Schoolboy error

[Mnbrennan]

I was HOPING to have changed the rear brake discs, shoes and pads on the 123d as I've had some awful brake judder on the rear, caused I suspect by a sticking handbrake.

So I thought I'd be clever and buy some unused ATE discs off eBay for a 123d.

I stripped down one side and fitted new brake shoes (the springs are brutally tough), went to refit the disc and doh! it didn't fit (too deep)

Apparently the Coupe and Hatchback 123d (of the same years) have different rear brake discs. Serves me right for not checking!!!

So, back on eBay then

 

[Mint]

I was HOPING to have changed the rear brake discs, shoes and pads on the 123d as I've had some awful brake judder on the rear, caused I suspect by a sticking handbrake.

So I thought I'd be clever and buy some unused ATE discs off eBay for a 123d.

I stripped down one side and fitted new brake shoes (the springs are brutally tough), went to refit the disc and doh! it didn't fit (too deep)

Apparently the Coupe and Hatchback 123d (of the same years) have different rear brake discs. Serves me right for not checking!!!

Bad luck Martin, but we've all been there one way or another. It's a bigger problem when you're working on your only car and you've broken the old part while removing it and then find the new part doesn't fit.......

 

[GazHyde]

Seems odd they would use different discs, but nothing surprises me with BMW these days...

 

[Jack Ratt]

I normally buy "wrong stuff" from Ebay just after I get in from the pub. The best one so far is a 6ft plastic palm tree that I fought tooth and nail for and ended up paying £50 for it.

I tried to keep it a secret from 'er indoors but the look on her face was a picture when the postman knocked at our door with it

We've had many a laugh in our local off the back of that cock up

 

[Mnbrennan]

Fortunately I could put the old one back on I didn't dare drive it the 170 miles to Manchester though...

I normally buy "wrong stuff" from Ebay just after I get in from the pub. The best one so far is a 6ft plastic palm tree that I fought tooth and nail for and ended up paying £50 for it.

I tried to keep it a secret from 'er indoors but the look on her face was a picture when the postman knocked at our door with it

We've had many a laugh in our local off the back of that cock up

I have a coping strategy for that - drink as much as possible so that I can't use my phone hahaha

 

[BMBabe]

@Mnbrennan it wasn't a wasted trip tho we got the alloy for the festa lol fiesta

 

[andyglym]

I was HOPING to have changed the rear brake discs, shoes and pads on the 123d as I've had some awful brake judder on the rear, caused I suspect by a sticking handbrake.

So I thought I'd be clever and buy some unused ATE discs off eBay for a 123d.

I stripped down one side and fitted new brake shoes (the springs are brutally tough), went to refit the disc and doh! it didn't fit (too deep)

Apparently the Coupe and Hatchback 123d (of the same years) have different rear brake discs. Serves me right for not checking!!!

So, back on eBay then

I concur on the springs Martin, very frustrating. I ended up using a spring pulling tool that you use to build trampolines, most useful and quick.

 

[littlefeller]

we are all guilty of this, my most daft purchase - again ebay, i brought 2 solar powered wall mounted lights (the cast iron and glass type), the problem here was on the listing photos they are not actually shown mounted to a brick wall, instead they are shown with a brick wall in the back ground, yep you guessed it they arrived and when opened they were about the size of a match box.

 

[Gail]

Oops.....that's why you should never rely on make & model alone.......ALWAYS check the part number!!!

 

[t-tony]

I concur on the springs Martin, very frustrating. I ended up using a spring pulling tool that you use to build trampolines, most useful and quick.

You can build those shoes with only your fingers and a reasonable length lever (screwdriver) It just means doing it in the right order. Next time I do some at work I will take some pictures for you all.

Tony.

 

[FRANKIE]

I was HOPING to have changed the rear brake discs, shoes and pads on the 123d as I've had some awful brake judder on the rear, caused I suspect by a sticking handbrake.

So I thought I'd be clever and buy some unused ATE discs off eBay for a 123d.

I stripped down one side and fitted new brake shoes (the springs are brutally tough), went to refit the disc and doh! it didn't fit (too deep)

Apparently the Coupe and Hatchback 123d (of the same years) have different rear brake discs. Serves me right for not checking!!!

So, back on eBay then

I have gone through that disappointment. I love it when you're trying to fit on the new piece and when it doesn't fit, you try all different angles to get it into place, not stopping to think its the wrong part but thinking something is wrong with you that you must be doing something wrong. Finally you match up the old one with the new one only to see they are different and perhaps that difference is hardly noticeable. There is something worse though. I was replacing break pads on a '99 SLK and I couldn't get them into the caliper. Sometimes it's difficult to load new pads but I was trying for over an hour. I had thought they were the wrong ones but matched them up with the old ones and they were the same. After another 45 minutes, I was convinced there was something wrong with them and not me. When I went to match them up again, I took an extremely CLOSE look and saw that they weren't the same, but by an amount so small, I didn't see it the first time. I took them back to the store and they matched them up and told me they were good. I told them to look again. When they took a really close look, they saw the difference. It was only by luck that the parts representative from the manufacture was there and was shocked at the difference. A new set from the back room were the exact match. At home, I was able to put them in the caliper in less that 5 minutes.
Another similar example was doing rear breaks on a ''78 Dodge truck. I needed to replace the wheel bearings in the drum after replacing the break shoes. I hand packed the bearings and they fit well on the the axle spindle. I removed the outer race from the drum and proceeded to install the new one. No matter how I tried, the new race wouldn't go in. This can be a delicate job as you can't knacker up the race or the bearing will fail prematurely. I damaged the race after two hours of trying and had to go the the store for another. This one didn't go in either. I had made sure that I ordered the correct part and the second new one came in the same box with the same part number on it. After having the same problems, I matched up the old one to the new one as I had done twice before. They looked the same, but when I took a very close look at them standing on edge, the new one had a slightly larger diameter by less that the thickness of a dime. That's enough for it not to fit. I took both 'new' parts along with the old one back to the store. I wanted to scream at the clerk but realized first that it wasn't his fault. The part was correctly labeled and he did his job. It was the manufacturer' s fault. What to do???? Perhaps these were the experiences that make me take long looks at new parts before I buy them. Frankie

 

[Mnbrennan]

The saga continues...

Ordered discs from euro car parts and they were wrong again. So I took them back but I've just sheared a bolt!

Managed to get it out but now I have no replacement

So annoying!

 

[andyglym]

The saga continues...

Ordered discs from euro car parts and they were wrong again. So I took them back but I've just sheared a bolt!

Managed to get it out but now I have no replacement

So annoying!

Not much luck mate, just a plague of locusts and a change for the better.

 

[Antm72]

Slightly off topic but did your zed originate from a Bmw dealers called Snow ?

 

[Mnbrennan]

I think it was Thorne bmw, according to the service book

 

[Antm72]

Its just a very close reg number to my zed same except 527 for the numbers wondered if the same dealer

 

[Redline]

And you just bought a lottery ticket? Forgive me for pointing this out, but I suspect that might be a waste of money given your luck on this.

 

[Grumps]

I think it was Thorne bmw, according to the service book

Thorne is the BMW inland holding yard Martin not necessarily the dealer unless of course you have paperwork stating it. The pdi stamp in the front of your service nook could well be stamped Thorne as they do pdi them there before sending them to the selling dealership. You can see it next to the side of the M18 just before the M62.

 

[Antm72]

I live 2 mins from the yard in Thorne massive place.