I bought some new calipers...

I purchased some new calipers in order to upgrade my 200 TID Defender to later vented brakes. I got Mintex discs and eventually Allmakes 4X4 calipers. The first set sent were Britpart. I had already told the supplier that I don't buy Britpart so they went back and the Allmakes 4X4 sent out.
They looked awful so I split one for a better look. All but one of the four bolts was far too loose. The 'spacer' plate between the caliper halves has these seals... See attached pictures. I called Allmakes and asked to speak to a director. I was told he was busy and would call back. Must be very busy.
How is this even legal?

It was my understanding that the Britpart calipers were actually very good and there is no reason to reject them.

ALLMAKES are the worst of any........ I picked up a few bits from ALLMAKES and I have had to fettle myself... ON a brand new component ffs... I had to weld a turret as the bolt had no threads. Precision craftsmanship it is not.... Its not too hard to drill in the middle is it.

ER1C said:

ALLMAKES are the worst of any........ I picked up a few bits from ALLMAKES and I have had to fettle myself... ON a brand new component ffs... I had to weld a turret as the bolt had no threads. Precision craftsmanship it is not.... Its not too hard to drill in the middle is it.

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AFAIK, Allmakes are a wholesaler. They don't make any parts themselves.

Turboman said:

AFAIK, Allmakes are a wholesaler. They don't make any parts themselves.

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Makes no difference does it... If they go for the cheapest its the same outcome..
20 p an hour for a chap to make it. Or £2.99 for each caliper.

ER1C said:

Makes no difference does it... If they go for the cheapest its the same outcome..
20 p an hour for a chap to make it. Or £2.99 for each caliper.

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They go for the cheapest because some of their customers want the cheapest. They fill a demand, that is what business does.

If you specify genuine or OEM parts, that is what you will get, and the quality should be good.

Turboman said:

They go for the cheapest because some of their customers want the cheapest. They fill a demand, that is what business does.

If you specify genuine or OEM parts, that is what you will get, and the quality should be good.

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Yup.... I think the theme here was lousiness of ALLMAKES......

ER1C said:

Yup.... I think the theme here was lousiness of ALLMAKES......

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I have bought lots of stuff of them that was perfectly good. Usually small cheap items, like rubber grommets and bonnet cables.

If I want safety critical items, like brake parts, I would get Lockheed calipers.
Allmakes are the same as Britpart, fine for some things, others should be avoided.

It realy is something of a lottery out there with parts these days,was helping a mate sort his clutch today. New master,slave and flex pipe.
Master was fine but the slave was a piece of sh1t and would not even fit into the hole in the housing.
Both came in a Bearmach box but recon slave was a fake!!

i bought a new pair of lockheed calipers to replace on mine about 2 mths ago really good quality not cheap though 260 for 2

Paul in Sussex said:

I purchased some new calipers in order to upgrade my 200 TID Defender to later vented brakes. I got Mintex discs and eventually Allmakes 4X4 calipers. The first set sent were Britpart. I had already told the supplier that I don't buy Britpart so they went back and the Allmakes 4X4 sent out.
They looked awful so I split one for a better look. All but one of the four bolts was far too loose. The 'spacer' plate between the caliper halves has these seals... See attached pictures. I called Allmakes and asked to speak to a director. I was told he was busy and would call back. Must be very busy.
How is this even legal?

View attachment 144461 View attachment 144462

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I wouldnt discount britpart out of hand and like all the suppliers it can be a bit of a lottery on quality.

Got to say ive got britparts master and wheel cylinders on the series, they used to seize up from lack of use, goood greasing before fitting them sorted that issue.
Britpart callipers on the 90. the two rears did eventaually seize up due to lack of use over the last 4 years, but at 22 quid each who gives a toss?
Britpart ones on the front of the D3 3 years and a few miles later they still work and look fine.

