NGK Spark Plug ILKAR7L11 long term usage

Rock Auto sells the INA tensioner, too. Not quite sure how it is Rock Auto's fault that the Gates tensioner was faulty.
I don't see RA as being liable for a faulty belt tensioner, they didn't make the part, they are just offering it for sale. But I, personally, for years do not buy ANYTHING with the Gates label after lousy experiences with serpentine belts that dry out and crack after 2-3 years, early malfunctioning locking gas caps, wrong radiator caps and some other items I can't even remember anymore( I do think their industrial power transmission belts still have a good reputation). I view them as marginal quality parts in a Gates box. Maybe not all of their parts but again the prevalent aftermarket 'crapshoot' of aftermarket parts and not being able to trust old brand names. When replacing my belt tensioner I bought OEM Mazda even though Gates was significantly cheaper. Rant over.
 
I don't see RA as being liable for a faulty belt tensioner, they didn't make the part, they are just offering it for sale. But I, personally, for years do not buy ANYTHING with the Gates label after lousy experiences with serpentine belts that dry out and crack after 2-3 years, early malfunctioning locking gas caps, wrong radiator caps and some other items I can't even remember anymore( I do think their industrial power transmission belts still have a good reputation). I view them as marginal quality parts in a Gates box. Maybe not all of their parts but again the prevalent aftermarket 'crapshoot' of aftermarket parts and not being able to trust old brand names. When replacing my belt tensioner I bought OEM Mazda even though Gates was significantly cheaper. Rant over.

Gates used to make decent stuff, but their reputation has taken a hit recently. No argument there.

I guess it boils down to a case of "buyer beware". There are brands available that still have good reputations, and Rock Auto also labels parts as OEM that come from the same manufacturer that supplies the parts to the car companies. OEM parts through the dealer are marked up by at least 100% so it's nice to be able to source parts without the absurd markup.
 
yep, got my INA tensioner and both Gates belts from RA. Got a camshaft sensor for my Miata under the Standard Motor Products label, but it's actually the same DSM-produced part as what Mazda sells. I did get a Miata coolant temp sensor from AC Delco recently, which turned out to be junk, but that's definitely not RA's fault. Have purchased many other parts also, but never had any issues with counterfeit parts from RA. Only less than stellar quality from time to time if I decided to go with a cheaper brand.
 
I don't see RA as being liable for a faulty belt tensioner, they didn't make the part, they are just offering it for sale.
The problem to me is Rock Auto offers too many selections from different manufactures for one part. For you you know certain brands you’d avoid, but for many others they don’t know and may just choose the lowest-priced one. Cryptic78 bought the Bosch spark plugs from RA as it’s listed as compatible to our 2.5L. But it ended up causing problems and wasted so much time trying to diagnose the problem. The same on Digbicks1234 who wasted too much time bought the Gate tensioner listed on RA website for our 2.5L.

IMO a good aftermarket parts seller should selectively carrying the good quality parts, not just offering too many selections which may have some inferior products mixed in there.
 
I installed the NGK plugs about 5 years ago. I have put on over 55K miles since then with zero issues. When it's time, I'll use them again.

As an aside, the "NGK Spark Plug Company" has officially changed its name (as of 3/31/23) to "Niterra". In case you didn't know, they manufacture spark plugs in a huge factory near Charleston, WV. They also have a facility in Mexico which is under their ceramics division. My guess is that this is where the MV plugs are being manufactured since the picture posted above of those plugs had "Made in Mexico" printed on the box.
 
I'd be leery of buying plugs on Amazon or eBay unless the seller is an actual stealership. There's so many counterfeits out there, and sometimes it's hard to tell unless you really know what you're looking at.

Now that said, I do buy parts in eBay via the seller Quirkparts all the time. Quirkparts is a Mazda dealership in Mass.
For the NGK ILKAR7L11, I bought them from Advanced Auto Parts. They are listed by NGK as an authorized dealer. Plus, they matched Rockauto's price online.
 
I installed the NGK plugs about 5 years ago. I have put on over 55K miles since then with zero issues. When it's time, I'll use them again.

As an aside, the "NGK Spark Plug Company" has officially changed its name (as of 3/31/23) to "Niterra". In case you didn't know, they manufacture spark plugs in a huge factory near Charleston, WV. They also have a facility in Mexico which is under their ceramics division. My guess is that this is where the MV plugs are being manufactured since the picture posted above of those plugs had "Made in Mexico" printed on the box.
Thats interesting information. NGK has been what I always use in my Japanese motorcycles from the early 1970s till now. I always liked that they said Made in Japan. Unusual for a Japanese company to move operations over here. I understand cars, but plugs are ez to ship. I will still use them too
 

I always liked that they said Made in Japan. Unusual for a Japanese company to move operations over here. I understand cars, but plugs are ez to ship. I will still use them too
IMO such move is most likely caused by trade imbalance reason and the US government applied the pressure to the Japanese government moving some manufacturing facilities to the US.

Other possibility is the political reason like the US government forced the semiconductor giant TSMC from Taiwan to invest huge money for the new chip plant in Phoenix, Arizona even though the cost of making the same high-tech chips will be at least ⅓ higher if those chips are manufactured in the US!
 
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