tdi-parts.com cam (prothe)? (not idparts.com)

G60ING

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 5, 2001
Location
MD
TDI
No TDIs Currently, I have an R36 Corrado. I've had an ALH Corrado swap, AHU Corrado swap and 2003 TDI Jetta
Don't drive it into a lake. Just throw the old parts back on and buy a new timing belt and tensioner.
 

prothe

Active member
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
99 Golf
I have said it before, and I'll say it again. If my parts were as bad as you all think they are, I wouldn't be in business. As for turbos, I sell well over 1000 turbos per year. All come with a 1 year warranty. If that many of them came back, I would stop selling them.

What is greed? Is selling a turbo for over $1000 greed, or is selling a turbo cartridge with few complaints for $250 greed? Is a Kolbenschmidt $1500 cylinder head greed, or a $400 cylinder head from me greed?

Yes, I am a religous man. And if I had as many problems as you all think I have with my products, I wouldn't sell them.

Is it any surprise that as soon as someone brings up my name, that all the "vendors" chime in? Is anyone surprised by that?

I sold parts to over 10000 happy customers in both 2008 and 2009. There are going to be complaints with that kind of volume. You guys only hear about the problems, and then ask how I can sleep at night, but my success stories outweigh the complaints. If I had that many problems with my parts, how would I maintain an "A" rating with the BBB?

I'm not saying that there haven't been any problems, but I sleep well at night knowing that I provide an alternative to overpriced parts. If I see an unacceptable pattern of problems with a part, I don't buy from that factory again. This post was started by a customer looking for a camshaft. I have still never had a problem with any camshafts that I have sold.

You guys don't know how many customers have brought their original injector pump to me that their "mechanic" said was defective. And I install it on my own TDI engine, and it is working fine. You don't hear about the success stories. You only hear about the "mechanics" who can't get a pump that I removed from my TDI engine working on their engine. Then all the other "vendors" chime in and say, "don't buy from prothe!"
 

thebigarniedog

Master of the Obvious
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Location
Fail Command (Central Ohio)
TDI
1998 Jetta tdi
I have said it before, and I'll say it again. If my parts were as bad as you all think they are, I wouldn't be in business. As for turbos, I sell well over 1000 turbos per year. All come with a 1 year warranty. If that many of them came back, I would stop selling them.

What is greed? Is selling a turbo for over $1000 greed, or is selling a turbo cartridge with few complaints for $250 greed? Is a Kolbenschmidt $1500 cylinder head greed, or a $400 cylinder head from me greed?

Yes, I am a religous man. And if I had as many problems as you all think I have with my products, I wouldn't sell them.

Is it any surprise that as soon as someone brings up my name, that all the "vendors" chime in? Is anyone surprised by that?

I sold parts to over 10000 happy customers in both 2008 and 2009. There are going to be complaints with that kind of volume. You guys only hear about the problems, and then ask how I can sleep at night, but my success stories outweigh the complaints. If I had that many problems with my parts, how would I maintain an "A" rating with the BBB?

I'm not saying that there haven't been any problems, but I sleep well at night knowing that I provide an alternative to overpriced parts. If I see an unacceptable pattern of problems with a part, I don't buy from that factory again. This post was started by a customer looking for a camshaft. I have still never had a problem with any camshafts that I have sold.

You guys don't know how many customers have brought their original injector pump to me that their "mechanic" said was defective. And I install it on my own TDI engine, and it is working fine. You don't hear about the success stories. You only hear about the "mechanics" who can't get a pump that I removed from my TDI engine working on their engine. Then all the other "vendors" chime in and say, "don't buy from prothe!"
Well, I'll say this ..... the conspiracy angle your asserting plays well amongst the weak minded that think everything is a conspiracy (i.e. your arguments that as soon as you post the other vendors protect their profit motive and shout you down and trash your products). So I am sure that a bunch of people that are unable or unwilling to think will bite at that hook. Here's the problem with your conspiracy play (in addition to the weak minded stuff):

1. Your not a vendor on tdiclub. Therefore, you cannot hock your whares here period and the other vendors are free to criticise you. When your done crying, register as a vendor, open your own sales thread and have at it.

