you go...problem solved!
    2003 DINAN 5 | M54B30 | Titanium Gray Metallic | Stage 3 Engine Software | High Flow Throttle Body | Cold Air Intake | Free Flow Exhaust | Performance Automatic Transmission Software | Front Strut Brace | OE 18x9 BBS RS745 Style 42 on 265/35-18 MY BUILD THREAD: [Click]


  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Cary, NC
    Posts
    438
    My Cars
    1999 740i 1999 Honda CRV
    All of my front end components are lemforder and have been on my e38 for over 2 years and they feel just as tight and solid as the day they were installed.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Posts
    17,072
    My Cars
    SR-71 Blackbird
    We the human beings were manufactured in China. Go and look at yourself in the mirror and find the bar code on the back of your neck, yet we're still breathing ....



  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Philly Suburb
    Posts
    725
    My Cars
    2002 BMW 540iA
    I would differentiate those products made in China that copied from other products and sold under no name and those manufactured for foreign companies. You would avoid the former but for the latter, those products went through the same quality control and have to pass the same quality standard test to be accepted and sold under the brand names of foreign companies. After all, you buy iPhone, iPad in a heart beat without a thought coming into your mind that they are made in China, do you?

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    NW & SE
    Posts
    1,221
    My Cars
    97- 540
    It all comes down to quality control. Go into a USA manufacturing plant and see for the most part who actually assembles the parts. In the USA for the most part it is immigrants (even if they have been here for 20+ years) from central and south America and in China, well not hard to figure out who. Do you think the US immigrants are more detailed oriented than the Asians? No. So, the real issue is quality control. Apple is a high end product and made in China... yes I know... assembled by Foxconn. If it doesn't come from Germany, then it really doesn't matter anymore and just comes down to the specific plant and management.
    Last edited by ZeroR2; 02-10-2015 at 10:09 AM.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Omaha, NE
    Posts
    4,196
    My Cars
    1998 528i 5-spd 102K
    LOL...the computer (or smart phone) you use to post this message is likely made in China.

    Back to the original question...I don't know that Lemforder is now made in China.
    However, the QC (Quality Control) is crucial and big name corporation takes QC seriously.
    So I'd say use the Lemforder and report back 30K later.
    Last edited by cnn; 02-10-2015 at 09:23 AM.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    10,579
    My Cars
    '86 M635/'10 Clubman
    The fact is that manufacturing in China gives you as much quality as you're willing to pay for. Apple, ThinkPad and many brands that have very high quality are produced there. Anyone who thinks a "manufactured in" country tells you anything about the quality of a product is kidding themselves in today's world.

    I do think quality of things overall has gone down, especially things like appliances, but cars seem to be far better than they were 20 years ago. I tend to trust certain brands to deliver quality, but it is a "trust but verify" kind of thing. Every company is looking for ways to squeeze profit. Some squeeze too hard. Others just give up quality they're not getting value for (which isn't necessarily wrong/bad). A very few just keep doing it the best way they can.

    I don't know where Lemforder falls these days, but I'd tend to trust them.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Tx.
    Posts
    4,133
    My Cars
    02 bmw 540
    I should be receiving my Lemforder control arms today, I'll take a close look at em'.

  20. #20
    AquilaBMW's Avatar
    AquilaBMW is offline Mad Bimmerist BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    17,468
    My Cars
    BMWs / Chevy
    Quote Originally Posted by Aryana View Post
    If you walk into a BMW dealer, are any of their E39 OE replacement parts now made in China? If not, there you go...problem solved!
    Oh Boy... methinks a surprise awaits thee Sire!



  21. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    2,628
    My Cars
    2003 530iA (SOLD)
    I just called BMW Mt View and they said the engine mounts they have in stock for my 530 aren't made in China. Although mine don't need to be replaced because my I6 is so SMOOTH! Hahahahahaha
    2003 DINAN 5 | M54B30 | Titanium Gray Metallic | Stage 3 Engine Software | High Flow Throttle Body | Cold Air Intake | Free Flow Exhaust | Performance Automatic Transmission Software | Front Strut Brace | OE 18x9 BBS RS745 Style 42 on 265/35-18 MY BUILD THREAD: [Click]


  22. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Tx.
    Posts
    4,133
    My Cars
    02 bmw 540
    Quote Originally Posted by Aryana View Post
    I just called BMW Mt View and they said the engine mounts they have in stock for my 530 aren't made in China. Although mine don't need to be replaced because my I6 is so SMOOTH! Hahahahahaha
    I've got Corteco mounts. Lol hahaha.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Alexandria, VA
    Posts
    9,038
    My Cars
    ‘01 540’00 528T’03 525T
    Quote Originally Posted by auaq View Post
    We the human beings were manufactured in China. Go and look at yourself in the mirror and find the bar code on the back of your neck, yet we're still breathing ....
    That's what's wrong with you! Now it all makes sense. I was made in the Philippines with parts from Spain and Ireland, which is why I like to take a siesta after I get my drinks in me.

    - - - Updated - - -

    I bought new Lemforder tie rods for my 530 a couple months ago. Here I was thinking made in the fatherland, but no, you guys have to shoot down my good feelings with this made in China business....

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    KS
    Posts
    1,360
    My Cars
    e24e30e36e39e90
    I rebuilt the rear suspension on my '03 540i Touring in November, and there was something very peculiar about the Lemforder integral links that I got from Turner Motorsports. I noticed that the box was a different size between the two of them, which struck me as odd. On closer inspection, one box was labeled "Made In China" and the other was not (I think the other box said Made In Germany). The two parts were not exactly the same (same part number). The one from China seemed ever so slightly less beefy than the other one; there was a visual difference on the end of the shaft that protrudes through the metal plate (opposite end of the shaft from where the ball joint fits in).

    My theory is that I got the very last integral link that Turner had in inventory before production shifted to China. Or maybe some are manufactured in China and some not. I didn't care enough to spend the time to call them and find out. I suppose if you can shave off just a little bit of material from a part and multiply that times thousands or millions of parts you end up with real cost savings. Does it hurt the quality or durability of a part? Hard to say. Wish I would have taken pictures but I didn't.
    Last edited by sienayr; 02-10-2015 at 12:51 PM.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Tx.
    Posts
    4,133
    My Cars
    02 bmw 540
    In the end we're all muts, with all this crossbreeding in America and the world in general. I was made in the USA with components from Mexico, Spain, and Italy.

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •