Morris Minor Owners Club

Is is worth paying extra for brand-name parts? I'm getting some new brake bits for both Trav and saloon, and I could end up spending twice as much if I buy "genuine" parts.

If it's worth the cash I'll do it, but if the difference is marginal or absent I'l get the pattern stuff.

Specifics bits are front and rear brake cylinders. Front for Trav, rear for saloon.

Well I prefer genuine parts as they should be produced to higher spec and therefore last longer and I believe more than one spares supplier does not reccommend pattern master cylinders due to quality issues.
If you take panels like wings for instance the pattern ones are often miles out when it comes to fit, so the extra time taken to make an item fit and they do not seem as durable long term.

If you fit Pattern Cylinders then the Seal kits ESM sell are not the same so you will definatly have to replace the cylinders again next time.

Could save you some money in the very long term.

I only found this out when too late. Anyone want 3 front cylinder seal kits

Pattern M/c in Maude seems alright but if I had the cash I would have bought the lockheed one purely because I prefer the cap on the original.

Bull Motif have special offer on gen Lockhead front cylinders at the moment - not much more than pattern, however the rear gen cylinders are almost 3 times cost of pattern. So - i would get the gen fronts and pattern rears !

I prefer the handbrake mechanism on the genuine rear ones. Leaves more room for adjustment.

I still have to get a (possibly) full set for my MM. I hope to have some change for 400 pounds.

Jim, I've sent you a PM about my experiences with pattern cylinders.

I've used both and if you take them apart you can see the differences.
The genuine cylinders should have a cup type seal which is in general more reliable than the pattern type 'ring' seal, but both are fit for purpose if made correctly.
One of the most important factors is the material quality, however as the name brand and the pattern ones could be made anywhere it is a little bit of a lottery.
Another factor is manufacturing quality and on this point the name brand ought to be more trustworthy. Out of my own curiosity i would dissassemble genuine or pattern parts before using them to see if there is any swarf or poor machining inside

Seal kits - yes they are generally available for the name brand items and not for the patterns. However I've managed to get a replacement seal for a pattern cylinder in the past (seal was cut on a new rear cylinder - my own fault)
For 'old' cylinders it is possible that the lip of the seal has worn a lot but usually (by this time) the cylinder is ready to be replaced anyway!

Thanks for the information folks (including the PM from Chris).

BMC, do you have a link to the special offer from Bullmotif? Their website is a total abortion (and why I don't usually buy from them) so I couldn't find it.

yeah the only difference is you cant reuse them with new seals. Mine are pattern at the front OK after 3 years. The pattern master cylinder is a bit bigger than the genuine part (orignal not avalable) but it works OK.

JimK

http://www.morrisminorspares.net/offers.php

You have to be registered and log in to access the special offers page.

57traveller wrote:You have to be registered and log in to access the special offers page.

So to access the page with the prices that are most likely to make you buy from them, you have to give them your name and address? Interesting tactic - I wonder if high street stores have thought of restricting access to January sales to people who hand over their details?

There'd better be a "Do not use my details for anything, ever" tickbox on that page...

Or just phone them - always found them very helpful and fast 'next day' service. The one time I ordered via the net - it took a week for the bits to arrive.

JimK wrote:

57traveller wrote:You have to be registered and log in to access the special offers page.

So to access the page with the prices that are most likely to make you buy from them, you have to give them your name and address? Interesting tactic - I wonder if high street stores have thought of restricting access to January sales to people who hand over their details?

There'd better be a "Do not use my details for anything, ever" tickbox on that page...

Sorry I bothered now

57traveller wrote:Sorry I bothered now

Apologies, it was not a good reply to an offer of help.

It still seems like an odd thing for them to do, but I'm sorry I reacted to your post like that.