"I have heard" The three most dangerous words.....Any idiot can spout off about anything and before long it's the God's truth. Bah! And those unattributed statements are scarcely ever positive. I believe many people say things just to feel power by getting someone else stirred up.

If you want to be sure what you're buying, go to your local parts store and handle the part yourself before buying. Rockauto exists because people are looking for lower-priced parts. So complaining that Rockauto sells Chinese or whatever third-world item is like complaining that you can't get a decent steak at McDonalds.

There's another ignorant assumption at work here and that is that third-world countries can't make a quality piece. I suppose your smartphone was made in the US? Computer? Television set?

The last Aimco rotors I bought were made in Canada. The last Raybestos Professional Grade stuff I bought was made in the USA. The latest MOOG stabilizer bar links I bought for my Korean car were made in Mexico.

I worked with pumps for years, and most of the components are castings, mostly cast iron. It is harder and harder to get castings made in the US because running a foundry is a dirty, dangerous business. Safety and environmental concerns are pushing the foundries out into countries where health and safety are not as important.

20 years ago I specified a Diesel engine to run a large pump. We got a Cummins V12 and a beautiful piece it was. As I walked around the engine one day, admiring it, I noticed on a nameplate the words, "Manufactured in Pune, India". Cummins has a big plant there. It didn't seem to bother the engine to have that plate riveted to it. I was a little chagrined, as I thought a Cummins would certainly be made in USA.

I have used American rotors, Canadian rotors and Chinese rotors. I have not noticed any difference in how they worked or how long they lasted. I did notice that the US and Canadian ones had tighter dimensional accuracy and the blades in the rotor looked nicer. But they all stopped the same, and they all wore out the same when the caliper hung up.

R.