A-pillar: OEM or Dorman?

[Crunch]

As I was getting into my truck this afternoon the driver side A-pillar trim piece moved. It's not completely separated, but from the feel I think the plastic around the bolts cracked. Amazon has a Dorman for about $32, and another vendor has the OEM for about $75. Is this a part that absolutely, positively should be replaced with the OEM part on an 18 year old truck, or is the aftermarket for less than half the price going to be just as good? The price on the OEM isn't prohibitive, but being twice the price does have me wondering. When I checked Geno's it lists the OEM as about $65, but is back ordered but doesn't give an estimated time for being back in stock.

 

[Superdawg]

My A pillar broke after pulling my self in the truck rather vigorously one day. The A pillar's plastic hole where the bolts go through cracked. I replaced the driver's side A-pillar w/ Dorman based on price. I don't think the fit/finish is even near OEM. Also the handle part has holes in it vs no holes in the OEM. If I could do it again, I would go OEM, even at twice the price. Then again, my opinion and two bucks will get you a cup of coffee.

 

[Ozymandias]

You just need these.

Amazon product ASIN B089Q1CVV4
Problem solved, once and forever.

 

[promisedland]

Buy them at Genos!
I used the kit shown above and a replacement handle.
6yrs and not a wiggle.

 

[Crunch]

I replaced the driver's side A-pillar w/ Dorman based on price. I don't think the fit/finish is even near OEM. Also the handle part has holes in it vs no holes in the OEM. If I could do it again, I would go OEM, even at twice the price. Then again, my opinion and two bucks will get you a cup of coffee.

Well, that settles that question. I'm going with the OEM at twice the cost and not looking back. @promisedland, I want to buy it from Geno's because it is almost $12 cheaper than the Amazon OEM part. And I'd rather see that $12 go to Geno's for shipping and handling than to an unknown Amazon vendor. But it's on back order with no mention of when it will be in stock. I'll send Geno's and e-mail to see if they have any information on when it will be back in stock.

And @Ozymandias, I couldn't see what you were referring to. All I saw was "#ad" in the post, and when I turned off my ad blocker and script blocker I just got what looked like an Amazon "A". Could you name or describe what you were referring to? If there is something even better I'm definitely interested.

 

[mwilson]

It’s a kit to repair…

Here is one that Geno’s carries..

https://www.genosgarage.com/product/imco-rpr-kit/interior-replacement-parts

 

[AnonEd]

Search for this on Amazon...it's where Ozy's link took me.
2002-2009 Dodge Ram A Pillar Grab Handle Repair 1500 2500 3500 CNC Machined Aluminum

 

[Superdawg]

Go with Geno's repair kit and try to salvage your OEM pillar.

 

[Crunch]

Thanks for the additional info. I like the idea of a metal repair kit, but am on the road for the next week so I'll have to wait until I get back to pop the A-pillar trim piece off and see if it is just split, or flat out busted.

 

[jgillott]

I've used the Geno's kit on mine for many years now since my driver's side pulled apart. No issues since.

 

[Ozymandias]

Thanks for the additional info. I like the idea of a metal repair kit, but am on the road for the next week so I'll have to wait until I get back to pop the A-pillar trim piece off and see if it is just split, or flat out busted.

Even if you put in a new cover - reinforce it with the Alu Kit so it never happens again.

 

[Crunch]

Got word from Geno's over the weekend that they have the drivers side A-pillar in stock so I just ordered it minutes ago. I also ordered the repair kit for both the left and right side late last week. Now the waiting begins for the delivery. But that's OK because we have at least a week of rainy weather arriving today. Even though the passenger side hasn't broken, I'm going to use the repair kit on it because I occasionally have older people riding in my truck and can foresee a disaster of major proportions if it broke while someone was climbing in. Interesting thing is that I don't use the grab handle when I am getting in the truck to drive somewhere. I only use it when I am stepping up to clean the windshield or perform some other task where I need the height or reach. Passengers use that grab handle all the time, which is why I found it strange that my side broke first. But I've always wondered about those plastic handles breaking off. Thanks for all the help, everybody.

