Brake switch - BMW or 3rd party?

[DrWong]

Hi all, think I need a new brake switch. Symptoms include intermittent hood/cruise control/brake lights - they all need a few pumps of the pedal before working.

Is there any value in going with BMW here? The part is £47 from local dealer, but a look on ebay shows a Meyle jobbie with the same part number for £11 from a seller I've bought BMW bits from before (i.e. trusted)

Or does the existing brake switch just need adjusting/resetting?

Thanks!

 

[t-tony]

Most likely needs a new switch but Meyle would most likely be the original part anyway. Buy it with confidence.

Tony.

 

[Pingu]

The switch may just need a wee bit of adjustment. It's a fairly simple "Push = Closed" switch. I wouldn't spend any money until I've seen the switch and had a fiddle.

 

[t-tony]

It's highly likely you will make the switch work for a short while but I guarantee it will fail again. For the sake of 11 quid do yourself a favour and change it.

Tony.

 

[DrWong]

Thanks guys. Was considering tinkering with it, but as Tony says, for the sake of £11, I may as well just change it out.

 

[t-tony]

Look at it this way, if you spend £11 on a new switch and it lasts 20 years like the original one has it won't owe you anything, will it?

Tony.

 

[Andyboy]

The contacts oxidise inside and they work intermittently. I'd only use a good known brand.

 

[Ianmc]

I tend to use OEM parts these days. Too many let downs with others, not worth the hassle IMO.

 

[Andyboy]

I bought my last one from Febi and you could see where the BMW logo and part numbers were ground off.

 

[t-tony]

I bought my last one from Febi and you could see where the BMW logo and part numbers were ground off.

I got an inlet cam sensor from them for my Z3, it had the Bosch logo removed but the part number remained. When I googled the number it came up as a Bosch part. A lot less expensive than BMW too.

Tony.

 

[Duncodin]

I bought my last one from Febi and you could see where the BMW logo and part numbers were ground off.

I don't think grinding off of a logo means it's genuine. I mean why grind it off if it's a genuine part. No law against reselling genuine parts.

Or maybe there is a reason to grind it off especially shipping across borders. Avoids any trademark issues. But that would also apply to fakes made from a mold that was made from a genuine part in china.

 

[t-tony]

Possibly no law against selling genuine parts, but, if the manufacturer requires you to remove their branding or they won't supply you anymore, then you remove their mark (logo). These were through ECP, not just one manufacturer either.

Tony.

 

[Pingu]

I don't think grinding off of a logo means it's genuine. I mean why grind it off if it's a genuine part. No law against reselling genuine parts.

Or maybe there is a reason to grind it off especially shipping across borders. Avoids any trademark issues. But that would also apply to fakes made from a mold that was made from a genuine part in china.

I came across this when I was working in procurement identification in the MOD.

There is no law against reselling a genuine part, but is it a genuine BMW part, or a genuine Febi part? It depends who sold it. If Febi sold it to the market, it's a Febi part (and shouldn't have the trademarked BMW logo unless BMW specifically allow it). If Febi sold it to BMW, then BMW sold it to the market as a BMW part, it's a BMW part and it is allowed to display the BMW trademark.

 

[Ianmc]

if the manufacturer requires you to remove their branding

Why would they require that; just the opposite I would have thought?

 

[t-tony]

Simply because manufacturers do not want the “aftermarket“ selling their product at cut prices to protect their huge mark up for the dealers.

Tony.

 

[Duncodin]

Slightly different topic. The USA is very strange as far as trade marks are concerned. For example a well known example is Rolex. Swiss watch maker. But in the USA the rolex name and logo is owned by "Rolex USA". So a person in the USA orders a genuine rolex from an authorized reseller in europe could have the delivery impounded by US customs as if it was counterfeit because only rolex usa is allowed to handle 'rolex' in the usa and anything else is fake (even if it isn't)

 

[Andyboy]

Febi (Ferdinand Bilstein) make very little, if anything. What they do is box and resell mainly OE parts from Bosch, Lemforder etc. BMW don't make brake light switches, they buy them in complete with the roundel and part number. There is always excess manufacture and these are sold on the aftermarket with the logo and numbers removed.

 

[t-tony]

The logos are always removed, not all part numbers though.

Tony.