2. Your not arguing that your stuff is comparable or better --- you are arguing that it is cheaper. Plenty of threads highlight people opting for your primary parts with bad results. A one year warranty on a crappy turbo is worthless if it grenades my engine --- correct? Your also not arguing that your nozzles are superior to Bosio or Bosch ---are you? Vendors that balance nozzles refuse to touch yours ---- care to respond to this?

3. The race to the bottom (i.e. who can supply the most far east parts from China/Taiwan) is not one with any winners on this continent. A recent Harbor Freight thread on this board shows that. Numerous threads of problems with your stuff were cited in an earlier post ...... your not arguing that they are satisfied customers are you?

I am not saying or implying that you have nothing worth consideration. You have a bunch of non-critical items (i.e. that won't grenade someones engine) that are hard to find and IMHO are worth buying. I am saying that your arguments presented are not responsive to the criticisms leveled at you.
 
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Joined
Apr 27, 2003
Location
Stafford Virginia 22556
TDI
96 glx variant tdi
There was another post on here about your injection pumps which you claimed were personally tested by yourself (which you also claimed other rebuilders did not do), and I asked to see a picture of the equipment you use to rebuild a pump. I never did receive an answer to that request. Care to post those pics here now ?
 

TDeanI

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Location
Bremerton WA
TDI
'97 Passat TDI Wagon w/ 286K mi.
I sold parts to over 10000 happy customers in both 2008 and 2009. There are going to be complaints with that kind of volume. You guys only hear about the problems, and then ask how I can sleep at night, but my success stories outweigh the complaints. If I had that many problems with my parts, how would I maintain an "A" rating with the BBB?
How many of these 10,000 transactions were legit Auto parts transactions? And not your 25 cent computer screen wall papers that you sell on ebay? You probably bought them all from another account of yours just to keep your Ebay feedback and BBB rating up. I looked at your Ebay feedback in 2009 for Prothe to see how you can keep a 98% positive rating with so many complaints and part failures as discussed on this Forum. It looks like about 1 in 3 transactions is selling something that wasn't a car part at all and cost less than 1$.

Anytime there was a negative feedback from an auto part sell, there was a sudden surge of computer wallpaper purchases with 100 % positive feedbacks. Why does a "legit A rated parts seller" sell computer screen wall papers anyway? Just a hobby to sell these by the hundreds for a dime or a quarter?

I hope none of your computer screen wall papers you sold did as much damage to computers as the parts you sold for TDI motors.

What is your real rating selling only engine parts?
 

BKmetz

Administrator, Member #10
Staff member
Joined
Sep 25, 1997
Location
Illinois
TDI
2015 Passat, titanium beige, 6MT
As pointed out, TDIClub discounts ebay ratings because they can be easily manipulated. This is also part of the reason TDIClub does not allow vendors to post ebay links.

As for the BBB and its ratings, both are wonderful if you believe in Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and the tooth fairy. All are equally useful in resovling a conflict with a business.

To earn TDIClub's respect one must do exactly that, earn TDIClub's respect. Simply and effective.

:)
 
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DieselFahrer

Well-known member
Joined
May 28, 2009
Location
Raleigh, NC
TDI
2003 Jetta TDi wagon
Conflict resolution in a business matter

As for the BBB and its ratings, both are wonderful if you believe in Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and the tooth fairy. All are equally useful in resovling a conflict with a business.
:)

I tend to agree with the lack of effectiveness of the BBB with respect to conflict resolution. The BBB is best used to vet a vendor PRIOR to doing business, but even then a clean BBB rating is no guarantee there won't
be trouble.

If you really do have a problem with a business, and the business has been conducted across state lines ( this allows the feds to stick their noses
into it ) a few phone calls to the US Attorney whose office is proximate to the offending business can be remarkably effective. A few years ago I was dealing with a travel agent which was refusing to refund money from a ticket which could not be used, and a single phone call to the Fulton County ( Atlanta, GA ) US Attorney resulted in a quick resolution of the problem, which involved well over $1000 US. The travel agency in question fell all over itself in its rush to send me a refund. It is sad that such things are necessary, but
since they are it's useful to be aware of the tools which work best.
 

