Be careful with aftermarket appliance parts

Hahaha. Thank you !!

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For my MINI, I order OEM parts from a BMW/MINI dealer with an web store. They charge less, even with shipping, than the local dealer parts counter.

I don't get hung up on brake dust, but I don't like when the original rear pads wear out at 22k miles. Might be my imagination, but I think the OEM replacements last longer.

The mechanic I have been dealing with explained that BMW (and maybe MINI?) sold a lot of their warehoused stock for older models to a group in Latvia who have been selling the stock via EBay.

For my predicament, an OEM rear sway bar unit (full kit) is about $2K USD (~$3K AUD) from what I can see online, which matches what my mechanic has been indicating :frowning:. The DIY sealing videos I have watched don't fill me with enthusiasm....

None of which helps those trying to decide on repairs for a Samsung Dryer.... If nothing else you can weigh up your predicament for a discretionary product with another.... It could be worse.... :slight_smile:

Wow...your car must be really fast. :wink:

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:joy: I always get that term wrong.... Though it does feel more like I'm maintaining a rocket at the moment rather than a rocker

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Not exactly the same, but the water pump gave out on my brother's Explorer, fortunately just before the warranty expired. The dealer had to pull the engine in order to get to it. Would not be surprised if situations like this were fairly common these days.

Remember when some engine compartments had enough room for a suitcase and maybe a set of golf clubs next to the air intake? You could almost stand inside next to the engine while working on it. :wink:

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Not me. My first car was a 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible, with a 383 Magnum and factory a/c. I'm sure models with the small-block engines (e.g.: 340) were easy to work on, but the 383 and 440 were big-blocks. Despite a fairly large engine compartment, changing the spark plugs is probably where I leaned to cuss like an adult (I bought the car when I was 15).

At some point, in my infinite wisdom at the time, I decided to replace the stock exhaust manifolds with Holley headers. That turned the job of replacing spark plugs from extremely difficult to nearly impossible.

I kept the car for as long as I possibly could, but ended up in a condo where I had no place to work on it and finally sold it for next to nothing. One of the biggest regrets of my life. The convertible model was pretty rare and only available in '70 and '71. Models with factory a/c were even rarer. Restored ones are selling for 100x what I paid for mine.

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For whet it’s worth, when I read your post I didn’t even pick up on the typo - Geesh. But I do remember thinking - BMW calls it a valve cover gasket - VCG - with the overhead cams.

You didn’t mention what car you have but I assume you are having the issue with a straight six engine.

Mid-60s Chevy C10 3/4 ton with an inline 6-cyl. A skinny kid could fit between the fender well and the block on the passenger side. And the steering shaft looked all alone with all that air gap around it on the port side.

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No, a V8. I've got a 2008 750Li. I bought it back in 2015. Beautiful car and lovely to drive.

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That's what I'm talking about! Skinny ki and his small dog, completely comfortable. :slightly_smiling_face:

Bummer for you, you got to the dealer of the day they were out of V12s?!

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The way petrol prices have gone since, I'm happy to not run a V12 :slightly_smiling_face:. Thankfully I still kept my 2001 Subaru Liberty (Legacy) to have as a backup when things go wrong, and vice versa.

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These cars would be nothing but rust where I live. Unless not driven in winter.