wackydo Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Hi All, So a week ago I sent my front calipers off to Bigg Red for refurb. These are Ford capri 2.8/3.0 calipers also know I think as M16. Then I got back home from the post office and just started to idly look for the same calipers on ebay and found http://www.ebay.co.u...sd=141387502630 and http://www.ebay.co.u...=item20e933439b It cost me £16 to send them to Worcester. Maybe I should have just bought a new pair, its gonna cost about £150 for the refurb OK, they're are going to be a nice yellow, but in the end cost maybe twice as much. So how do I compare which is best value for money, a good quality refurb for my current (quite heavy) calipers, or these supposedly new ones on ebay? Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLADDIN Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 If these really are NEW then quality is unknown as is manufacturer. Yours are also spaced m16 for vented discs if 2.8 Capri. Tough call Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackydo Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Hi Alladdin I have solid disks not vented. Am waiting to hear back from BiggRed about a price for the refurb. I guess buying off ebay, you don't know how long they've been manufactured or how long they've sat on a shelf while the seals degrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLADDIN Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Ok not 2.8 then just std m16, as you say it's a gamble. Evans and sons is a well known company, their castings don't look like original pattern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackydo Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Standard M16, yes, thanks, I was a little unsure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pre-lit steve Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Have a look at rally design website standard m16 callipers are £39.50 + vat if this helps cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackydo Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Thanks Steve, it just puts me more into a quandary to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_l Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 If you have sent them off and committed to a refurb I would stick with it, the original M16's on mine were the best, stop it on a sixpence. I only changed them as the pistons had corroded , the Wilwoods are good but to be honest I have never had the feel or confidence the M16's gave me. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tisme Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 I think you've made a better choice having your original Ford (Girling?) M16 calipers refurbished rather than going for some of those "new" ones on eBay (or even RD). tbh, I'm rather wary of relatively cheap stuff that's almost certainly been made in the Far East (aka China) - even if it's imported by a UK company that apparently has ISO900x "quality control", that says nothing about the quality of item Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyonspride Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 I too was looking at Bigg Red, hell I practically work around the corner from them. But the cost versus a new pair or even a reconditioned pair was rather prohibitive, if i'd sent them to BR I'd have been looking at getting them in red to match the rears, this wasn't cheap at all. All I really needed was the current pair cleaning up and pistons replacing, without stripping the existing finish. As it was, SteveD (can't thank him enough!) ended my confusion and sent me a used pair of M16's, which look to have been fitted with SS pistons (so refurbed at some point). They're in a Gold finish and don't match the rears, but they work well enough!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Refurbed* originals every time. The quality of the castings is a million times better than the cheap imports. Its your brakes, it's what's going to give you confidence everytime you hit the pedal. And one day it might save your life. *assuming its a quality refurb! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 I can buy some "new" units that are shocking. Poor quality castings, poor threads, poorly machined. So Bigg Red do a great job and you will get them back sorted properly. Working in the parts industry, it does beggar belief sometimes the prices people expect for complicated parts. The most annoying is when they are standing in a £200 pair of nike trainers arguing about paying ££12 for a set of pads when the old ones are down to the metal and refusing to buy discs as "they will be fine" when the pad suggests they are not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyonspride Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 I can buy some "new" units that are shocking. Poor quality castings, poor threads, poorly machined. So Bigg Red do a great job and you will get them back sorted properly. Working in the parts industry, it does beggar belief sometimes the prices people expect for complicated parts. The most annoying is when they are standing in a £200 pair of nike trainers arguing about paying ££12 for a set of pads when the old ones are down to the metal and refusing to buy discs as "they will be fine" when the pad suggests they are not. I'm one of these people who when a part needs changing, whether I can do it myself and regardless of cost, i'll cough up ASAP...... BUT I've had soooo many garages try to rip me off, that unless I identify the fault myself, I'll question everything they tell me. It's not because i'm tight, it's because I don't trust ANY of them. The bad drag the good down with them..... Recently replaced the mid-section exhaust on my daily barge, noticed it was blowing after work, I could see it was the mid-section holed near it's hanger, so I stopped at two garages on my way home, one garage told me the backbox needed changing too because "the original backbox never fits onto pattern parts properly", the second garage told me it needed a new backbox because "the hanger has rusted and sheared clean off". Took it home, lifted it up, the second place was clearly feeding me BS and some investigation revealed that the first was telling porkies too. Fast forward, I have a new mid-section and the backbox is 10 years old, going strong with only a bit of surface rust on the hangers (which im going to wire brush and paint). It's easy to imagine how someone with less (or none) knowledge would end up questioning everything, even the simple stuff like brake pads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsechris Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Both those ebay items look like poor quality pattern parts based on the images. At least the adverts are honest and don't try to present them as Girling. Another vote for stick with having your originals refurbed. Way too much cheap & nasty copy stuff out there but then I suppose we brought it upon ourselves always wanting everything cheap didn't we. 'Be careful what you ask for' applies I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 I can appreciate wanting to save costs on a build where possible. (Though it can be a false economy sometimes, in the long run). But if you do want to, pick less immediately safety related items - things like the cheap Polo rad copies etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.