-with all of the talk the last two days over who makes what product and which is the one to use, etc, etc.....I decided I would at least quell the rumors/hearsay over the Ford/Motocraft parts makers. I personally called Mr. Doug Kraus, Motorcraft Product Marketing Mgr, for Ford Motor Co. , North America and asked him to tell me whom was the maker of Motorcraft plugs and to expand upon the design & engineering aspect of it and would he please put it in E-mail form so I could quote his actual response for everyone, so they would not think i was just making it up. so thanks to Mr. Kraus for his time and his response in answer to my questions:
"Henry,
Our suppliers produce and test our parts to Ford Motor Company vehicle
specifications. Our spark plugs are manufactured to our engine &
engineering specs. Honeywell is our supplier of spark plugs, they
produce Autolite and many others' spark plugs. Honeywell is not
permitted to use Ford engineering specifications to produce Autolite or
any other company's spark plug line.
Using another example with one of the products I oversee, Johnson
Controls (JCI) is our supplier of Motorcraft batteries. JCI also
produces the Sears Die Hard, Interstate, Delco, and many other batteries
for others. Our batteries are superior to others in many ways, while
being produced by the same company... JCI. The reason for our
exceptional OE quality is because they are manufactured to our vehicle
specifications.
Doug Kraus
Product Marketing Manager
Batteries / Filters / Plugs / Wipers"
I do believe this is as i had stated, that in no way does Ford let ANYONE use their specs for their products. it just isnt going to happen. he went on to talk about other things and issues as well, but i only used what i needed to show everyone. but hopefully it will answer many questions that have been asked......;)
Well,there you go.I really won't believe him until he sends me a filter,battery,some injectors,and a few other items so I can install them,road test them,and see for myself.Tell him to get with me on this issue and I'll see what i can do to work it all out for some real world testing and a report on the results.
"exceptional OE quality is because they are manufactured to our vehicle specifications. "
I like that part,Maybe they should listen to real people that use and buy the product.
-this is thread is not about performance. this is to answer the question of who makes them and engineering specs. if you prefer another fine. this is to quelch the "they are the same" myth. if you use another brand, u think its going to bother me??? as stated ive been in this business over 15 yrs, our motorcraft warranty i would bet, is lower than that of part store items. IMO.....
Can I change my mind again? :p
motorcraft ignition components, and oil filters for life, y0!!!
Ever since I've been a member of this forum, I've been using Motorcraft oil filters on ALL my Fords, my dad even does now.
Can't get Motorcraft air filters however, (from walmart)
I guess I should start getting them from Carquest... :hick:
That is nice information to know, thanks for getting him to do that. I do wonder why he didn't mention the oil and air filters. I've used Motorcraft oil filters ever since I read that independent filter study online. I also use the plugs and wires. :D
Hello
When I worked for Exide battery a few years ago they had the contract for Ford oem batterys and for Dodge also. I wounder when they switched over to JCI for ford.
igiveup
My co-worker has a 1996 Ranger pick-up with the original battery. The other day he came in and said the battery finally gave out. Turned out the battery cable was bad and the battery was still good. The battery out lasted the cables.
Go Motorcraft!
TED
that sounds like a huge load of shiznit. They are made to our vehicle specs. WTF. If that is so true why is that other companies make plugs that fit FORD cars, why is it that a non FORD/MOTORCRAFT battery fits into a FORD. Because these other manufactures have those same specs. The makers of the other brands just might not have as good quality control as the companies that makes Ford parts. Also if the parts are made to the Vehicle specs why is it that one part can fit more than one car. Because the parts are made to the specs for that part not for the vehicle.
Because something fits doesn't mean it's made to the same spec. A battery might fit but have a completely different internal construction. A spark plug might have the same heat range and thread pitch but still have other differences. A spark plug wire might be the proper length and have the proper ends on it, but it might be made of inferior (or better) materials. A brake pad might fit in the caliper but be made from different materials (same as ball joints, rotors, alternators, etc).