Mike Piles

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2000
Location
St Louis, MO USA
TDI
2000
Crapware from the dealership you say ....... unpossible :D . Guess I won't be going to the dealership now ;) .
I bought some Meyle swing arm bushings for my jetta. On the part is said Meyle Germany the bag the part was packaged in said made in China. I wasn't happy. I installed them and will keep an eye on them. Next time I will buy an original part unless these hold up for 200000 miles.
 

Franko6

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2005
Location
Sw Missouri
TDI
Jetta, 99, Silver`
Santa Claus

Wait...what do you mean...no Santa Claus?
Now, now.. BK is just being silly. Of course there is a Santa Claus and Easter Bunny.


As for Prothe, hearing him say that he sells thousands of parts, that is true. Saying they are good.. that is speculative, at best.

Sure, I see name-brand stuff that doesn't hold up... occasionally. What I cannot accept is two timing belts in a row... numerous turbos, lousey nozzles... over and over and over. And he makes claims of 'low priced alternative' parts??

Let's call it what it is... CRAP(Chinese Replacement Auto Parts)!

Btw Prothe, Do you want to explain the manipulation with selling that engine out of a Texas junkyard? The guy in Chicago would like to know why an engine with 60k, the cam and lifters are shot and the rod bearings are worn sideways. Perhaps a bent rod?? For a $2800 engine?? He was expecting an engine from YOU, but instead he gets junkyard junk. But you never saw it, so how could you possibly know anything about the condition, eh?

Let me guess... you find a sucker, go on one of the junkyard sites and find an engine for what... $1500? maybe $2000, stick the guy for $800-$1300 and all you have to do is tell the wrecking yard where to send the junk engine. Isn't that a sweet deal...

And your sorry pistons... they don't hold 4 grams in a set! Yeah, there's your quality... a quality that is for suckers and shysters.
 

BKmetz

Administrator, Member #10
Staff member
Joined
Sep 25, 1997
Location
Illinois
TDI
2015 Passat, titanium beige, 6MT
But... but... Prothe belongs to the BBB and has a top eBay seller's rating!! That makes everything awesome!!11!

:rolleyes:
 

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
I got bored last night and pulled Prothe's last 1200 or so auctions:

1200 auctions
36 feedback either neutral or negative

or 97.0% positive from mid april (guess he's having a bad month or two?)

If you take out the easy auctions that have little to do with auto parts (naked post cards(?), spade connectors) you get:

791 auctions
33 feedback either neutral or negative

or 95.9% positive

Statistically speaking, it does appear that he's trying to stack his positive auction results, albeit not that effectively.

Personally, I would not spend a large amount of money on a precision part (turbo, Injection pump / Head) on a seller with this kind of feedback. As well, there is always the customer who buys a part, leaves feedback, and parks the part on a shelf to be installed at a later time. Feedback might be artificially high in cases like this.

Some of the negative feedback:

Versand in einem Zipper Beutel und 6€ Berechnet. wunder das es ganz war!
Achtung!!! Verkauft Sachen die er nicht hat und behält das Geld ein Paar Tage.

Sehr langsamer Versand und dann 14 Tage warten bis Geld zurück erstattet wird
Wrong damn headbolts!!!! They are too short!!!
Non mi è stato detto del costo della dogana pari al 20% del costo
good fit but doesn't look very professional; i wouldn't buy it again
Zollgebühren und Abholung beim Zoll sind alls Zusatzkosten angefallen
emballage ridicule!!!
Im April scheibe gekauft geld weg keine Ware Vorsicht betrüger
le prix ne tiens pas compte des frais de douane + 35 euros!!
Seller deliberately lists out-of-stock items;refunded & relisted but not in sto
Not instock, refunded money but minus the paypal charges. Cost money for nothing
part didn`t fit and didn`t change for the right one
Item is not for my car, i used configurator it should be for my car but itsn't.
leide nicht sehr passend fill falken der Heckscheibe
livraison très longue, plus de la douane à payer
i havent recieved my item. and its been over a month.
a la commande les questions de delais et de cout de trnsport sont erronees
Es heißt Ware ist lagernd, man bestellt, keine Antwort, Geld zurück!! jedesmal
not the best quality sewing but should do the job
Paid 4 tinted and got d reg. one. Wrote to seller and no response.
Item was never instock. Refund issued after 14 days of waiting......
so ,so seller. A bit late on shipping,No rteturn calls.
no comunication,late shippment,1part not in stock,the rest was fine
 

Left Coast Resident

Ubẽr Clubbie
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
Location
San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles)
TDI
2001, 2002 & 2003 Jettas
Well, I have no horse in this race, but IF ONE really cares enough, or is pissed off enough, or just has too much free time, one can do a couple of google searches and eventually find the bills of lading for the chinese turbos, and pictures of his house. In some other thread, I posted the resume of the guy who was "rebuilding" the pumps in house for him -- I may be reading too much in here, but he seemed to be very casually looking for another job. And you don't test IP's by installing them on an engine and running them.

