Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

Considering the basic items, such as dist. caps, water impellors, water fittings and such. Possibly even manifolds.

Was ordering some Genuine Merc parts from "one of the largest US Merc parts suppliers" as he claimed last week. I know Quick Silver and Mercury parts are the same thing, different packages, but the guy on the phone was saying that Merc parts are actually made by Sierra, the brand common at West Marine, but sold cheaper. So I ordered the Sierra parts, (the plastic exhaust manifold elbow with blue drain tees). Though they look alike side by side, they are definently not from the same mold. Different/no parting lines, and molded in part numbers between the 2 'brands'. Material was even different. Not sure if I would say cheaper, just different.

So what's the low down? No direct connection, OR made by same manufacture, but with different materials, molds, and tolerances.

Always been a genuine parts person myself.

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

Both Merc. and Sierra MARKET parts, but manufacture few items. So the same outfit could build both a Merc. and a Sierra water pump impeller but the one they build for Merc. is built to Merc's specs. and the Sierra is built just for them. So you might see some physical differences between the two even though the same house built it. Most of Merc's genuine parts are built in Mexico so I would go with the outfit that has the best warranty and is closest to your boat when it breaks. And NO; I don't really think that Sierra builds parts for Merc. --- Jer

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

sierra is or was owned by eichlen the tune up parts people, merc is owned by bruswick corp

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

Yes; that's exactly right. (other than "bruswick" is really Brunswick) But it still doesn't change what I said. Neither really MANUFACTURE the small replacement parts and Sierra does not manufacture Merc's parts! --- Jer

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

Yes, I am aware Merc does not actually make the parts. When someone, the parts guy in this instance, says they are made by the same company, Made me wondering if I been paying more for the same thing just to recieve it in a Merc package vs in a Seirra package for less $$.

Thanks.

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

seirra retail pricing is almost the same for most products as merc the differance being sierra is avalible to all shops were merc is only avalible to merc dealers or through land and sea dist. sierra products are NOT all made by the same companys that make merc parts in many cases you can see the diff in quality .... in some cases sierra makes a better part but in most cases merc does just compare parts side by side dist caps for instance

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

The other thing you get from that Merc package is the Merc warranty. Can be handled by any Merc dealer in the country. I've never had to process a Siera warranty so I can't comment (i'm sure they have one) , but for us the Merc warranty is easy.

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

Some parts are made by the exact same supplier in the same molds. Some parts are by different suppliers. Yes mercury does source some parts from Sierra, Arco, etc.. Sierra's warranty is solid. They cover parts and labor. It is easy to process and they pay pretty well. Saying this, I have to clarify that not all the parts are created equal. Most Sierra stuff is as good, sometimes better, but some parts are not as good. You never really go wrong with oem, but should always be carefull with aftermarket.

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

update.... teleflex now owns sierra..... here is a link to there on line catalog if this helps anyone.....

http://ww2.sierramarine.com/minor_ca...RINE%20SECTION

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

I dont think that Sierra is a bad company either. I however use & stress OEM Merc & Volvo parts in our shop. Usually the price difference is to small to even think about not using OEM. We rarely ever use the aftermarket as it's nice to know your getting exactly what was on the boat's driveline originally had, or at least it's what the OEM now wants on it for proper operation. Just my 2 cents.. :)

FYI: I use the OEM stuff on my own boat including oem filters.

Jamie :)

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

donzi33,

I agree with you 100%...there usually is very little price differance if any and with after market you really dont know what you are getting...is it made by the same people to the same specs and quality standards or made in china as cheap as possible

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

Dont get me wrong I'm not wealthy , but I feel if you can afford the boat you have, you could afford to use the right parts. And I strongly feel that if you can't afford your boat you definitely cant afford not to use the right parts! Obviously if your are in a pinch or something is NLA you have to use common sense. With what most people have spent here on their boats & fuel alone why skimp?? I say unless the boat is a piece of $@#% use OEM & leave the Aftmkt stuff for the old Bayliner.. J :D

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

I agree. Also knowing you have the right parts built to Mercs specs. Just thought I would try the Serria route this time since it was only fiber filled/ plastic elbows, so I could in fact compare the 2 side by side. Like I previously stated, they are different.

Sticking with the OE stuff. Never been let down yet.

Thanks!

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

I think it depends on the actual part I need and the avavlability of it. I recently bought a new Mallory alternator for my boat. It wasn't cheap either but it's a high quality part, not a reman. Teleflex makes high quality cables and controls. I would have no problem ordering a Sierra cable made by Teleflex. It's probably the same part Merc will sell you. I buy AC Delco plugs, not Mercs but I'm sure they are the same plug Merc sells, only difference is that I can order them from Napa instead of going to a Merc dealer. I'm not sold on the Merc filters and oil either. I'm sure they are high quality but I choose to use the Mobil 1 stuff. I do however use the Merc drive oil. Impellers? I've used Merc and Sierra and never had either fail on me but I change it every year as part of my maintenance.

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

We need the Chinese to start manufacturing impellers. The OEM Sierra and Merc parts are through the roof!.

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like an A hole. I was just overzealously stating my opinon/feelings and personal experiences.. I hope I didnt offend you, I wasn't trying to belittle anyone by my comment.. Like I said we do use Sierra's stuff on occasion when we cant get the oem stuff.. We haven't had any problems per say with it either. It's just as a Marine faciluty it' easier to normally use the oem stuff. 95% of the time it's less hassle, faster & safer for us..

Again, I didn't mean anything by it personally. I was just on my soap box..LOL.. Jamie :) :)

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

NO NO NO, I was agreeing with you. I always buy the OE labeled parts as a rule. This was for a curiosity thing to verify the parts guys statement.

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

Oh.. Ok then.... I still didn't want to come off rude.. J :)

Re: Mercury parts made by Seirra?
 

I remember a post last year. Someone had a problem...long story short it was the sierra dist cap.
I had a problem with thier risers. I rebuilt an engine & wanted to do the right thing & have everything new. I had a milkshake problem that drove me nuts for over 3 weeks. Turned out to be reversion with the design of the riser. I switched to a oem merc riser & problem was solved. It was pretty evident the design between sierra/merc made a huge differance.