best place for qulaity parts

[carterleeds]

hi guys i need to know where is the best place for quality parts... money isnt an issue especially with the parts im needing.

my 4.2 petrol head gasket needs replacing, so since ive stripped back the entire front end i will be changing other things too.

parts list so far...

timing belt
aux/fan belt
water pump
head gasket kit and new bolts


i have already been down to audi and got a price of them etc however the issue arrived when i went into my local motor factors, for other things.

they are saying audi parts are basically rubbish compared to there genuine brands. basically there saying audi gives you a part not from a manufacturer but from a retailer, whereas the motor factor guys are saying they get parts from manufacturers. e.g. there timing belt is made by gates which they are saying is way better than what audi is selling, same with the water pump he said there's is either beauer or hella whereas audi is just recon units.

now i always thought dealer parts are oem and the best but the motor factor is saying they arnt.

can anyone clarify this....?
and maybe advise me where is the best place to get the above list, as i was just going to go to audi...?!

thanks in advance

[SilverS8]

I buy all my parts from

www.rexbo.eu

Really happy And they remove VAT and have the cheapest shipping cost i've ever seen.

[ainarssems]

It's not about the best place when it comes to quality but to best make and that varies depending on part. OEM parts will meat minimum quality and in many cases will be better or as good as aftermarket parts.

Some parts do have improved aftermarket alternatives but many aftermarket parts will be lower quality then OEM.

For belts OEM, Bosch, Contitech, Gales all will be OK. If you want something extra durable you might look at kevlar reinforced belts if they are available for your application.

Rollers OEM, INA,SKF

Water pump OEM, INA, SKF, VALEO

Gaskets and bolts OEM, Elring, DANA/Victor Reinz

[Dave McB]

The main player in power transmission (ie belts) is Gates. That's pretty much the industry standard.
I would rather have a gates belt than a VAG one.
Iv worked in the motor trade for a number of years & never known a gates belt to fail.

Tensioner I would only use INA or SKF where available (these are OEM manufacturers, all made in the same factory but for obvious reasons can't have the VAG logo on it)

Gaskets I personally prefer Reinz. Payen and elring are ok, same with head bolts.

Water pump - go for OE.
Some of the aftermarket (alleged) OEM quality ones I'm not entirely convinced are of the same quality.
I don't like Valeo. I didn't know INA did water pumps (as previous post) anD SKF make good bearings but I'm not entirely convinced on their water pumps.