I have never bought anything from any of Rothenbacher's 30 or 40 internet companies (a whois search can give you the exact number), and I wouldn't because I have done what I feel is my reasonable 'due diligence' AKA 'surfing everything in sight', and then forming my own opinion based on what I discover (subjectively discounted for anything I think is total BS and/or not relevant or meaningful). In other words, you should form your own opinions -- and YMMV -- although I personally find that hard to believe that YMMV in this case.

Remember, as is pointed out in the thread title, this is the guy who was trying to confuse people with Peter (TDI-PARTS vs TDIPARTS), and who is, as I just stated, claiming to test IP's on an engine by installing them and running them, one at a time. WHAT THE *****???
 

DieselFahrer

Well-known member
Joined
May 28, 2009
Location
Raleigh, NC
TDI
2003 Jetta TDi wagon
Well, I have no horse in this race, but IF ONE has too much free time, one can do a couple of google searches ...
But you *do* have a horse in this race. That horse is you trying to prove your "leet" knowledge of the internet. Oh yes,
it's obvious you're trying to do that. But this isn't 4chan or Slashdot, and I very much doubt anyone here cares
about such things.

It appears ( in your post ) you are alluding to the possibility of vigilante action; the law takes a VERY dim view of such behavior. You might find yourself indicted as a co-conspirator in the event someone does do some sort of harm to "Prothe".

It's comical that none of those who whine about "Prothe" "ripping them off" have the courage to admit THEY played a part in the situation. Greed on the part of the buyer is requisite for the transaction which involves Chinese knock-off parts to even begin to look like a "good idea". It's the same as the Nigerian 419 scams : the suckers who sent the money to Nigeria in hopes of getting an absurdly high return on their "investment" did so because they were motivated by greed. Smart people do not expect something for nothing -- they expect a reasonable return for their money. And they order parts from a vendor who sells the correct OEM quality parts for a fair price, such as IDParts or BleachedBora.

And then there is the excuse ( seen in these forums ) : "Mister X couldn't afford the correct parts and was just trying to keep his car running so he bought cheap stuff from Prothe". That's a variation on greed, only this time it involves some set of circumstances by which Mister X is "so poor that he cannot afford to fix his car correctly". Well, if you cannot afford to play the game right, you shouldn't be at the table, chum. And yes, it really is that simple. Sell the old TDi to someone who can afford to maintain it, and buy a used Corolla, and quit trying to beat the system, because the system cannot be beaten, especially not by someone who is not smart enough to make a decent income.
 
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Joined
Apr 27, 2003
Location
Stafford Virginia 22556
TDI
96 glx variant tdi
And then there is the excuse ( seen in these forums ) : "Mister X couldn't afford the correct parts and was just trying to keep his car running so he bought cheap stuff from Prothe". .....
especially not by someone who is not smart enough to make a decent income.
Well then mr. diesel car driver, or mr. X, or however you wish to be addressed, when it's your turn to replace a turbo or lifters or pistons or some other dimensionally precise item, are you going to purchase that part from prothe ? If the quality of his parts is just as good as everyone else's, why wouldn't you ? He's relatively close geographically speaking so you could have the parts almost immediately and he can save you a ton of money although by inference you make a "decent income" and could afford OEM parts. Just think, I wrote this entire response without leet speak. I wonder what that says about my "smartness". I can tell you I'm smart enough not to buy those dimensionally precise items from prothe so you can have my allocation when that time comes. Let me know how those parts turn out after installation and 100,000 miles down the road, assuming of course you can get them installed and they last anywhere near 100,000 miles.