The other thing to bear in mind is none of the suppliers are actually manufacturers, so most will come from the far east.

thats the reason i have bought the genuine lockheed ones stainles steet pistons so hopfully no brakes sticking and pulling left or right ,thats what i had and mine are 2 years old they do get better on a long run but i thought well ill fit these and my old ones split and see how bad they are

Allmakes = after market = patten parts = low cost = manufactured any where in the world. That's just my belief but never had any dealings with them.

OEM parts are identical to the Genuine LR parts, they have to be, as once they are delivered by the manufacturer into the hands of LR the become Genuine.
Fortunately my experience is only based with two OEM items, a water pump plus a fan viscous coupling both identical to the existing factory fitted items. I also replaced the serpentine belt which was purchased from a main dealer, that had in white lettering the LR logo and part number also the manufacture Dayco an OEM for LR.

I've just remembered, I replaced three of the steering ballpoints the were manufactured by Lemfoder another OEM for LR.

ive had that in the last 2 years i was looking for a rear propshaft as mine seemed not right vibration as the nylock slider was not the best it was the original 30 years old fairplay so i looked and looked and bought from i think bryan brothers off the net it claimed to be a hardy spicer one so bought it £90 it turned up in a britpart box was a bit miffed so phoned them he said britpart do not make propshafts so fitted greased it and in about 5 6 weeks it seemed to rattle alot , so re greased it and it went quiet ,ive only got nearly a 2 " lift so not excessive been on there over 10 years i got fed up with it so bought a gwynne lewis one ok alot dearer but a nice bit of kit , as the slider is not good on the other one

Thank you all for your input on this. What depresses me is that no-one is surprised.
As far as genuine/OEM parts are concerned my experience is that 'genuine' (in a Land Rover box) is often the way to go but equally often just so ridiculously expensive as to be untenable. I view 'OEM' as a much abused term. I have had the misfortune to purchase (and often return) various "from the same factory mate" bits that I consider 'OEM' to be near worthless as a signifier of component integrity.
With regard to my calipers I have contacted Trading Standards and await their response. Is there any standard to which aftermarket components have to comply?
I do wonder how many mums are driving the family Landy perhaps with pony in trailer and kids in back - on lethal Chinese brakes.
I don't want the money back because if I return the parts they could be sold to someone who might not know ****e when they see it. Any input on how I might take this further appreciated.

I'm a Product Safety Engineer; supplying a safety critical component of such poor quality is not only hazardous, but potentially unlwaful.

If you are concerned about the safety of a product, make your concern clear to the retailer, manufacturer or the Citizens Advice consumer helpline: 03454 04 05 06.

Read this for more info:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/product-safety-for-manufacturers

I have to agree this sort of thing goes on all the time its disgracefull with components like brakes. It is sometimes very hard work to buy a part that you hope is good and reliable . I was thinking maybe there could be a thread like on here .say you wanted a partickular part. Andsomeone would have bought a good one and pass on info.

Shame about this as having seen Pauls' restoration so far it is IMHO ace, A1, OCD-level perfect. (that' a compliment!)
Are the OEM callipers that much more expensive? If not I'd go for them.

discool said:

Allmakes = after market = patten parts = low cost = manufactured any where in the world. That's just my belief but never had any dealings with them.

OEM parts are identical to the Genuine LR parts, they have to be, as once they are delivered by the manufacturer into the hands of LR the become Genuine.
Fortunately my experience is only based with two OEM items, a water pump plus a fan viscous coupling both identical to the existing factory fitted items. I also replaced the serpentine belt which was purchased from a main dealer, that had in white lettering the LR logo and part number also the manufacture Dayco an OEM for LR.

I've just remembered, I replaced three of the steering ballpoints the were manufactured by Lemfoder another OEM for LR.

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BRITPART are OEM suppliers now..

For example

http://www.island-4x4.co.uk/front-radius-bush-chassis-britpart-nrc4514g-p-33479.html

ER1C said:

BRITPART are OEM suppliers now..

For example

http://www.island-4x4.co.uk/front-radius-bush-chassis-britpart-nrc4514g-p-33479.html

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AFAIK Britpart will supply Genuine, OEM, or cheapies, depending on what you ask for.