***WARNING Cheap chinese calipers WARNING***

[Mazda Mender]

Ok it's funny how things happen, and we have had a few conflabs about cheap nasty chinese copy calpiers for the Mx/Roadsters that are doing the rounds, more so on the Bay of E, but are also being sold through auto outlets.
If they are cheap, then they are cheap for a reason, unlucky for a fellow member that as been sold and fitted one of these copies, but lucky for you lot for me to be able to post this info up.
This had been fitted for just 2 weeks and he was having problems from the off from fitting it on the handbrake side unknowing what he had bought,and no matter how much he followed our guides could not get it to work correct?
So while his pride and joy was with Ste at the body shop, i nipped around one evening to set it up for him, while under her i could see that it was a copy, and could not do anything untill Ste had finished, so she could come to me to sort.
So i have taken some pic's to show the differences to look out for, please please please do not buy these units, they are not good, and for something that you need to put trust in to save your life one day, well the choice is yours.

Copy caliper ,note the lack of pressed in info on the body...

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OE caliper........

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Copy caliper handbrake arm pulling out and pin for the spring.....

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OE calpier arm and pin, (note even the arm is different)

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Copy caliper, which you can see the gap on the hanbrake arm pin..

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OE caliper......

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Hope these pic's make others see sense not to buy, as this is just one issue that i have seen with them fronts and rears.
M-m

[flea]

It looks inferior & makes you wonder how bad the casting is too

[flea]

Here they are close up

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[Geoff Peace]

:eek: It looks inferior & makes you wonder how bad the casting is too

I saw this horrible object yesterday when visiting Wayne. The real thing looked worse than the photographs!
Regards Geoff Peace.

[flea]

:eek: It looks inferior & makes you wonder how bad the casting is too

I saw this horrible object yesterday when visiting Wayne. The real thing looked worse than the photographs!
Regards Geoff Peace.

Well done for posting Geoff. Got to make it clear what people are in for if they buy this cheep dangerous stuff

[roadster1980]

I have to say i have cheap copys on mine at the rear, I've had no problems yet, but I bought them a few years ago before all the bad copys started flying around, as wayne says brakes will save your life oneday, wrong they save your life everyday as without them well it goes without saying, ive kept my originals for refurb and these copys of mine will be going in the bin.

[Ricolas]

Thanks for posting this up. Forewarned is forearmed.

[BenF]

People who fit these know exactly what they're doing and have no excuse. They gamble with the lives of my children and I reserve a special flavour of hatred for cheap brakes, cheap/unsafe tyres and poor workmanship. If you don't know what you're doing or buying with safety critical equipment and systems, don't -ing do it!!!!

[Pincherrn]

Hi guys,

I was a bit wary after this post as I ordered a cheap front rebuilt caliper off ebay but having received it I can see it is a genuine caliper with all the markings of my original. Looks really good. Will post a foto later in the "look what I got" thread. I paid £47.90 delivered but with £15 refund when I send my old one back. So £32.90 outright.

Colin

[Mazda Mender]

Thats why i posted this up Jon ,so others know what to look out for, so nice to see it is working.
M-m

[Geoff Peace]

Thats why i posted this up Jon ,so others know what to look out for, so nice to see it is working.
M-m

Following on from this there is an article in the motoring section of the Telegraph today. The Trading Standards Institute estimate the counterfeit car parts industry is worth £6 billion a year worldwide. The main danger, according to one of their inspectors is buying parts over the internet, as it is very easy to buy something that isn't what it seems. On the other hand reputable motor factors can be prosecuted under the Supply of Goods and Services Act, and the Consumer Protection Act for supplying dodgy parts. So says the TSI. citing a case of brake linings which burst into flames because they were made from compressed grass! Makes you think, and shiver at the thought.
Regards Geoff Peace.

[Ghostrider]

Interesting post. I must admit, while stripping my brakes, forking out for caliper rebuild kits, new pistons the cost was getting close to the cheap ebay items and wondered why I was doing it the 'hard way'. Well, now I know. Cheers for the heads-up.

[gaz1977]

Hi,

I have just joined the forum and I thought you might want to hear the story of my Chinese Calipers.

The pair of calipers were bought from ebay after the MOT found a seized handbrake mechanism on the passenger side of my mk1 eunos.
The new calipers were fitted by a mechanic that I know and trust two weeks before the Blyton 2013 event.

Basically these cheap copies lasted the 130 mile journey to Blyton Park and three 20min track sessions (200miles) on the saturday morning before failing.
Two of the three track sessions were in the wet so there wasn't much hard braking. (not that it should make any difference)

We consider ourselves incredibly lucky that these potentially deadly calipers failed in the pit lane and not on the circuit or the motorway.



I can assure you my paint job on the calipers looked a lot better before being covered in fluid for two days



as you can see these calipers have all the same problems as the ones in the photos at the beginning of this thread.



We discovered that the brake fluid was squirting out of the handbrake mechanism which meant my foot simply went to the floor when pushing the pedal.



We were very fortunate that the Autolink/mazdamenders were at Blyton Park as they were able to replace the calipers with the correct ones they had in stock (probably knowing some idiot would turn up with this rubbish on his/her car) and within an hour and get us back on track.


Once we got home I phoned the ebay seller, DAS ltd. ( http://stores.ebay.co.uk/DASLtd?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 ) and told them what had happened.

Not only did DAS ltd not seem at all shocked or apologetic they told me that I had fitted the calipers incorrectly and that they had sold hundreds of these parts and mine were the only ones ever to fail.

The part of the conversation that really annoyed was when DAS ltd told me that they supplied all of Mazda Menders Brake calipers and suspension parts.....
Judging from who started this thread this is clearly a pack of lies.

So in conclusion:

DO NOT BE TEMPTED BY DANGEROUS CHEAP COPIES

DO NOT FALL FOR THIS EBAY AD http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330931131666? ... 1439.l2649

DO NOT TRUST DASltd http://www.dewsburyautosalvage.com/

DO BUY QUALITY PARTS.


Thanks for reading my rant.

Gaz

[Ghostrider]

This very ad

DO NOT FALL FOR THIS EBAY AD http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330931131666? ... 1439.l2649

I looked at these when the cost of my calipers started going up and up with refurb kits and new pistons and suchlike. So when the ad says '1 year warranty' and '100% money back guarantee' what they really mean is sod off! If fluid is leaking out of the handbrake mechanism then how the hell can that be a fitting error?
Need to be reported to trading standards. It's not as if it's an irrelevant part of the car....

[Lazza]

Welcome to MM Gaz. Just a shame it's under these circumstances. It's good to have your 1st hand experience of these cheap copy callipers and the ebay dealer selling them. We really need to push the importance of this to the wider audience.