Hi Folks,
I'm spending some money buying OEM Toyota parts for my Toyota Celsior 1997. Which I don't mind doing, as it seems to be worth it. But I noticed on the oil filter itself it says "Made in China". AFAIK, and from what I can get off the internet, Toyota makes everything in its plants in Japan.
I'm not sure about Aisin and Denso, as they're separate makes. Although I recently bought a Denso part from America that also said made in China.
I'm willing to run the risk of sounding "rayciss" these days by saying I think everything the Chinese make is garbage. And when it comes to oil filters, thermostats and radiators, I get a bit nervous.
I did buy from an official OEM supplier here in the UK but don't want to badmouth them if I'm being an idiot.
-But the Chinese still make crap.
Of course all the parts are not made in Japan. For instance, I bought a thermostat at a Toyota dealer and it was made in China
Thanks Scotty. Same thing here as I bought the oil filter at the Toyota dealer. On a separate issue, I'm finding it's cheaper to actually buy & import the parts from Japan even if they're made in China.
Some of the parts from the OEM suppliers in the UK are 3-5 time more expensive even taking into account shipping from Japan - and all probably still made in China. 😀
Not everything made in China is garbage, but cheaply made is the default for China.
Take for instance a champion Generator made in China, It is a Honda knock off, but a really good one.
It just depends on the particular part, and if the company is holding the factory to a high standard of construction or not.
I've discovered the oil filters are made in Denso's Thailand plant, and there are some sources saying Denso also might have a plant in China.
It seems the oil filters supplied to Japan are made in Thailand and the ones sold in the UK are made in China. So looks like I'll be buying more stuff from Japan from now on. 😎