Review on ⌚ Gates TCKWP307A: Ensuring Precision with Engine Timing Belt Kit and Water Pump by Nicholas Harrington

This is a very critical review, so be prepared. When I ordered this kit I was under the impression that quality parts would be included. The product is expected to come primarily from Japanese suppliers, with the belt made in America and the water pump made in China. But everything except the belt is made in China. The belt is American made and appears to be a quality product. However, this cannot be said for the remaining components. It is VERY CLEAR on the outside of the box that most of the parts are made in Japan. See attached photos. When you open the box, you quickly realize that none of the items are from Japan. While I personally believe China is capable of producing superior products, the items in this set fall short of that criteria. Especially the tensioner. The tensioner is the cheapest auto replacement part I have ever seen. The tensioner is made of pitifully low-quality cast alloy with incomprehensible markings, even without a country stamp, and the mounting screw is even worse. I wouldn't use that bolt on a kart let alone a good car. The water pump is nowhere near original equipment quality. Or even used parts. It's the same nightmarish sheet metal as the tensioner, and the impeller is badly stamped from some other mysterious metal and bolted together, seemingly with no regard for tolerances or constant play between the impeller and tensioner. Body. The dimensions aren't even at all, and that's stunning. The conical surface under the impeller has a serrated groove. Not what I think is well done. There are also sharp notches at the mating surfaces where a non-metal/non-rubber/non-plastic/whatever that gasket should fit. I suspect that due to the expansion and contraction, the gasket cuts fairly quickly. But the worst is yet to come. See, Gates knows this. You know all vendors have tons of buckets of these substandard, mislabeled, and grossly fake kits. And they don't seem to care. I think. they *really* don't seem to care at all. Not only do they seem perfectly comfortable with their trademark on these parts wanting them to meet Yugo's quality standards, they also seem to think it's a good trump card to "warn" you of the consequences of doing so You have not purchased your product from reputable and reputable manufacturers such as respected institutions such as O'Reilly Auto Parts and NAPA. (Note: have you ever tried to speak to anyone in one of these stores? I saw more care and knowledge of the product in the eyes of a goat gnawing on a discarded bottle of vodka than in the eyes of the employees at these stores. So I decided to buy online.) I was told that the price will be much higher at the auto parts store, but it's worth it. Why? Because if this happens to a kit from an auto parts store (remember that the employees of these places can make extra money by catching the connoisseurs' goats), at least you have a physical place to complain about it. You get what you pay for. I personally compare this to blackmail rather than product quality standards, but what do I know? i'm just a customer So don't even try to contact Gates about this. They will ignore you in every channel except when you finally get through to their lethargic customer service who immediately tells you you made a mistake purchasing their product and their astronomical prices], they know it's a thing, it is they don't care, so go take a pound of salt. Mind you, Gates. Overall, I recommend staying away from this product. If you don't like the idea of blowing up your car's engine. Then this is a good choice for you. For his part, Revain was outstanding, catching up on the backlog Gates had unceremoniously left with his hobby kit of essential car parts. I can never thank Revane enough for that. But Revain takes the financial hit of Gates' apathy and deceit. This ultimately translates into higher prices for the rest of us.