What exactly is the correlation between the ignorant buyer who thinks he is going to purchase inexpensive but quality parts (who sells parts knowing some are dimensionally different or substandard from the OEM part anyway ) from prothe, and prothe's unrelenting scouring of the (chinese) market for parts that are "cheaper" regardless of quality control or lack thereof and thus raises his profit margin ?

Since you have identified yourself as an educated person without actually having said so, and since you have seen complaint letters about a dealership ( see https://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=3046671&postcount=4), that you have first-person witnesses (sic) to service deficiencies on several cars and it appears you are not shy about coming to or agreeing with conclusions about that dealer's motives in how and why they treat their "techs" the way they do although you claim not to have an agenda, please answer the following question. A customer learns by advertisement that prothe has an engine to sell and that that engine is claimed to have reasonable mileage and is in good running condition. The customer purchases that engine, it is delivered and installed. The customer then finds out that the engine is not in the stated condition, that prothe never had possession of it to start with and that without previous disclosure prothe only brokered the deal from a distant third party seller. What is your opinion of prothe's moral and commercial obligation to not only make restitution, but to fully disclose his participation which is solely as a for-profit brokering agent in the transaction ? Should prothe take the stance of avoiding the customer or attempt to resolve the problem ? How long should a reasonable person expect that process take ? How would you connect those dots mr. diesel car driver ?
 
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2bad4jaz

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Location
Beecher, IL
TDI
2001 Jetta
Prothe

We only care about the complaints we get here on TDIClub. A quick search revealed a lot LOT more than I thought.

A very small sampling:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=269676&highlight=prothe

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=270325&highlight=prothe

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=207007&highlight=prothe

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=269124&highlight=prothe

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=268111&highlight=prothe

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=268039&highlight=prothe

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=256748&highlight=prothe

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=263515&highlight=prothe

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=265949&highlight=prothe

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=258494&highlight=prothe

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=261933&highlight=prothe


There are over 3 pages of search results.

This isn't about your family, it's about our family, the TDIClub family.

TDIClub's mission is to stop consumer ignorance from being used as an exploitable commodity. The more the membership knows about its cars, the better they can maintain and enjoy them. TDIClub has a 'best practice' mindset, best quality parts, best quality practices. We take this to VW, its dealerships, to everyone else, and to every aspect of ownership.

Caveat Emptor!


:rolleyes:
Is Prothe the same company as Protech 1 inc engine division? We got burned on a $2,800 motor. I need more proof to prove this guy is dirty. I need to show the credit card company. I have my stuff, but if Prothe is the same guy, I would like to know.
 

2bad4jaz

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Location
Beecher, IL
TDI
2001 Jetta
Protech and Prothe

Are Prothe and Protech 1 inc engine division the same company. It would help us with our bad motor situation if they were the same or not. We got a bad motor from Protech 1. Please help.
 

2bad4jaz

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Location
Beecher, IL
TDI
2001 Jetta
Protech

I think it is kind a funny when Protech is from Elton, North Carolina and Prothe is from Charlotte, North Carolina. I just figured it out yesterday. They did a bait and switch on a motor on us, sounds like Prothe is the same way. I have $2,800 riding on this dilema. Does anybody have a full list or know where to find all Prothe's names, I heard there are about 20 of them.
 

Franko6

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2005
Location
Sw Missouri
TDI
Jetta, 99, Silver`
I will make a retraction. I do not want to be mislabeling anyone for more than what is actual. I am not certain that Protech1 and Prothe are related. Originally, I heard it as Prothe instead of Protech1.

In my opinion, Prothe has in his own right, done enough without adding flames to the fire.

However, regardless whether Prothe and Protech are related or not, be fair warned... the only thing that Protech1 is vending on Ebay are engines that anyone can purchase directly from any of a few thousand salvage yards.

It would be much better to have some involvement directly with the salvage yard and cut out 'the middle man'. Obviously, from 2Bad4Jaz, he's in a pickle with a junk engine bought from Protech1, who makes pretty pictures with little relation to reality.

As for Ebay ratings, there is a problem. The time limit for responding positive or negative is relatively short... one month. If, like what happens with Protech, the engine's invoice is PREDATED(that should tell you something about he seller), the first week is gone and it might be another week before you see the engine and yet another before it's in the vehicle. One week left to write a Ebay comment... maybe it takes two weeks for the engine to blow up.

