And this weeks' little problem

[the Nefyn cat]

Just after I bought the Z, so nearly seven years ago, I found a split in the first air hose after the MAF. Went all the way to the local BMW place, just a hundred mile round trip, and bought a genuine new one. Was messing around under the bonnet a few days ago trying to see why the Vanos didn't want to play any more, and the hose has started to split around the t-piece bit. Bu**er. So I'd best get another one, this time a cheapy one off ebay, see how long they last.If it goes three years I'll be happy. And I like happy.
The Vanos? Somehow the solenoid had unplugged itself, glad I found that out before I ordered a new one off the interweb.Looking at around 150 quids for a new one.

 

[t-tony]

Does make you wonder about the quality of some OEM stuff Mick. Years ago there was a "supplier" of aftermarket HGV parts to my late father-in-law's business who also sold spring shackle pins to a Maindealer HGV outlet in the county who sold these items as genuine parts. Obviously quite a mark up, could this happen at a BMW dealership?

Tony.

 

[the Nefyn cat]

Came with the BMW roundel and part number moulded in, I'm hoping that means it's a proper part. The new ones (changing both hoses, might as well while I'm in there) most definitely won't be, but only time will tell how well they last. Certainly not going all the way to Llandudno just now.

 

[motco]

A very long time ago I worked for Hoover Ltd in their materials laboratory in Perivale. Apparently genuine Hoover parts, complete with logo, would appear occasionally - usually of very poor quality. A classic was counterfeit rubber drive belts for vacuum cleaners. These, when genuine, looked second hand when fitted because in order to reduce friction and limit the load on the motor if a foreign object became lodged in the agitator rotor, the belts were treated with a bromine process which hardened the surface. This made a sort of reticulated or cracked appearance when the belt was stretched over the pulleys. The fake parts - known in-house as 'bojak' parts - didn't have this treatment and could cause motors to burn out by stalling if an over-size item stopped the beater. The point of all this is that counterfeit parts often look genuine and even have all the supposed manufacturer's logos and legends moulded in.

 

[the Nefyn cat]

Hopefully, if I bought BMW parts from a BMW dealer with BMW part numbers moulded in then they'll be BMW parts.
Wasn't really the point, it's just that they've "only" been on there around seven years, surprised that they're starting to crack around the t-piece bit on the top already, and, as I found when I took the air filter box out, around the extra resonance (?) box tacked on to the end of the filter housing. I guess I'll find out just how well the not-BMW parts fit and last once they turn up.
Having changed the Vanos seals several years ago, which included changing the cam-cover gasket, I'm not too confident in BMWs ability to get the rubber bits right. The cam-cover gasket was particularly horrible, tried to peel it off the same as I have many (far too many) gaskets in my time, but it shattered into a zillion pieces, seemed to be made of Bakelite rather than rubber.

 

[motco]

Miele (German company) tub-shell gaskets (washing machine part) were the head and shoulders worst in detergent resistance testing of competitors' parts in the 1960s. Just saying...