I have found the patch panel journey, to be a wild-ride. Our shop is located in Kansas City, which is in the center of the triangle, formed by LMC Truck (Lenexa, KS), Jim Carter Classic Truck Parts (Independence, MO) and Classic Parts, formerly Chevy-Duty (Riverside, MO). Nice luxury, to have, and we have purchased from all three vendors. That being said, I have found the quality, fit & finish, to be marginal, at best. The consistency is suspect, since a patch panel from one place will be different, the second time around.
Generally speaking, we purchase most of our patch panels from Classic Parts, but in some cases, leave the panel at the counter and try our hand at LMC. The retailers of these parts, are simply selling what the manufacturers provide them. One shipment may be relatively high quality and the next boat-load, may be a reasonable facsimilie thereof. Make sense?
My suggestion is, purchase from your vendor of choice and if the product you receive is not of acceptable quality, fit & finish, return it. In this case, knowing a vendor's return policy, is rather important. Also, paying with a credit card, affords you the opportunity to "reverse the charges", if you feel you are being treated unfairly, in the case of a drawn-out return issue.
