Raybestos and Stop Tech enter chapter 11

[Bill H]

What a bummer!
I suppose they will have a fire sale but you might have to research the products that don’t have all the quality issues.

Brake Giants Go Bust : StopTech And Raybestos Dead After $6 Billion Fraud

First Brands Group's bankruptcy halts production of StopTech, Raybestos, and Centric, marking a significant decline in aftermarket quality.

autopostglobal.com

 

[Irv]

It's more than just brakes, although those are some of the more prominent brands in their portfolio.

First Brands Group

First Brands Group™ is a global automotive parts company that develops, markets and sells premium products through a portfolio of […]

firstbrandsgroup.com

First Brands Group™ is a global automotive parts company that develops, markets and sells premium products through a portfolio of market-leading brands including: Raybestos® complete brake solutions, Centric Parts® replacement brake components, StopTech® performance brakes, FRAM® filtration products, Luber-finer® filtration products, TRICO® wiper blades, ANCO® wiper blades, Michelin® licensed wiper blades, Carter® fuel and water pumps, Autolite® spark plugs, StrongArm® lift supports, Carlson® brake hardware, CARDONE® new and remanufactured replacement parts, and our towing & trailering portfolio composed of REESE®, DRAWTITE®, BULLDOG®, TEKONSHA®, FULTON®, Westfalia® along with Hopkins® universal owned and licensed brands and Philips® licensed aftermarket lighting. The First Brands Group™ portfolio of world-class brands offers best-in-class technology, industry-leading engineering capabilities and superior customer service.

There's no fire sale yet, but it's clear that there were no takers for the entire org currently as-is. Some of these brands will inevitably go away as the cuts begin, while others will probably get taken by an existing industry player rather than a new one which would further reduce competition.

https://www.truckpartsandservice.com/maintenance/components/article/15818018/first-brands-initiates-mass-layoffs-as-sale-efforts-collapse

 

[Ericv8thunderbird]

Most aftermarket parts these days have been total shit.
you’re lucky to get a few thousand miles, or even months out of an aftermarket part.

I always try and get motorcraft when I can, especially for my truck. I had replaced the hub & wheel bearing with a moog, and it didn’t last 6 months. I ended up getting motorcraft and it’s been good for almost a year now.

IMO I think the quality of everything has gone down since 2020.

 

[bowez]

Private equity strikes again.

 

[Kenz]

I always try and get motorcraft when I can, especially for my truck.

I usually do the same, but even Motorcraft is sometimes just relabeled aftermarket. Especially for older vehicles.

 

[White Lincoln]

Yikes! I relied on Raybestos for their quality. Dang, was a sucker these last few years. "gulp"

It's sad to hear another corporation showing how inadequite management can be when greed sets in.

 

[XR7-4.6]

I usually do the same, but even Motorcraft is sometimes just relabeled aftermarket. Especially for older vehicles.

The sad thing is 10-15 years ago it was obvious what’s good and what’s bad, but now a days the name brands can be hit and miss, the cheap Chinese slop can vary between absolutely deadly or a hidden gem bargain, but there’s no way of truly knowing until you roll the dice.

All I know with certainty anymore is acquisitions and mergers ruin absolutely everything 100% of the time.

 

[theterminator93]

And we get one step closer to the point where OEM junkyard takeoff parts are more reliable than all the new parts.