There has also been a thread about MSD quality going on the Moparts forum ( I lurk there occasionally to catch Mopar Billy's Dragweek stories ), nothing really that helps Doug's issue, but apparently the quality issue, Chinese parts, and what is and isn't made in the USA is coming up enough that MSD has put out a press release. I will note that this info from MSD was posted in 2010, so may or may not be out of date. I copied and pasted the reply from MSD below. If you want to go to the full thread on Moparts here's the link:
http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2294043/all/msd-quality.html-------------------------------------------
Racers, we would like to set the record straight on a few of these ‘built off-shore’ claims. This is one of those subjects that could go on and on, but we’ll try to keep it short and sweet and to the point.
MSD was developed and born in El Paso 40 years ago. We have grown to encompass over 150,000 square feet of space to design, test, manufacture, and support our components. We have engine dynos, chassis dynos, CNC equipment, an EDM machine to cut molds, wave solder machines, surface mount pick and place equipment, and more tools and capabilities to aid us in MANUFACTURING the best ignition components available. We are comprised of just under 300 employees – with the average seniority of 12 years! No other manufacturer can even come close to that kind of commitment from its employees.
Every 7-Series, 8-Series, Pro Mag and most 6-Series Ignitions are designed, built, tested, and supported in the USA. We say ‘most’ on our 6-Series because there are two models that do incorporate a half populated PCB from overseas. In El Paso, we populate the rest of the raw and power components, assemble it, test, burn it in and package it.
Yes, some coils, such as the Blaster 2, are made overseas. One reason is there are no oil filled canister style coil manufacturers in the United States. All MSD coils are made to our specifications and thoroughly tested. Also, the coils for the Pro Mag 12s and 44s, the HVC line of coils and our multiple spark LS coils are all made in the United States.
One area that we offer caution, especially when purchasing used or through the internet, is with Distributors. MSD designed the Pro-Billet distributor and now you are seeing complete copies of our distributors coming from overseas. Even name-brand competitors are selling distributors that are copied from the original MSD design – some even with our part numbers! The distributor issue has become a predicament for MSD as we still get the tech calls, the upset customers, and even some returns of these off-shore duplicate distributors.
We could go on with other products in our line such as the 8.5mm Super Conductor, APS Starters, Crank Triggers (all made in the USA), but want to keep it short. It is important to mention our budget based line, Street Fire. This is line offers several distributors, easily identified with cast housings, as a budget based brand. The distributors are produced in China, however it took over a year to get a product that we were confident in. We put them under a different brand to clearly set the two designs apart. For the record, there is also a Street Fire CD ignition and spark plug wires as well – both made in the USA.
Face it, anything having to do with electronics is a tough business to be in with hundreds of raw material components, and it’s nearly impossible to build a product out of 100% USA components. You can be assured that if you do have an MSD coil that is made in China or in the United States, we will stand by its performance and provide you with the same support as any other MSD products.
We’ll see you at the races -
Russell Stephens
President
MSD Ignition
El Paso, TX