 

[mfurrh55]

Got word from Geno's over the weekend that they have the drivers side A-pillar in stock so I just ordered it minutes ago. I also ordered the repair kit for both the left and right side late last week. Now the waiting begins for the delivery. But that's OK because we have at least a week of rainy weather arriving today. Even though the passenger side hasn't broken, I'm going to use the repair kit on it because I occasionally have older people riding in my truck and can foresee a disaster of major proportions if it broke while someone was climbing in. Interesting thing is that I don't use the grab handle when I am getting in the truck to drive somewhere. I only use it when I am stepping up to clean the windshield or perform some other task where I need the height or reach. Passengers use that grab handle all the time, which is why I found it strange that my side broke first. But I've always wondered about those plastic handles breaking off. Thanks for all the help, everybody.

If it doesn't show up, i have one for drivers side

 

[Crunch]

If it doesn't show up, i have one for drivers side

Thanks for the offer. I just got the shipping confirmation for the A-pillar part this morning. So unless it gets lost by FedEx it should be here in the next few days. The repair kit should be here tomorrow, so if the rain backs off this weekend I know what I'll be doing...

 

[User113]

Interesting thing is that I don't use the grab handle when I am getting in the truck to drive somewhere. I only use it when I am stepping up to clean the windshield or perform some other task where I need the height or reach. Passengers use that grab handle all the time, which is why I found it strange that my side broke first.

That's likely because getting into the driver's seat you probably usually grab the steering wheel instead. There is none on the passenger side so that grab handle gets used more often. Dumb luck that it broke on the rare occasion you used it.

 

[Crunch]

That's likely because getting into the driver's seat you probably usually grab the steering wheel instead. There is none on the passenger side so that grab handle gets used more often. Dumb luck that it broke on the rare occasion you used it.

And I can confirm that is absolutely true. I'm glad the steering wheel didn't snap like the grab handle. The good news is that the repair kit arrived Wednesday, and the A-pillar trim piece arrived Thursday.

But interestingly, I think the trim piece was almost porch pirated within seconds after it was delivered. I was sitting on the couch and heard some noises outside the front door. I got up and looked through the peep hole just in time to see the FedEx driver getting into his truck so I opened the door to get the package. Just as the driver was pulling away a small Cube-looking SUV pulled up and stopped right in front of my sidewalk, which is a 30' straight shot to my porch where the package was leaning up against one of the center roof supports. The car just sat there, and I was off to the side so they couldn't see me, though they could see through the storm door that the main door was open. After about 15 seconds or so they slowly began to pull away and I went out on the porch just in time to see a paper "dealer" plate on the back of their car. They may have seen me walk out because the car began to pick up speed and they beat it on down the road. I can't say for sure that they were eying the 10"x10"x36" box on my porch, but it sure seemed like they were following the FedEx truck around and were about to put the snatch to my weekend project. I waited to see if someone was going to get out of the car and approach my porch, but if that was there plan the open door must have spooked them. Even if I was able to confront them on the way to the porch there was nothing that could have been done because they had yet to commit the crime. Criminals suck, but it would also have sucked if I capped someone over a <$70 package.

 

[Ozymandias]

Please call the Cops anyway and tell them what was going on in your area. Could help for future cases. Thank you.

 

[Crunch]

Please call the Cops anyway and tell them what was going on in your area. Could help for future cases. Thank you.

Right after it happened I walked over to my COP (Citizens On Patrol) neighbor and told him what happened. The COP and neighborhood watch people are in regular communication with the police about this stuff. He also told me that the porch pirate thing has picked up in recent months, and they have seen several suspicious vehicles lately. Almost all had those paper "dealer" license plates, which means they are just something that was fabricated on a computer and printed on a laser printer. They are pretty much untraceable and the only way they can get caught is is they are pulled over because the tag doesn't come back as legitimate. He also told me that the cops can't pull someone over because of a phone call about a suspicious vehicle call. These days they need a real pretext, though if a cop saw the vehicle they could probably run the tags and get it then if the tag wasn't legit.

 

[Crunch]

Just finished installing the new A-pillar trim piece on the drivers side and repair kit bushings for both sides. Turns out that the plastic around the high bolt (closest to the rear window) was completely broken off, like the lid on an old school film canister. The plastic around the forward bolt was partially broken, but still attached. So definitely had to replace the trim piece. When I installed the bushing for the passenger side I noticed what looked like hairline cracks in the plastic, so fixing it saved me at least $70. Easy and straightforward, though for some reason the outer bushings on high bolt were loose compared to the lower bolts. But since they don't fall off in the install position it was no big deal. The only thing close to disappointing was that the OEM replacement trim piece looks several shades lighter than the original that came off. Maybe it darkens over time, or the plastic pellets used to make it were sourced from somewhere else. Other than that, all went well and got both sides done in about 30 minutes. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.