Calliper replacement - Buy cheap/buy twice?

[KingyMAK]

So the question is:
Do I buy the cheap refurb callipers on eBay or Energized Customs?
They go for anything from Ã,£35 each, to Ã,£60.
I can even buy a rear pair for Ã,£65!


Or do I buy ATE/Lucas/VW pattern/OEM, etc.
They start at around Ã,£60+ Each. 🤷‍♂️

Not quite sure on what to buy, because they all do the same, the uk has brake regulations for parts donââ,¬â,,¢t they? So they should all meet a minimum standard?

[SirDavidAlhambra]

Personally Iââ,¬â,,¢d go for the real deal, Iââ,¬â,,¢ve only ever found refurbished stuff to be more hassle than its worth. Theyââ,¬â,,¢ll probably be fine but I guess it depends how much it would annoy u if u had to change them again in a year (for me thatââ,¬â,,¢s a lot of bother but for others they would probably enjoy it!).

As a man I once heard on a London Underground tube carriage, ââ,¬Å"It is the horse for the courseââ,¬Â.

[johnnyroper]

So the question is:
Do I buy the cheap refurb callipers on eBay or Energized Customs?
They go for anything from Ã,£35 each, to Ã,£60.
I can even buy a rear pair for Ã,£65!


Or do I buy ATE/Lucas/VW pattern/OEM, etc.
They start at around Ã,£60+ Each. 🤷‍♂️

Not quite sure on what to buy, because they all do the same, the uk has brake regulations for parts donââ,¬â,,¢t they? So they should all meet a minimum standard?

I have fitted the eBay refurbished calipers previously with no issues at all.
I would hazard a guess the others are refurbished ones aswell,I know when I worked at vauxhall replacement calipers were refurb as old ones had to go back as exchange. Cant see it being much different for other manufacturers

[KingyMAK]

Cheers Johnny,
I assumed as much theyââ,¬â,,¢d be refurbs as such, but the price is such a strange issue, especially considering they donââ,¬â,,¢t want the old ones in return/surcharge payments.
I just didnââ,¬â,,¢t want ââ,¬Ëœmonkey metalââ,¬â,,¢ or ââ,¬Ëœchinesiumââ,¬â,,¢ as they say.

Iââ,¬â,,¢ve just fixed my seatbelt retractor this morning without having to go to a scrappy or dealer, so happy with that for now.

I could realistically have 4 new callipers for under Ã,£150, which is near the price I paid for a new refurb ATE not long after I bought the silver beast!

[brianh]

I've not long fitted these
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FITS-FORD-GALAXY-95-06-REAR-BRAKE-CALIPERS-LEFT-RIGHT-OE-1001959-BRAND-NEW/254054620178

My rears were sticking on the handbrake and prior to swapping them, would routinely stick on, having not long managed to snap one of the handbrake cables seemed to upset them even further so had to do something about them. Replaced with those and seem to be fine, even seem to have gained around 2mpg on the average readout as a result.

I think these are fairly common VW calipers, I'm fairly sure they look like the ones used on the MKIV Golf, I'd guess some fo it is that they are a pain to take apart, and probabbly very little of them can be reused anyway. Its not like the fronts where the casting is significently heavier and bigger. So I guess thats why they don't want them back.

You probabbly want at least 1 of the short hoses that connect to the caliper, one of mine wasn't willing to undo when we tried.

The fronts are a bit more of a minefield, before you order any either get them to check they are the right ones, or get under and have a look what ones you have. It seems there are at least two options for the front calipers, and the ones I've got don't seem to be available cheaply. Bizarrely one side on ECP and GSF is twice the price of the other for the fronts too....