Brit Part

[Simon_CSK]

A very interesting debate and what I was wanting to hear. Nick point taken about the BS. I work with BS's on a daily basis so have a good grounding and understanding.

I have no axe to grind either about Britpart but what I do not want to do is merely exclude them on the basis that the consensus on this Forum is that they are cr*p because someone knew someone's cousins auntie who said they were cr*p in 1856.

I have an objective and that is about resolving my chassis issue and setting the car up for at least 3 years will little to do other than basic maintenance.

So on the brake disk issue, of three people who have experience of them only two of which have used them on their own vehicles and the other being a fitter the Disks in use have performed quite well.

As I said and very interesting debate.

[reb78]

I have no axe to grind either about Britpart but what I do not want to do is merely exclude them on the basis that the consensus on this Forum is that they are cr*p because someone knew someone's cousins auntie who said they were cr*p in 1856.

I think that everyone who comments from this forum has had multiple (bad) experiences of BP. Given the fact that most members of this forum are NOT armchair mechanics and actually peform the majority of their own maintenance, i have come to respect the collective opinion in here above all of the other LR forums that i am a member of. The collective opinion is, as Mo says, that BP make and sell garbage. TBH, it says something when the garage owners on here (i.e. professionals that definatley know how to fit stuff) refuse to use their parts anymore.

Personally, I have had multiple bad experiences with their parts - so much so that i wouldnt chance them with brake parts. The only BP product that I and a few others have found to be of good quality are their teflon coated swivel balls.

[CwazyWabbit]

......The only BP product that I and a few others have found to be of good quality are their teflon coated swivel balls.

Strangely their CV joints are actually ok as well.

[Eightpot]

Purely in the interest of providing balance and assisting a buying decision, I have used Britpart brake discs and drums, and can confirm that the particular items I inadvertantly received and foolishly went on to fit, were very badly machined, did not line up, the drums weren't even circular and did not operate correctly.

Quite a feat for a round metal disc with four 'oles in it.

[Mo Murphy]

Britpart trim studs are ok.

Mo

[Simon_CSK]

The collective opinion is, as Mo says, that BP make and sell garbage. TBH, it says something when the garage owners on here (i.e. professionals that definatley know how to fit stuff) refuse to use their parts anymore.

Personally, I have had multiple bad experiences with their parts - so much so that i wouldnt chance them with brake parts. The only BP product that I and a few others have found to be of good quality are their teflon coated swivel balls.

The collective opinion is a good thing but but cannot be based on a generalism. it has to be based on actual experience. As most have said on this particular debate some stuff is good and some stuff is cr*p I am swayed by the general view but it is very important to me that I get genuine feedback on actualities rather than generalities.

I was offered the disks and polybushes on the recommendation of a 4x4 dealer who stated that he would use them. At that time he did not know my budget or my preferences. Up to that particular point I would have avoided using them. This form me has been a very interesting discussion. I am not an armchair mechanic and fully respect the opinions on this site which is why I post here and why I have been on this site when it was originally the LRE Forum.

I have many more posts but my profile somehow got erased.

[NickMc]

Britpart stuff seems to be getting better, i think they are actually making an effort to weed out the carp and listen to their customers. I've fitted loads of there brake discs and never had a problem.

Most of the people that bash the stuff never actually have tried it or of the "all the gear no idear" type i think. I'm not saying it's all good stuff, but by all means you get what you pay for and the way some people go about fitting or fixing Land Rovers would make you cry in disbelief That comes from working on them day in day out.

[jbs]

In the past I have tried using BP parts and as per the comments on this thread I've found the quality to be abysmal to say the least, I will not on principle use them at all now as I want anything I replace/repair to at least last longer than the time It takes to fit the item to my truck, I do find that If I can afford to fit genuine Land Rover or a good aftermarket product like(In my honest opinion) allmakes/bearmach then I know It's A, going to fit properly and B, it's going to give me some decent service, I used to use premier supply over at Guildford when I didn't know any better and they must've had the same sort of suppliers as BP as the quality there was cack too

John

[Daan]

The only BP product that I and a few others have found to be of good quality are their teflon coated swivel balls.

They did last 1 year on mine.....

Daan

[ejparrott]

I've had many bad BP experiences, but not of brake discs so I haven't commented.

Yep, cast iron.... drums aswell. Messy, horrid stuff is cast iron.

I'm amazed...I always thought they'd be something much tougher...drums I knew were iron

[simonr]

Just for the record, Cast Iron is an almost ideal material for disks & drums - though not for disk handbrakes (I'll explain why in a minute).

