OK, so I wound up with a warped Bendix 141868 rotors on my 1998 LeSabre:
http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ghlight=bendix

Which I attributed to my installing ceramic pads (not enough heat dissipation).

So, I decided to try Performance Friction carbon metallic pads on new Bendix rotors (only change one variable at a time).

Placed my rotor order through Summit racing. Shipped directly from manufacturer. Box is indeed labeled 141868:


First clue something'* screwy :


Turns out this is nothing but a cheap China rotor:


This is what my last 141868 looked like:


(See how nice and beefy?...said "made in USA" on box)

WTF?!?

I can understand the whole move production to China thing. Everyone'* doing it. But why should I pay premium pricing ($60+) for a cheap Chinese rotor I can get for $20 anywhere?

Very sad. I have contacted both Summit and Bendix to see what they have to say.

Meantime, might as well return these POS'* and either buy cheapies locally or pony up for something that'* still made well .

I am pretty sure I have the same rotors.....still in the same box like yours, Andrew. I "custom" ordered the "Bendix" though my Checker Auto, and my box also says "Made in China" and I suspect inside the boxes are not the real "Bendix" rotors that I was expecting and paid for. My problem is that at Checker, no "custom" orders are returnabel/refundable :?

My e-mail to Bendix:

Are your supposedly "premium" brake rotors now made in China instead of USA/Canada?

I recently bought 141868 rotor; the box says "Made in China," and the rotor face plates are very thin. This is compared to a set of the very same part number I bought a few years ago that say "Made in USA" on the box and have nice, thick, beefy rotor face plates. I am extremely disappointed in the poor quality of the newer part, especially given that they continue to carry a premium price over any other generic China rotors of similar low quality.

Bendix' reply:

Dear Andrew,

All rotors are from China. There are no USA made rotors sold by Bendix or any other company.

Thank you,
Honeywell Bendix

-------

Now, my e-mail may have been a bit "snippy," but can you believe that reply? No mention that they used to make rotors in the US? A claim that NO rotor is currently made in US? No addressing why they charge 3x as much as everyone else for the same crappy China rotor?

Well, no more Bendix for me, ever

Those certanlly don't look like anything I want to pay $60+ again, either (I need to go open the boxes to see what I really got) and if so, I won't be buying them ever again, either.

I also ordered the Bendix semi-metallic brake pads (I am throwing in the towell on ceramics), since I somehow found a way to warp one of my Raybestos PG Plus rotors using the Raybestos Ceramic Quiet- Stop pads in under a year (and I drive like a grandpa, unless I am at the track )

Hopefully these will last awhile with the semi-metallics. :?

Let us know if yours look the same as mine.

I think you should raise holy hell with Checker until they refund you. The cskauto (Checker'*, Shuck'*, Kragen) website specifically states that Bendix rotors are USA/Canada made:



Print the pics from this and my old topic to show them what they advertised versus what they sold you:
http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ghlight=bendix

Has anyone actually tested these? Did you find a review or something, anything. O mean just to give Bendix a little slack they actually could be an improved version. Thinner because even better metal is used and thinner rotors = large airflow vanes = improved cooling (esp for ceramic pad use)

at least thats my plausible thinking. I could just as well be, "lets make a mint before bankruptcy" too... wouldn't be the first company to do be deceiptful.

Bendix' reply to my original inquiry:

Dear Andrew,

All rotors are from China. There are no USA made rotors sold by Bendix or any other company.

Thank you,
Honeywell Bendix


My reply to that reply:
Dear Sirs,

Not all rotors are from China. Premium rotors, such as Powerslot, Brembo, high-end Raybestos, et.al., are still made in USA, Canada or Europe. Your rotors, which continue to be marketed and priced as if they were premium rotors (right down to the same part numbers), used to be of much higher quality and were once made in the USA.

This is the crux of my disappointment, and the issue you entirely avoided addressing; why should anyone pay $60+ for a Bendix rotor if the quality has sunk to that of any other $25 rotor on the market? Furthermore, retailers have apparently not been made aware of this wholesale switch to Chinese production, as they continue to promote Bendix rotors as "made in USA or Canada" (e.g., Checker'* Schuck'*, Kragen, et.al.)

I understand the desire by industry to save costs by moving production overseas. The issue with Bendix is that you seem to believe you can reduce quality without admitting to reducing quality and without lowering prices commensurately. I assure you that:
1) Car enthusiast clubs and automotive forums will be made aware of your new "high-price / low-quality" strategy.
2) No sensible person who is made aware will purchase your overpriced brake parts when equal or better quality is available at far lower prices.
3) Car enthusiasts will entirely lose interest in Bendix brake parts, as you no longer produce a high-quality product at any price point.

Regards,

Andrew Gxxxxxx

I personally quit using Bendix when the "Lifetime" guarantee I had all the sudden became "Lifetime*". The * meant one replacement over the lifetime of the vehicle. What BS. I keep cars longer than that one time replacement. When I needed pads and rotors this time (due to a stupid dealer service department that didn't properly torque my wheels after inspection), I looked around. I found Raybestos top of the line rotors and pads. Changed all 4 and have many happy miles on them.
Fight for your rights....quality parts, not chinese crap. Tell them you're afraid of excessive lead content on the parts and want a refund. Yea, it'* stupid, but it may get the point across that this imported garbage just isn't going to fly with us that care about our vehicles.

To my knowledge, nobody here has "tested" them, unless someone has put on these seemingly "different" rotors without even thinking that they may be something different. True, they could work just as well or better, but both Andrew and I thought, "These don't look right", when we got our rotors. In fact, I hadn't even opened my boxes and I suspected something was different, since my boxes didn't even have "Bendix" on them anywhere, and they said "Made In China", but the Manger at Checker assured me they were "Bendix". So, this morning I opened one box and here is what I see. NOt really sure whether what I am seeing is inferior from the past or not. I may just throw these on and try them out for the club, although I am not going to use ceramic pads and will be puting on the Bendix semi-metallics, instead.

Here'* what some generic Ebay drilled/slotted had on the box.







Here are some pictures of the actual rotor.






These must be the company Bendix and a few other people outsourced the rotors to. Looking on RockAuto these are the part numbers they're selling for my LeSabre, and for the same year Bonne. So it looks like the manufacturers are playing a shell game with the boxes and part numbers. I mean, this is too much coincidence. A generic Ebay box that happens to list the name-brand part numbers, and the same part numbers/same parts appearing in parts stores for a higher price. Something about this reeks.