Aftermarket oil cooler pipes

I recently changed my oil cooler pipes and oil cooler rad. The pipes were s@#tpart. I couldn't understand why I had a small leak from the O ring area, I replaced the the O rings with decent ones, still leaked.
After taking them off again I noticed that when I put the bracket on the oil filter all seemed fine, but on the upper most bracket the pipes sat out 2-3mm. It was the tightening up of the upper bracket that was causing the leak, the pipes not having the exact same bend angle as the originals. A couple of thin washers behind the top bracket to take up the difference and the problem was solved - you have been warned !

Strange i fitted some Britpart oil cooler pipes a while ago and they fitted perfectly. Pulling up two or three mm will not cause the pipes to leak. Providing they are located properly in the filter and the clamp is nipped up. The top bracket also has a modicum of adjustment available. It is not welded to the filter. Possibly poor fitting technique rather than duff pipes.

I've got to go with Wammers on this, having heard all the horror stories maybe Britpart aint all that bad.
Had to do the same as yourself and replace cooler & pipes, sourced from the Bay & when they turned up all Britpart, me heart sank to say the least, but it's all been on for two months now with no problems, maybe you just got a bad one.

I think it's fair to say that quality is not always bad but due perhaps to poor QC inspection can be variable.

Makes buying from some suppliers a hit and miss affair

I agree with wammers it takes a bit of skill to fit the oil cooler pipes I always tighten filter locator clamp first as they are locked in by the clamp and don't have movement unlike the oil cooler side if you tighten the two nuts that go into the cooler you can lock
The pipe/s in the wrong position causing a strain on the filter end .

blue beasty said:

I think it's fair to say that quality is not always bad but due perhaps to poor QC inspection can be variable.

Makes buying from some suppliers a hit and miss affair

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Pipes such as this are formed by automatic machines these days, variation will be very minimal. Companies use SPC principal batch inspection for quality control. With my experience of that system one may slip through the net now and again. But the pipes are easily tweakable. Fitting technique and skill is infinitely variable sadly.