Just like computer parts. A no-name printer cartridge might fit your Canon printer, but it's made differently (you can tell when you open 'em up to refill 'em)
While not really related, a couple of weeks ago, I bought a new battery for my truck. The place I bought the battery from is a local hardware/farm supply store..some of you in the midwest might have heard of it: Orscheln Farm and Home?
Anyway, their battery book listed 2 different batteries for the truck, and my car. (88 Chevy K1500, and '94 Caprice Classic)
However, at Walmart, it listed the same battery for both...
Just goes to show skunks of a different stripe both stink..errr, I mean..every manufacturer is different.
Why else would a water pump from O'rielly's fail after 1500 miles, when the one that replaced that failed one has since racked up 15 THOUSAND miles?
"all parts are NOT created equal."
Eh, I just buy Purolator oil filters for my car.
Same thing as a Motorcraft except cheaper. The motorcraft has a purolator "pure one" filter in a regular casing, which isn't necessarily a good thing (more restrictive to flow due to the high number of pleats)
I guess you missed this part in my post!
I think what was meant by Fords specs, applies to the quality of the materials used in the construction, and construction method. Take differential gears as an example, last I heard all factory Ford differential gears are fully hardened (all the way through the gear), while quite a bit of aftermarket gearsets were only case hardened.
As I stand by my previous statements...
Just because they are produced in the same factory on the same line, does not mean they are identical parts.
Just because 2 items crossover to the same application does not mean they are the same.
I'm still going to have side with the MANUFACTURER on this one. I'd believe Honeywell telling me they're the same part, because they make them BOTH.
Some ad head at Motorcraft trying to drum up sales is going to do the SAME thing every other salesman does, tout his own companies product and make claims.
Sorry, but Honeywell says they're the same except for the ink, the ordering is the same less the ink, the heat ranges are the same less the ink.
I don't buy the sales BS.
Call the guy on the production line and ask HIM, not some corporate suit.
This is also why when you buy an American Chisel It is Black because it is hardened. When you buy a Chinese Chisel it is black because it is Painted ! But they are dimensionally the same.
i couldnt give two shiznits less who makes what parts. ive tried all kinds of parts. motorcraft plugs and wires work best on my motor. period.
i doubt line workers answer the phones.
what makes you think the guy from honeywell isnt tryin too boost sales of the other brand names by tellin you they are built to the exact same specs as OEM??
Do you believe the "Tornado" actually saves fuel? Or that you can slap a magnet on a fuel line to "align the molecules"? Come on, open your eyes and really look.
Honeywell makes more profit selling Motorcrafts then it does on it's own Autolite brand. Why on earth would they try to get you to buy the Autolite branded stuff? Answer - they're NOT. The parts are the SAME.
Believe what you want, but it seems the slick sales guy can still fool people. *sigh*
And none of this matters to me as I wouldn't touch either plug or set of wires for any car I own, resale or not. NGK's and Magnecor's here, have been for almost a decade, including my old SHO...
my point exactly. a lot of people believe the OEM parts are too expensive. so, tell them all that the other brands are exactly the same and make the profits in quantity vs. quality.
sounds pretty simple to me.
same with my brothers 94 f-150 original alt as well. but he did "cheat" and replace the regulator. but it's a no option truck . not even a/c and it's a 300 I 6 5-speed. shorty bed. but has the beer can window lol
I've had the best luck with motorcraft batteries. The one i'm running right now was made in 2001.
Is there a manufacture date on motorcraft batteries?
:dunno:
I pulled it from a wrecked '01 windstar in 2002. I gotten my $10 out of it.
colored dot sticker on them with month/year.....
and again, everyone can buy whatever brand they think is the best, i'm not bothered by it. but i have years of experience with Motorcraft brand vs. aftermarket. i'm here to tell you, you wont find anything as reliable as Motorcraft. sure the parts store will warranty the others, but how many times are u going to replace the other brand vs. once for the
Motorcraft. i will GUARANTEE u, regardless of what youve heard, all parts are NOT created equal. just because the same company makes the on the same line does not mean the components r the same. so belive what u want.......