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Which Oem Spec Manufacturers Have People Used


kev dood
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Am finally getting closer to replacing my calipers (front).

Am interested in people experiences and views on the different OEM spec parts available.

Am sloping towards Brake Engineering parts mainly as local motor factors can get them in for a good price. Also, they seem to match the slightly angled inlet for the brake pipe rather than squarely into the rear - such as Brakes International. (though have to double check my existing ones!)

What are peoples thoughts on this - does it matter much etc - has anyone come across any problems with any of them?

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Been looking around. Seems ALL of the ones available are reconditioned original parts. Just depends on which company is better at doing them I guess.

Either way, I cannot get both sides by this weekend, so looks like I will put that on hold!

Also, the pairs listed on eBay by A to Z or clickamotorpart (same company) do NOT come with the carriers as shown in the images! Seems thats an old picture! Nice.

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Been looking around. Seems ALL of the ones available are reconditioned original parts. Just depends on which company is better at doing them I guess.

Really ? Items like this one on eBay say "brand new", surely they can't be reconditioned if that's how they're described ?

Also, the pairs listed on ebay by A to Z or clickamotorpart (same company) do NOT come with the carriers as shown in the images! Seems thats an old picture! Nice.

It doesn't include the carrier as shown in the picture ? Well that's a total rip-off then ! :duh:

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When I spoke to them thats what they said! Obviously not quite how they describe it. Only way to get brand new ones is from Lexus really!

Does seem a bit of a con in a way though. They sounded nice enough, but just not listing what they are actually selling - maybe they should be reported to eBay?

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I reckon most of the calipers on ebay/local motor factors are reconditioned units- they'll probably want your old ones.

When my radiator sprung a leak a few years ago, my local Lexus dealer quoted me an exchange price, meaning he wanted the old radiator back. I suspect the 'new' one that Lexus were selling me was a reconditioned unit?

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A lot of companies re core rads which is far cheaper than a new one. Clutches are also exchange parts usually.

With this eBay listing you dont have to send them your old ones. Though a lot of online sellers are exchange ones and carry a surcharge.

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Looking at the online manual, the carrier is described as a "torque plate" and the other bit is described as the caliper. I naively assumed that both bits together were the "caliper", so I guess that strictly speaking if you don't get the carrier then that's fair enough, although the picture is still misleading (not like they're showing the whole thing mounted on the car).

They still would have to be "brand new" as described though.

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Umm, description is OK its just the image which is misleading. Definition of new is open though as all remanufacturers would call their parts "new"!

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Sorry to disagree but I don't think the definition of "brand new" (as they're labelled) is an open one, and unlike what some might like to think the Sale of Goods Act definitely does apply to eBayers who are commercial sellers !

I emailed the eBay sellers of these items (A to Z) and asked exactly what they came with, e.g. whether all the caliper internals were included (e.g. slide pins, pistons, dust boots etc).

They replied and said the following (their capitalisation, sorry) :

THE CALLIPER AND PISTONS , IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE CALLIPERS HAVE WHEN THEY COME FROM THE FACTORY , WE ONLY HAVE CALLIPERS WITH PISTONS , NO BOOTS OR TORQUE PLATES SORRY

So you only get the pistons, not all the other stuff. So that's very very different from what you get if you order a complete "Cylinder Assembly" from Lexus, which does come with the torque plate (carrier), pistons, dust boots, slide pins etc.

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Sorry to disagree but I don't think the definition of "brand new" (as they're labelled) is an open one, and unlike what some might like to think the Sale of Goods Act definitely does apply to eBayers who are commercial sellers !

I emailed the eBay sellers of these items (A to Z) and asked exactly what they came with, e.g. whether all the caliper internals were included (e.g. slide pins, pistons, dust boots etc).

They replied and said the following (their capitalisation, sorry) :

THE CALLIPER AND PISTONS , IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE CALLIPERS HAVE WHEN THEY COME FROM THE FACTORY , WE ONLY HAVE CALLIPERS WITH PISTONS , NO BOOTS OR TORQUE PLATES SORRY

So you only get the pistons, not all the other stuff. So that's very very different from what you get if you order a complete "Cylinder Assembly" from Lexus, which does come with the torque plate (carrier), pistons, dust boots, slide pins etc.

If I'm honest, If I read that article without reading this thread, I would expect to get a pair of calipers for a couple of hundred quid. A caliper is a caliper, I have never included a torque plate/mounting bracket as part of a "caliper". He never says you get a "cylinder assembly", so why would he supply one? He is supplying "calipers". Fair enough, the fact the picture shows a torque plate is a matter for debate with the seller. A couple of hundred quid for the "calipers" is a pretty decent price IMO whether new or recon. Especially as you do not need to send your old ones back which free's them up for an overhaul, paint job and resell to recoup some of the cost.

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Been looking around. Seems ALL of the ones available are reconditioned original parts. Just depends on which company is better at doing them I guess.

Really ? Items like this one on eBay say "brand new", surely they can't be reconditioned if that's how they're described ?

This seller has confirmed that the calipers are new, not reconditioned.

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I freely admit to misunderstanding due to ignorance. I assumed that the brake "caliper" consisted of more than just that one piece of metal. I now understand it a bit better.

It also makes me think that if you hit the "sticky caliper" problem, you're probably better off just fixing the caliper with the service parts (the kit that Lexus sells) due to the large cost of replacing the whole thing.

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Just got a reply back from him.

"SORRY NO CARRIERS AT THE MOMENT , CALIPERS ARE NEW UNITS"

I think the "new" part is misleading.

Regarding the issue or renew or replace - thats the exact issue I have. If you are buying a new lexus caliper then its far cheaper to renew existing parts on the caliper. But if not then its not really that costs effective to do this - based on the fact that you might have to renew both pistons in each caliper if they are pitted etc.

Thats why I have decided on replaceing with OEM spec parts. I don't have the time to take it all apart, find out I did need 4 pistons, then go and get them 2 days later, and refit!

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Errr, where? I know it says all over that they are brand new, but they aren't exactly brand new items - these are only available from Lexus/Toyota.

ALL others - certainly from the ringing aroun I have done over the last few days - from anyone else, are all reconn'd units.

This is not a bad thing however. People like Brakes International, Brake Engineering, Bugweg etc etc etc - all they do is take the old original parts and recon them by putting new seals in, sand blasting them, re-coating them, new internals etc and pistons etc etc and then re sell them.

So if you were to sell them, as this ebayer is, then they are brand new from them - they are not used parts in the usual sense. But they ARE refurbished/reconn'd parts.

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Errr, where?

I contacted the seller and asked him to confirm that they were new units and not reconditioned. He confirmed that they were new.

but they aren't exactly brand new items - these are only available from Lexus/Toyota.

How come? That would be like saying your brake pads are recons if you didn't get Lexus items. Lexus/Toyota thankfully do not have a monopoly (or quite probably the facilities), to manufacture the calipers, so someone else is most likely making them. These would be available to third party suppliers to build, and sell, at a lower cost if they felt the market was large enough. Or even have "copies of" made to build and sell. Unless the item has previously been fitted to a vehicle and then recovered, it would be new, regardless of source.

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When I spoke to them he said they were usually Aisin or EBC that they got in.

Fair point, his may be brand new parts from these companies if they make original calipers for the IS, but all the others I listed don't, they refurb them.

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