Just wondered if there was any better quality parts suppliers out there or key companies to look at first.
As a general rule all of the different parts supplies (paddocks, craddocks, lrdirect, etc) will all supply the same things as they are suppliers not manufacturers. They will have in stock the same part made by different people and to different standards. The difference in parts quality comes when you select which part to buy:
Unless specified as OEM or Genuine the part will be a pattern copy of an original part, this means a company has got hold of an original and made their own version. Different companies are better at this than others and the quality can vary from brand to brand and part to part! (I know that is not very helpful)
OEM is "Original equipment Manufacture" this means that it is made by the same company to the same standards as the original part supplied to land rover
Genuine is the same as above but with a land rover logo on the box and a higher price because of it.
Based on the above it does not matter who supplies the part because the quality is dictated by the part you select (hence my original comment about choosing supplier on price but the part on OEM)
However there are some pattern parts that are very good quality and a fraction of the cost of OEM, a quick search of the forum will give you a good idea if the pattern part is any good. (e.g. pattern tdi lift pumps fail in a few weeks and need to be OEM, but britpart shocks are very good quality, very cheap, and perform/last well)
As said above the best thing is get hold of a parts manual for you vehicle, either buying one, or downloading one online. This then allows you to search for the specific part that you need and you can then see all the different versions available. You can then research the quality of the aftermarket vs OEM and make a decision individually based on the quality vs cost. As a general rule for what I do critical parts are OEM, engine parts are OEM, brake parts are OEM, drive train parts are usually OEM (couple of exceptions e.g. drive flanges), everything else is aftermarket pattern parts, and nothing is genuine because the price is far to high!
