BEARMACH More like PANTSMARK

DEF TD5 15P
New Pantsmarc tensioner and belt, end of Feb2016.
The truck has done around 6K since then.
Changed the belt a month or so ago when I spotted the state of it ( see pics)

On that basis changed the tensioner, took it off, spun the wheel sounds like a roller skate!
(yes everything is in line, and the last belt was fine for 6 years plus, showed no signs of wear really)

Lessoned learned, anyone else had similar experiences with this 'happy shopper' brand?

Dont buy cheap belts, I would never fit a cheap belt, even around my waist.

Exact same happened to me. Dyco or nothing now.

Shocking quality.

Not terminal though, it’s only auxiliary

KISSMYAURA said:

anyone else had similar experiences with this 'happy shopper' brand?

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Unfortunately yes. The propshaft doughnut of SWMBO's D1 has been on about 18 months, and maybe 10K Miles - the original GKN had done 90K, and was getting short of smoke to let out

I wouldn't normally bother fitting anything other than GKN, but couldn't get one ... so fitted a BM one. It's kaput ... I'm now waiting for a GKN, and I'll be enlightening the supplier / BM with my rather poor opinion of this waste of space when I have taken it orft

I do wonder if these suppliers think that the ownership turnover of our vehicles is so high that they don't have to bother about their reputation

Also, BM washer jets for both our D1's ..... the ones on mine were the right size, but the nozzles fell out ... and on SWMBO's, the nozzles are much better quality, but without some washers on, they would fall through the holes

I'm currently making lists for upcoming MOT's ... not much to do I think, but a few bits needed .... doubt BM or BP will get much of our folding .....

Belts wise, I use Gates whenever possible - never had a failure, not even on the Fergy 35 which had a new gates fan belt on in the 70's - it's still the same one!!

bankz5152 said:

Exact same happened to me. Dyco or nothing now.

Shocking quality.

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Dayco ? ( guessing phone and large fingers ) .....

yes cheers lol.

Lucky you caught yours, mine snapped at the stop of a 6ft6' wide very steep country lane. *just* managed to roll over the top to safety.

Disco1BFG said:

I do wonder if these suppliers think that the ownership turnover of our vehicles is so high that they don't have to bother about their reputation

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People buy this crap, it doesnt fit or falls apart and they chuck it away. Berkmach buy in high volumes and therefor can chuck them out cheap, but the main problem is people dont send stuff back, because it only cost a few quid, but if we all did send it back and claim under warranty or even if its just out of warranty they would soon get the message.

nobber said:

People buy this crap, it doesnt fit or falls apart and they chuck it away. Berkmach buy in high volumes and therefor can chuck them out cheap, but the main problem is people dont send stuff back, because it only cost a few quid, but if we all did send it back and claim under warranty or even if its just out of warranty they would soon get the message.

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Sadly, there is a long established culture of not complaining about poor service in the UK.

KISSMYAURA said:

DEF TD5 15P
New Pantsmarc tensioner and belt, end of Feb2016.
The truck has done around 6K since then.
Changed the belt a month or so ago when I spotted the state of it ( see pics)

On that basis changed the tensioner, took it off, spun the wheel sounds like a roller skate!
(yes everything is in line, and the last belt was fine for 6 years plus, showed no signs of wear really)View attachment 167255View attachment 167256

Lessoned learned, anyone else had similar experiences with this 'happy shopper' brand?

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Christ, that's horrible. I've got a Gate's on mine after having trouble with noisy Dayco ones.

Turboman said:

Sadly, there is a long established culture of not complaining about poor service in the UK.

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I know mate, but we like to moan about it on forums, if people like LRSeries for instance (not dissing LRSeries) got call after call , day after day about poor quality parts they would be afraid of losing their customers, Berkmach would then be under pressure to keep its customers.

Didn't Britfart up their game after many years of selling crap? They now have the buying power to buy OEM and sell it at a fairly reasonable price.

nobber said:

I know mate, but we like to moan about it on forums, if people like LRSeries for instance (not dissing LRSeries) got call after call , day after day about poor quality parts they would be afraid of losing their customers, Berkmach would then be under pressure to keep its customers.

Didn't Britfart up their game after many years of selling crap? They now have the buying power to buy OEM and sell it at a fairly reasonable price.

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Personally, I don't moan about it. I only buy cheap bits where it doesn't matter, if it is anything safety or performance critical, I buy genuine or OEM.

If the cheap bits are genuinely unfit for purpose, as in not fitting without major modification, I do complain to the supplier, though.

I think it is sometimes better to complain to the supplier than the maker, because the supplier will buy a lot of the stuff, so the maker may take their complaint a bit more seriously than a single complaint from a user.

Turboman said:

Personally, I don't moan about it. I only buy cheap bits where it doesn't matter, if it is anything safety or performance critical, I buy genuine or OEM.

If the cheap bits are genuinely unfit for purpose, as in not fitting without major modification, I do complain to the supplier, though.

I think it is sometimes better to complain to the supplier than the maker, because the supplier will buy a lot of the stuff, so the maker may take their complaint a bit more seriously than a single complaint from a user.

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Eggsactly, if you buy from a distributor you effectively are not Berkmachs customer, you are the distributors customer and they dont want to be inundated with complaints of crappy bits not fitting.

i know about sheeertpart and mostmakes, but thought pantsmarch was ok.
lessoned learned, only use Dayco / Gates / SKF / Timken etc.

Dayco is an OEM manufacture used by LR along with a few others.
My SERP belt was full or cracks on the rib side after 32k miles, it’s when the cracks are on the smooth side is time to worry I was told.
Anyway £18.04. later I replaced it with the genuine item, that’s way back in Feb 2007, then replaced it again at 41k miles for £21.60 along with the water pump as the bearing had failed. So much for genuine parts.

Al2O3 said:

Christ, that's horrible. I've got a Gate's on mine after having trouble with noisy Dayco ones.

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Yup Gates for me every time

LR tensioner is made by Litens, problem is they use either INA ( which are fine) or unidentified bearings, so its a lottery, so dayco all the way.

++ Gates

sham

Interceptorxj said:

++ Gates

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shame they don't make the tensioner......

Gates or dayco and OEM only for me

I also get my parts from a local auto factors, they can usually get most stuff (apart from weird bits) in 24hrs and it always comes in a branded box. Never had a blue box or bearmach box from them once.