If you take a look around Chief Auto Supply and some of the other FLAPS
stores you'll see lots of boxes marked OEM.
This is a registered trade name for an import group that imports everything
from Anit Freeze to Light Bulbs.
It's possible the imports include other hard parts as well.
I bought a distributor cap for an 83 Ford 302 V8 and it said OEM on the blue
and red box. The part actually said Wells on it.
So OEM can mean several things to different people.
In addition ATE can come from Austria, Germany, Brazil, Mexico or any other
nation that has produced VW parts as subcontractor on that particular
casting or complete part over the last 50+ years of VW production.
As stated sometimes the casting will have the VW or Audi symbol ground off
to allow bulk castings to be sold into the aftermarket. In some cases these
are fraud parts that were never purchased from the selling entity by VW but
they make the high volume part now because they bought the tooling when it
became too poor for mass production or the foundry / factory folded.
I've had several Bosch alternators new from Brazil and several front wheel
bearing sets from Austria. (Not complaining, just stating that it only needs
50% value or often less if it's part of the Caribbean Basin Agreement to
NAFTA to be declared a product of that nation.)

Stan Wilder
Engine Ceramics
214-352-4931
www.engineceramics.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeffrey Schwaia" <jeff@VANAGONPARTS.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 3:02 PM
Subject: OEM vs Aftermarket -- WAS: where is the best buy for drums and
rotors?

> Funny thing about some of the aftermarket parts: if you look closely, you
> see where the VW symbol has been ground off or covered up somehow.
> Basically, it is a OEM part that has been defaced for non-OEM sales.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jeff
> www.vanagonparts.com
>
>
> --
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