Although cast iron is more brittle than milled steel, inside a wheel it is well protected from axial impacts. It has better anti-corrosion properties than mild steel. Milled steel has a grain (much like wood grain) which can lead to it warping preferentially in one plane when it gets hot. Cast has no grain and is much more thermally stable in terms of deformation - a big consideration on wheel brakes. You don't want your brakes going wobbly when the disks get hot. The random grain structure also gives more even wear.

On a transmission brake, it is subject to axial impacts (hitting rocks etc) and I found that a cast disk is much more likely to shatter! In this situation, it is better that the disk bends than breaking - as when a broken edge hits the caliper it tends to stop dead and do bad things!

Si

[Maverik]

Britpart trim studs are ok.

Mo

I beg to differ... the plastic is either too brittle or too soft depending on the fittings, the spat rivets are useless and too soft comapred to genuine ones and I found the roof "furr tree" fastners slightly too big for the holes in the roof.

I've found this repeatedly with BP stuff, the quality 90% of the time looks fine and material, BUT its ever so slightly wrong in its size/fitment/were the holes are drilled, its soooo frustrating.

[muddy]

Britpart are at least good for genuine or OE bits at a cheaper price, in the last week alone I have fitted a britpart G slave cylinder, white box but clearly made by AP, and a Dayco fanbelt tensioner that was £80 cheaper than the lr one.Not to mention another HD clutch that makes 3 in the family now and all have been excellent.

I was always in the anti camp however now through work I get a choice of britpart or genuine, I have been dabbleing my toe in the britpart water and it has been ok so far, however I havnt chanced their brake pads or fanbelt.

Will.

[vulcan bomber]

Milled steel has a grain (much like wood grain) which can lead to it warping preferentially in one plane when it gets hot. Cast has no grain and is much more thermally stable in terms of deformation - a big consideration on wheel brakes. You don't want your brakes going wobbly when the disks get hot. The random grain structure also gives more even wear.

Brake discs should be rough turned, stressed relieved and then finish turned/tub ground. Stress relieving is what stops them warping. Making brake Discs is a horrid job and it sends the contents of your nose black for days after!

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

Britpart stuff seems to be getting better,

Hmmm

Thats like saying Peter Sutcliffe is getting the hang of using a hammer

[Simon_CSK]

Hmmm

Thats like saying Peter Sutcliffe is getting the hang of using a hammer

He did by the end did he not

[mark-d]

not sure where you guys are getting all this poor fitting and bad made stuff, i have used loads of britpart stuff clutches, brakes disc's etc. and not had a problem, im loosing faith a little in electrical items after a flasher relay was faulty from new and a oil pressure switch failed within a week, other than that i had no problems

[Retroanaconda]

• Britpart door seal - Rubber is too hard and door does not close properly. Fitted genuine seal (££!) and all is well.
  
• Britpart rear light units - Plastic melts within a month of fitting, light stops working. Fitted proper L.E.P. units and all is well.
  
• Britpart fuel tank - Diesel return blanking plate fitted in wrong place, had to modify to fit sender unit.
  
• Britpart hub seal - Loose fit in hub. Fitted OEM (Corteco) and all is well.
  
• Britpart bonnet release cable - Handle came off on use. Fitted genuine and all is well.
  

Some of the experience I've had with our favourite aftermarket parts supplier. The only decent things I've had off them are their swivel balls. Got a chrome set on my 88" and a "teflon" set on the 90, and both are fine. Other than that, I've found that it's nasty cheaply-made junk!

It's worth remembering that Britpart are a distributor more than a manufacturer, so a lot of the time when you order OEM you will get a Britpart box with a GKN U/J or a Corteco seal or a Timken bearing inside. But remember too that just because it's been made by the OEM, it doesn't mean it's been made to the same standard that they use when they supply to Land Rover! GKN U/Js are a good example of this.

I've used nuts/bolts/screws etc. supplied in Britpart bags, propshaft ones for example, when I can't be bothered to go to the fixings place and I'm already at the local indy. These are generally just bought in from a fixings supplier anyway, so no quality issues there.

The trick is to know who is making the part, and to what standard. That is more important than what name is on the box. But generally, Britpart is not much cop

[mickeyw]

And on top of your last point James, it is a learning process to learn which cheap parts are OK to use and which are not.

After 20 years of LR ownership I think I now have a fair feel for these things.

Unfortunately BP parts are not as good as they used to be, they are also cheaper in many cases. Alarms bells anyone?

It is true that many have found a lot of their stuff is useless, but there are some BP products that ARE worth using.

Perhaps we should start a list of BP products we have found to be of reasonable quality.

I shall start off by mentioning their waterproof seat covers are excellent

[Diablo]

Their fog light turned out to be a L.E. Perei one.