Morris Minor Owners Club

3 years ago New SU fuel pump now packed up
3 years ago all new brakes now leaking from one front cylinder ruined brake shoes
3 years ago new top hose now cracking up
only 10000 miles

faversham999 wrote:3 years ago New SU fuel pump now packed up
3 years ago all new brakes now leaking from one front cylinder ruined brake shoes
3 years ago new top hose now cracking up
only 10000 miles

New Lucas coils about 6 weeks if used every day.

I had a "new" condensor that I had bought off fleabay as a spare that lasted 2 mins. It failed as soon as I started the car. It was spluttering and misfireing.
Out of interest I dissasembled it and could see on the end where it was arcing at the sealed end because there was a gap.
We want cheap parts and we get cheap parts.......

I was told that new "Lucas" coils (not really Lucas, the name is licensed) should be mounted vertically - HT lead end up,
or they will fail.
George.

The hose problem is well known. the leaking cylinder - is it a 'pattern' part?? And the SU pump - is it 'electronic' ??

the pump points need replacing they are pitted . Are manual pumps any better

Trickydicky wrote:We want cheap parts and we get cheap parts.......

And this is the problem, why don't we want quality any more AND let the suppliers know it. If a part fails then send it back and complain.
I know the days of opening the parts parcel and finding good quality branded products are gone but that doesn't mean we have to have cr@p as a substitute. These parts are not complicated to make are they? How difficult can it be to make a simple part like even a condenser that's durable?

Manufacturers have no reason to improve, there's little competition, if any. Plus with regards to replacement panels I can't see it costing more to make them fit than it does to make them not fit, yet there seems a reluctance to do so.

Headlamp rims - 4 months I now look out for NOS or just good secondhand ones. If they've laste forty+years they'll normally do a few more!
Track rod end gaiters - 6 months before totally perished and split. These were new TREs from a Minor supplier with grease nipples. i've now fitted ones from the local motor factor without nipples to be sure of another make... The first ones now have new gaiters and went back on another car....

M25VAN wrote:

Trickydicky wrote:We want cheap parts and we get cheap parts.......

And this is the problem, why don't we want quality any more AND let the suppliers know it. If a part fails then send it back and complain.
I know the days of opening the parts parcel and finding good quality branded products are gone but that doesn't mean we have to have cr@p as a substitute. These parts are not complicated to make are they? How difficult can it be to make a simple part like even a condenser that's durable?

In my experience when you send junk back the suppliers crack on you are the only one who has had a problem and in the main are not interested or just send you more of the same.

If the part fails then sure, try another one. If that fails it's money back time. Don't be fobbed off. This is where the power of the internet can help. If poor parts are discussed on here and others respond with the same problem then refer the suppliers to the thread. They can't say you're the only one with a problem then !
Perhaps we could have a "Parts supply/quality problem" section.......

M25VAN wrote:If the part fails then sure, try another one. If that fails it's money back time. Don't be fobbed off. This is where the power of the internet can help. If poor parts are discussed on here and others respond with the same problem then refer the suppliers to the thread. They can't say you're the only one with a problem then !
Perhaps we could have a "Parts supply/quality problem" section.......

Got hands smacked for mentioning a supplier on here in the past (dodgy brake shoes!) New parts quality is a total lottery! Condensers, rotors, distributors, coils - probably the worst for rapid failure. Had 2 MG's in (one MGB, one Midget) with poor running problems - both had recently had new condensers as part of a general service, I fitted new ones and the problems returned in a very short time. I found some very old condensers in the workshop (one from a Triumph Spitfire), fitted them and no more problems. There's an old saying - 'If it ain't broke - Don't fix it!'

Yes, I know from previous discussions about this that it can be tricky. What about being able to say that you bought a part from a named supplier and didn't have any trouble. When you see a few posts like that you know the part should be ok. If you don't see a thumbs up for a part from a supplier you know maybe not to buy from them. No one gets slagged off, only positive comments.

M25VAN wrote:Yes, I know from previous discussions about this that it can be tricky. What about being able to say that you bought a part from a named supplier and didn't have any trouble. When you see a few posts like that you know the part should be ok. If you don't see a thumbs up for a part from a supplier you know maybe not to buy from them. No one gets slagged off, only positive comments.

Ha ha, just seen a recent post praising the very supplier who flogged me dodgy brake linings and refused to replace or refund.

It seems to be a generic problem across the classic industry, particularly with rubber parts, most of the rubber parts I bought for my s2 landrover (handbrake gaiters, propshaft gaiters, master cylinders)were in shreds or leaking in 6 months.
with the land rover you can hunt around and get oem quality brake parts etc, is that possible for the minor?

The real problem though is knowing which parts are any good,perhaps we need to compile a list of parts which people have found actually seem to work and their source?

Kevin

rogerowen wrote: Ha ha, just seen a recent post praising the very supplier who flogged me dodgy brake linings and refused to replace or refund.

But were they being praised for their brake shoes? Frustrating if so.

kevin s wrote: The real problem though is knowing which parts are any good,perhaps we need to compile a list of parts which people have found actually seem to work and their source?

Yes, that's what I mean. Information by positivity.

I believe the major problem is not always the quality of manufacture but more often the inferior quality of the base materials being used. I recently fitted a new distributor to an Austin A30 it looked the same - but weighed half the weight of the old one, obviously less dense metal. I restored customers MG Midget 7 years ago; it was previously kept off the road in a barn for 12 years. After finishing the car I took it for an MOT expecting some issue with the original tyres (not named brands) - but, not so. In fact these tyres are still passing the MOT every year since. The quality of the rubber was obviously considerably better than today’s equivalent. We recently had a Moggie in that had been left outside for 7 years and is going to need masses of welding. However, for some reason the owner religiously charged the battery every now and then - and guess what? - 13 years after its manufacture date it is still charging fully and still cranking the engine.

M25VAN wrote:

rogerowen wrote: Ha ha, just seen a recent post praising the very supplier who flogged me dodgy brake linings and refused to replace or refund.

But were they being praised for their brake shoes? Frustrating if so.

Yes, that would be frustrating. No, apparently they supplied a vacuum advance capsule. But it's so strange that 'they have sold so many of these brake shoes and never once had a complaint'. I regularly use an MG parts supplier who will happily change or refund anything I'm not happy with and give me a Freepost address number so it does not cost me anything to return it - all this along with a decent trade discount - but they also always come up with the line 'we have sold so many of these and never once had a complaint'. I think it's something to do with not knowingly selling inferior goods - a legal eagle will probably know all about this.

rogerowen wrote: I restored customers MG Midget 7 years ago; it was previously kept off the road in a barn for 12 years. After finishing the car I took it for an MOT expecting some issue with the original tyres (not named brands) - but, not so. In fact these tyres are still passing the MOT every year since. The quality of the rubber was obviously considerably better than today’s equivalent.

If there's one thing which is incredibly stupid and dangerous it is people using old tyres. There are laws against this in other countries and it's high time for one here.

JOWETTJAVELIN wrote:

rogerowen wrote: I restored customers MG Midget 7 years ago; it was previously kept off the road in a barn for 12 years. After finishing the car I took it for an MOT expecting some issue with the original tyres (not named brands) - but, not so. In fact these tyres are still passing the MOT every year since. The quality of the rubber was obviously considerably better than today’s equivalent.

If there's one thing which is incredibly stupid and dangerous it is people using old tyres. There are laws against this in other countries and it's high time for one here.

Excuse me? I take this car every year to a specialist tyre dealer with every intent of having them replaced if need be, he looks at them and says 'they are fine - they have lasted much better than modern tyres'. Are you a tyre expert???