Old timer at NAPA changed my mind about brand-name parts

Was at NAPA on Grand Avenue last month grabbing a water pump for a 2002 F-150. This old tech named Jerry saw me grabbing a Gates belt and told me to grab the Continental instead. Said he'd been doing this since 1987 and Gates belts have been getting brittle after 18 months since they moved production overseas. Has anyone else noticed a drop in quality on certain brands lately?

2 comments

2 Comments

maxp688d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, hold on. Continental belts are actually better now? I thought Gates was still the gold standard, I've been using them for years on my own trucks. That Jerry guy must have seen some stuff though, he's been wrenching since before I was born. It's crazy how fast things change, I always figured the brand name was the safe bet. Guess I need to pay more attention to the old timers, they know the real scoop from back in the day.

emeryn837d ago

Jerry's been around long enough to know what actually holds up.