Yes, we need to move on from the assumption that anything is bad if made in China. Whatever I buy, it seems to be made in China now, except for my breakfast cereal!
Has anyone used cheap eBay calipers?
- Thread starter slacktide_bitog
- Start date
On replace or repair, I have found on closer examination a rebuild works wonders on calipers. Not a hard DIY if you can get the parts. Advantages are lower cost and remains OEM. For rotors resurfacing can substantially renew their lives if you caught them in time and they remain in spec. Pads of course is another matter. First explore the replacement OEM and research if you can match or improve at a reasonable price. There are discount OEM sources that now enable a more affordable original item replacement.
Finding from experience that the OEM parts have been proven to work well for me, based on actual experience. Unless your driving conditions change, eg for track days, you may be happy with what you originally had until worn, and replicating with the same part works best.
Finding from experience that the OEM parts have been proven to work well for me, based on actual experience. Unless your driving conditions change, eg for track days, you may be happy with what you originally had until worn, and replicating with the same part works best.
I've used Cardone (formerly A-1 Cardone) calipers (and CV axles) for almost 40 years without issue. I've installed dozens of them over the years and have never seen what everyone's griping about.
RaymondP just beat me to the punch on another point...rebuilding and reusing. If calipers actually require a rebuild, they generally need only a cleaning, piston seal, and dust boot. On rare occasions they may require honing and a new piston, but in my experience that's pretty rare. Seal kits are literally a few dollars.
The same can be said for rotors. How many folks actually check thickness and lateral runout before trashing perfectly serviceable parts? Not many, I'd bet.
We've basically become accustomed to offshore, disposable, low-cost, bolt-on, bolt-off parts from some internet site. "New" pads, rotors, and frequently calipers have become synonymous with brake jobs today. And while everything made in the third world isn't necessarily garbage, it's typically not the best stuff. I personally choose not to gamble with brakes.
Most of these products are marketed and sold to consumers as quick and easy solutions. "Why turn your rotors when you can just replace them?" "Why perform a messy caliper rebuild when you can bolt on a new one?" The answer is generally because the OE stuff is of far better quality and has the potential for much greater longevity. We've simply become too lazy to perform any level of actual analysis.
Now don't get me started on all those crappy quick-struts.
RaymondP just beat me to the punch on another point...rebuilding and reusing. If calipers actually require a rebuild, they generally need only a cleaning, piston seal, and dust boot. On rare occasions they may require honing and a new piston, but in my experience that's pretty rare. Seal kits are literally a few dollars.
The same can be said for rotors. How many folks actually check thickness and lateral runout before trashing perfectly serviceable parts? Not many, I'd bet.
We've basically become accustomed to offshore, disposable, low-cost, bolt-on, bolt-off parts from some internet site. "New" pads, rotors, and frequently calipers have become synonymous with brake jobs today. And while everything made in the third world isn't necessarily garbage, it's typically not the best stuff. I personally choose not to gamble with brakes.
Most of these products are marketed and sold to consumers as quick and easy solutions. "Why turn your rotors when you can just replace them?" "Why perform a messy caliper rebuild when you can bolt on a new one?" The answer is generally because the OE stuff is of far better quality and has the potential for much greater longevity. We've simply become too lazy to perform any level of actual analysis.
Now don't get me started on all those crappy quick-struts.
You raise an interesting point. For me personally it all boils down to 1) analysis and 2) keeping it "local."
There are actually a heck of a lot of made-in-China OE parts on today's cars. I was actually a bit mortified when I performed the first tire rotation on my then-new 2014 Town & Country. Those beautiful black-accented alloy rims were stamped "Made in China" bigger than life. Ugh.
That said, those Chrysler parts have to be made to pretty exacting standards, so I got over it. I think the key is discovering what's made to high standards and what isn't. For example, if I'm considering new Raybestos brake rotors at $45.00 each - and they're made in China - I have a tad more confidence in these as compared to something like "Happy Brake You Stop Now" rotors on Amazon for $19.99 each. A big company like Raybestos has to stand behind them, so the extra cost might (might!) equal higher quality. It can be tough, though.
I also prefer, 10 times out of 10, to buy US-made products where my purchase actually supports American workers as opposed to laborers in an adversarial nation. That typically means selecting Goodyear/Kelly/Cooper tires, Akebono brake pads, etc. I'll pay extra for this almost every time.
I doubt theres many USA foundries making brake calipers. I've bought a few from Ebay and Rockauto with no issues. Last year bought a few go kart ones too. I'd be more concerned about other countries making decent quality calipers vs China.
Another reason to simply clean & reseal your existing units.
The likelyhood of finding those parts is slim. I dinked around with the idea, but seems like too much hassle.
Unless you drive some king of exotic, most calipers are made by big companies such as Bosch, ATE, Teves, TRW, etc. Replacement parts are almost everywhere. Go to Rock Auto and look up your vehicle. Go to brakes, then to caliper repair kit. I've been able to find kits (and pistons) very easily for everything I drive.