The point is, just like the BBB, relatively few people actually enter their complaints. One company on Ebay will return negative for a negative. ]

I make relatively few transactions on Ebay. I can have my 'positive ratio' ruined with a single negative response. Someone who sells thousands of parts can absorb the negatives. So, don't bank on a positive ratio on Ebay as total assurance.
 

TDeanI

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Location
Bremerton WA
TDI
'97 Passat TDI Wagon w/ 286K mi.
I would go to the BBB and file a complaint just for predating the receipt. This is fraud and easily to prove. Since this deals with shipping and mail, there maybe federal charges that could be filed. Any fraud involved with the post office is serious business and not taken lightly. If the motor was delivered through the US postal service I would open up a fraud investigation with them also.
 

Chubber

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2008
Location
Central Florida
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI
As someone who has bought (eyes wide open) parts from proethe, Ill defend him and say that he was able to provide parts that I needed for a price I was willing to pay when I had little money and what I needed was a car that ran, now, and for less than a mortgage payment. Sometimes half the lifespan for half the price is a valid tradeoff.

After all, this is a 12 year old car with 280k miles on it and fading paint. It has a street value of around $3-3.5k. Why would I spend another $2k in parts when I could spend $800 and keep it going for another year or two. It's no show car and no racer, it gets me from here to there for little fuel. That's what it does. I love driving my TDI but I usually don't have near enough money to do it "right" for 3x the price.

While I respect high-end vendors like IDParts and the like and would love to fill my garage with Snap-on tools, I also have to feed and house my family and save for their education. Kudos to you with enough disposable income to do it "right" but I have more time than money so people like proethe help me keep the old car running on a price I can afford.

Lastly, denigrating China as a sure sign of inferior products is just ignorant. Sure, Harbor Freight and the like come from China, but it's no secret that many car parts suppliers source many of their parts (new and replacement) from there. The part company may have a Teutonic name but it's a pretty good chance the part came off a press in China. The Chinese can make fine quality parts as long as they are incentivised to do so. They don't always do so, but they can.

Many, many companies exist to provide replacement auto parts at every level of the price continuum. That's what makes America great, right? Has proethe ever come on here and said that his parts are the "best at any price" or "better than the high priced competition"? I never saw that. All he says is that he sells a cheap part for a cheap price. Sometimes that's all I can afford and if it's that or ride the bus, I thank him for his service.
 

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
You make a valid point, when the entire transaction is transparent, and defective goods are dealt with fairly.

However, this certainly does not appear to be the case based on Prothes ebay feedback, and his failure to answer some valid questions (who does your pump rebuilds, and what test bench do they use)

Vendors who exemplify "caveat emptor" like prothe wihtout answering to legitimate concerns and issues are deserving of the reputations they build for themselves.

Good vendors build good reputations. Shady vendors...
 

TDeanI

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Location
Bremerton WA
TDI
'97 Passat TDI Wagon w/ 286K mi.
Deceptive Feedback

My problem is the deception, not the Chinese source. Prothe claims 15,000 satisfied customers per year, but look at what he sells through his ebay feedback. Only about 1/3 of what he sells is an actual german auto part, and all his negative feedback is on ill fitting, failing auto parts that he won't warrantee or refund when they don't fit. There are plenty of examples on this forum of him not refunding money or charging a 20% restocking fee on parts that would never even fit as advertised. His real feedback rating would be under 90% on TDI products, which is not good enough for my business.

Walmart/Fred Meyer's/Sears sell mostly Chinese made stuff, but you can take it right back and get a no hassle refund when it don't fit or fails. You return enough of those products and Walmart/Fred Meyer's/Sears change supplier sources to improve quality to keep their customers happy. Do you think Prothe will get a new supplier of Timing Belt tensioner rollers if 30% of the ones he is selling are failing and ruining his customers motors? He offers a free replacement for up to 2 years.

A two-year parts guarantee on a $15 part is worthless when it fails and does $2500 of motor damage, I mean who would be stupid enough to return it to Prothe, get a free new one and put it back in the car and gamble it won't fail again. One half the part price in this case means your car is worth less than 1/2 of what it was before you put his junk on.
 
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VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Sure they look better than 15 year old used parts... but how does the super China stuff compare to other new parts... and how long will they last? Let's not compare apples to rotten apples.
 
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