Cheapo mk2 parts

[rsdc1]

Anyone else fell for the cut price bargains to be had from the so called "top escort emporiums"?
I bought a load of stuff last year from 2 of the more "famous ones" that advertise in all the ford mags...
Namely,
Twin cam anti roll bar
Adjustable track control arms
Quick rack
Track rod ends and loads more
Fitted all these this time last year, first time out the ARB washers ( which are made from electroplated cornflakes I think) jumped their seat and ended up about 4" onto the ARB resulting in my wheel catching the wing and the nosecone, big hammer and a vise grip required to get home.

Now between then and now my car has covered approx 700 miles, and tucked up in the garage the rest of the time. I was underneath it having a cursory glance before Mot time, the rubber boots on the TCA's and the TRE's are perished to f***.
How nice, we spend all that money thinking "that's that bits sorted for the next few years"
But eh, no. Obviously the suppliers think we're all daft enough to come back to them every year.
Rant over
Time they were pulled up about selling their Chinese crap

[rwdrs]

I only ever replace stuff with genuine or really recognised parts, i.e. Bilstein etc. I'd be very cautious about buying adjustable TCAs etc.
You really have to be cagey about parts, so it might be good to know what gear you bought and where. This is the sort of thing we all suffer from time to time but suffer in silence, ie. take a hit in the wallet.
It would be good to name the suppliers and if they don't like it they should do something about the products they supply.

[rsdc1]

I'm not really looking to start a fight with anyone but I'm hacked off as I'm not made of money!
It won't be getting anything fancy next time, just gen ford std stuff
As my gran used to say, buy cheap buy twice lol

[rwdrs]

I'm not really looking to start a fight with anyone but I'm hacked off as I'm not made of money!
It won't be getting anything fancy next time, just gen ford std stuff
As my gran used to say, buy cheap buy twice lol

You don't have to start any trouble, but if you explain what happened and where the stuff comes from, it would educate us all

[paul mex]

That's not good mate Years ago I Had a tca washer do the same but due to been rotton and was very close to coming a cropper ! What did the supplier say about it then ?

[rsjohn1]

There are loads of crap out there to be had

Best to buy from places like, R A C E, Gartrac or RIX Engineering, yes they are that little bit dearer but the quality is spot on

John

[pinto48s]

Seems like more and more stuff is made cheaper, not just for our cars but general parts for normal cars.
I,ve known lower arms for KA,s last 3 months, gen ford ones last 5-10 years!!
Market is driven by people wanting cheaper prices but quality suffers.
I built my mk2 8 years ago with most suspension parts from rally design or Burtons, all joints and boots/bushes are still good. Don,t know if todays parts will last that long tho?

[rwdrs]

Seems like more and more stuff is made cheaper, not just for our cars but general parts for normal cars.
I,ve known lower arms for KA,s last 3 months, gen ford ones last 5-10 years!!
Market is driven by people wanting cheaper prices but quality suffers.
I built my mk2 8 years ago with most suspension parts from rally design or Burtons, all joints and boots/bushes are still good. Don,t know if todays parts will last that long tho?

Not entirely sure that's completely true. Pattern parts (unless from the original supplier) are usually of inferior quality. Not only that but all manufacturers "price in" the failure of certain components when they announce the price structure of a new model. The windscreen sticker price doesn't earn them, or for that matter the dealers, any money.

Parts are engineered to fail, simple as that...

[bortaf]

You wanna try and restore an MGB the parts are truely woefull
I havn't had a single item that fitted without fettling and that was if it fitted at all
Some items like screen trims i had to send back 4 times to get ones that even came close to going in, screen seal 2 inches too big, body trims that dont follow the body and as for the lights that dont even cover the hole in the body it turned a 2 month resto into a 4 month hate campain

[brotherhood]

I don't mind saying who it is, RALLY DESIGN. Bought some link boxes for my MkII, utter rubbish! Far too tall, threads in the link boxes needed a tap running through them as well. BURTON. Bought a Watts link kit, the towers were so far out I binned them and made my own. Peter Lloyd sells some Rally Design stuff too. I'm not saying it's all bad because they do some good stuff however, they are in it to make money obviously so quantity comes first not quality on some components. Just be carefull what you buy and dont be affraid to complain!! If you want good parts though, Squires in Stoke (R.A.C.E) or Gartrac. Can't go wrong.

[dazmoss46]

I have some tunnels from rally design and not wanting to slag off BUT was a complete w*** fit more fettle than a fettled thing its a good job I don't mind being in garage welding to me its quite relaxing in a perverse sort of way. any hoo. Motorsport tools supplied my round turretts and link boxes. Well can't say how happy with them I am built well and fitted well too defo use them again.

[morcheen]

You wanna try and restore an MGB the parts are truely woefull
I havn't had a single item that fitted without fettling and that was if it fitted at all
Some items like screen trims i had to send back 4 times to get ones that even came close to going in, screen seal 2 inches too big, body trims that dont follow the body and as for the lights that dont even cover the hole in the body it turned a 2 month resto into a 4 month hate campain

well mgb's are the biggest heaps ever to claim to be a car.only fit for the and they make every bloody part they can for them!