Quality Checklist: What to Ask Before Ordering Automotive Rubber Parts

Rubber parts look simple, but the difference between a part that survives ten years and one that cracks in two winters is invisible in a photo. Use this checklist before you place a purchase order.

The checklist

1. Can you show the compound recipe and its test report? Hardness, tensile, elongation, compression set, heat ageing, ozone.
2. Do you own the extrusion / moulding equipment? Ask for a video of the line running your part.
3. Is tooling made in-house or outsourced? In-house tooling means faster correction.
4. What is the dimensional control plan? Frequency, method and the tolerance you will actually hold.
5. Do you test 100% or by sample? Critical safety parts should be 100% tested.
6. Can you provide PPAP or equivalent documentation?
7. What certifications do you hold? IATF 16949 / ISO 9001, RoHS, REACH, FDA where applicable.
8. How do you handle a non-conformance? Ask for the 8D report workflow.
9. What is the real lead time for tooling, samples and bulk — in writing.
10. How is the shipment packed and labelled? Palletised, barcoded, moisture-protected.
11. Who is accountable after shipment? A named contact with authority to fix problems.

Red flags

• A supplier who will not share compound data or test reports.
• Samples that look good but arrive without any documentation.
• Lead times quoted as "about 20 days" with no breakdown.
• No photos or video of actual production equipment.

Our answer to every item

YUYANG answers all eleven questions in writing with your quotation. Send us your RFQ and we will return a complete technical and commercial proposal, including a free sample for evaluation where tooling already exists.