Aircooled VW South Africa

Why does it seem like the quality of new parts have gone to sh!t ??

Here's my story... My dad's beetle uses a golf mk1 brake master cylinder which is probably 10 years old and has seen better days. So we decide to replace it with a new one which I had bought a couple of months ago. The stupid thing would not bleed and pisses brake fluid out the shaft where the brake pin presses in.

Next morning go to the spares shop and buy another brake master cylinder (not the same brand). Install it... guess what. Same story, but even worse. The brake fluid would actually shoot out the master onto my shoe when you press the brake pedal.

Now, take into account.. its a crap job to install the master. So by now I'm a little irritated.

Take the master back, guy who sold it goes on that they have never had any return etc... Now if you use the master cylinder in a golf with a brake booster you would not know the thing is not leaking as it would leak into the booster and only start smoking a couple of weeks later after loosing all the brake fluid.

Demand my money back and go to VW.... R4500 for a new master cylinder compared to R400 that the spares shop charge . So I go to the next spares shop and buy another one, again different brand. Install it... it still leaks!! Way less than the other two. So we bleed the brakes and leave it for a couple of days and it stopped leaking.

Now I can understand non essential parts like a door handle being bad quality.... but brake parts??? Imagine them spares shops being sued after some one gets killed.

you don't think that it has something to do with the seals and rubbers?

Bad quality machining I guess

Yup..........but a part that leaks to start with and then stops would mean bad seals usually as the rubber part swells.

Freaking sad though. Best parts is that the spares shops don't give a toss............bring it back, we'll exchange until you get sick of coming back.

My current one was sent to a tool-maker and he shoved a stainless sleeve in and machined the whole lot for R600.

ridiculous

I have certain equipment that leaks like a sieve when there is no pressure on it, but seals once up a few bar. The difference is these seals are designed to work like that (allows VERY easy changing when they need replacing). I cannot see why a master cylinder would leak until pressure is applied a few times. Thats just a kuck idea.

Maybe its time to look in the scrap yards?

Or recon the original

Here is a useful tip..... ]

When you buy a MC or Slave cylinder, or any brake item, all ways go for the one that has been packed wet.

ie, with Brake fluid in it, this way the seals will not dry out, and loose there shape, and better still, work when you fit it.

Herman

Adding to the 'packed wet' suggestion: I'm sure everyone knows this already but pushing slave pistons in and out by hand to 'test' the new one you just bought can fcuk the seals. I'm guessing masters may be the same?

almost all seals should be installed with a lubricant. Surely you should be able to cycle the MC without doing damage. Same should go for the slave cylinders I would think.
Installing the seal dry is asking for trouble.

Mechanical shaft seals of course, go in without any lubricant

retrovan wrote:Here is a useful tip..... ]

When you buy a MC or Slave cylinder, or any brake item, all ways go for the one that has been packed wet.

ie, with Brake fluid in it, this way the seals will not dry out, and loose there shape, and better still, work when you fit it.

Herman

All three master cylinders purchased came in a wet, sealed packet.

I've been seeing this kind of crap for years, even branded parts ie Oem Bosch, Elring and many more are no longer made in Western Germany, made under license somewhere were the part can be made today at what it cost 30 years ago. Nowadays the only guarantee is to have to check double check and then check again, and then make a plan to modify as it doesn't properly. Trusted suppliers I used for years are now falling short. I have used NGK plugs for ever and recently have landed with a few duds, decided to try Beru. After much frustration in changing out all ignition components on a trial and error basis to resolve a miss in a newly built 1835 motor in my SC it turned out that the plugs were at fault. The miss only happened now and again bus I has not happy. Problem was the "quality" plugs. I have other issues with items where quality was not a problem before

Over here I've bought replacement body panels for my škoda octavia from a Danish manufacturer called Klokkerholm. When the panel arrived it dawned on me that Klokkerholm manufactures them in Taiwan and that they didn't fit properly...