Your notion of the job seeming like "too much hassle" is actually the show-stopper for most -- even though refreshing calipers is very, very simple. Takes a few minutes per side once they're off. More, obviously, if you want to paint them.
This attitude, unfortunately, is what's given us crappy Bic lighters for cars, disposable appliances, etc. Nobody can be bothered to fix anything...or even wants to. Doing a lot of your own refurbishment is not only satisfying, but is increasingly necessary for those of us who choose to drive older cars.
I am assuming you are TIC so quoting for emphasis. Not sure why people think it is good to save on no name brakes when calipers can be rebuilt. Caliper failure should be very rare if the brakes are periodically inspected, the friction surfaces are properly replaced, slide pins are cleaned and lubed, and fluid flushes are done every few years. Now adding mystery no name parts into the equation is not a way to improve the overall reliability picture.
The aftermarket can be a crap shoot but I would rather either pony up for the original equipment parts or find them used if you have a reliable vendor for that make.
If the carb fails you don’t risk the chance of injuring yourself or others.
I've used E-Bay calipers for years now. No core needed. I do message the seller and ask " are these new or re-man ? " If they are new , I buy them and have yet to have a problem. The " re-man" always leaked at the piston seal.
I highly doubt the statement that rebuild able caliper parts are readily available, hence why I still say its not worth the hassle. Used ones are plentiful. Where it makes sense is starters and possibly alternators if its a simple brush rebuild.
I think we're talking past each other a bit. What I said is caliper rebuild kits and pistons are widely available. Rock Auto is overflowing with them. A rebuild kit only consists of a piston seal and a dust seal (boot). Phenolic and metal pistons, if required, are also available for a wide array of cars. Rebuilding a caliper assumes, of course, the caliper itself is rebuildable. Your quote above, "rebuildable caliper parts" implies you're talking about the calipers themselves. I'm talking about the rebuild kits only. I understand rebuildable old calipers may be hard to find. That said, rebuilding a caliper is as easy as disassembly-cleaning-reassembly. There's literally one moving part (two if dual-piston). It doesn't get any easier.
Caliper bores can be re-honed if necessary. They usually clean up with a few passes of emery cloth, though. In all my years of wrenching I've only seen one set of calipers with bores so rusted & pitted they couldn't be saved.
Trav - you are going to cost me another $215 for a tool I don't have but obviously need and now a must have
I bought a caliper rebuilding kit from Automotive Brake Solutions and it's a complete kit. Everything you need except the caliper core.
Elkins45
Site Donor 2026
Not EBay but I bought a caliper for my wife’s RAV4, but I only needed the bracket. I could buy the complete set cheaper than just a bracket locally. So far, so good.
Respectfully, you can do something say 20 times and 19 times it works brilliantly. The other time there is a potentially serious accident. Do you choose to take the risk anyway? This is a personal decision so I am not trying to give you grief but the point I am making is that with certain safety related items, people really need to think about seriously where they save money. This coming from a guy who brings lunch several times a week for money and health reasons.
My .02 is that if the brakes on a car need to be 100 percent, no shortcuts. The downside risk is too great.
Take care.
It’s actually a good example. My younger sister used to have a 98 Forester while she was in law school and I helped her maintain it so I still have a parts account at one of the online retailers.
Genuine calipers from Subaru for 1998 Forester L (that’s what she had - only died a few years ago, your car is probably similar) are $220 a piece and are available in two to three days. So you would probably also need fresh rotors if a caliper seized - those are available too for $60 a piece, times two because you would change both fronts together. Pads for the front are about $80. So we are talking about about $420 or so in parts plus tax and shipping to do the job correctly, plus the owner’s time (or big brother’s time in her case) or shop time. In today’s world, is $500 or so (including tax and shipping, rounded up) in parts on a car that you drive daily too much money? You can say it is an old car and yes, it is, but it is not about the age of the car but about safety and reliability for the person who drives it and those around them.
I don’t want to argue with people. But a car is something that if it doesn’t stop when you need it to, and how you expect it to, at best property damage results and at worst people get hurt. Brakes aren’t a place to go cheap.
Take care.
Genuine calipers from Subaru for 1998 Forester L (that’s what she had - only died a few years ago, your car is probably similar) are $220 a piece and are available in two to three days. So you would probably also need fresh rotors if a caliper seized - those are available too for $60 a piece, times two because you would change both fronts together. Pads for the front are about $80. So we are talking about about $420 or so in parts plus tax and shipping to do the job correctly, plus the owner’s time (or big brother’s time in her case) or shop time. In today’s world, is $500 or so (including tax and shipping, rounded up) in parts on a car that you drive daily too much money? You can say it is an old car and yes, it is, but it is not about the age of the car but about safety and reliability for the person who drives it and those around them.
I don’t want to argue with people. But a car is something that if it doesn’t stop when you need it to, and how you expect it to, at best property damage results and at worst people get hurt. Brakes aren’t a place to go cheap.
Take care.
