New or reman calipers

P

pbm

Joined
Apr 19, 2004
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I'm looking at rear calipers on RA for a RAV4 and wondering what thoughts are on new vs. reman?
The new are Raybestos....the remans are Power Stop (Autospecialty) which claim to be rebuilt in their "Chicago facility".
If it were mine I'd get the Raybestos but I'm trying to save a family member some money.
 
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I have never had any problems using reman calipers. I guess the price difference would be my deciding factor.
 
If you really want to save some money rebuild it yourself. Pretty easy. The only tool you need is a hone. Then a rebuild kit which is pretty cheap. Then evaluate the piston and pins for possible replacement. If there is any rust or pitting on those items after wiping with a rag then replace them, don't wire brush the rust off.
 
I’ve used the Power Stop reman calipers and can report no issues or concerns. I’ve put them on a few different vehicles and haven’t had to swap them out early from normal service. The only one I changed out early was due to damage that happened to that wheel and rotor from road debris.

If on a budget, it’s a good option. If you want to be absolutely sure, spend the extra dough and go ahead with the Raybestos new calipers. They are also a very good option. 👍
 
Raybestos doesn’t make their own calipers afaik. I don’t know who makes calipers for Toyota, but I’d be concerned that they aren’t an exact duplicate... and then what?

I agree that diy rebuilding is a good option, though it is time consuming and filthy. There are outfits who do a better job at rebuilding, for a cost and a timeline...
 
pbm said:
wondering what thoughts are on new vs. reman?
Click to expand...

Its truly a judgment call with legitimate points on all sides ( personally I prefer rebuild but that's because we are set up for it- professionally I base it on client resources)

New ( assuming virgin and made correctly to OEM spec)- all things equal this would be the best option in all areas but with the highest cost in terms of reliability and risk. The limiting thing is that in terms of performance and life- you are not getting anything more than a proper rebuild or reman unit so its a judgement call.

Reman- all things equal this should be equal to new ( people may not realize this as it is a very fine accounting and tax point but "remanufacturing" [ or refurbishment or any of the synonyms] actually restores an asset to 100% of its OEM performance and resets counters). So if its a true "reman" then it should be equal in all ways but at a slightly lower cost. This depends on the internal quality processes of the individual facility.

Rebuild/Repair- all things equal this can be anywhere from a reman to a simple "restore lost functionality". If done properly it too should equal the OEM but there is more risk involved and more random decision making. One major benefit is substantially lower cost overall ( usually) and speed of restoration ( depending on lead time of the OTS replacement) and you know this part "fits and works" because it already has.

Lot of points an individual should consider and make a decision which is best in their case for.
 
Get the new Raybestos Element 3’s with no core deposit to deal with. One of the most knowledgeable on here recommended them to me years ago on an 05 Toyota.
 
I’d either get new or rebuild them on your own. I’ve never had good luck with reman calipers. Aisin is the OE caliper if those are available but the Raybestos are really good too.
 
If returning a core is something you do not want to deal with why not seek your "best" parts shop and get the reman they offer?

A good supplier-to-the-trade would have weeded out the unacceptably cheap part sources so the local garages can avoid headaches.

Plunk the old one down on the counter and you can do a side-by-side and pay no core.
 
pbm said:
I'm looking at rear calipers on RA for a RAV4 and wondering what thoughts are on new vs. reman?
The new are Raybestos....the remans are Power Stop (Autospecialty) which claim to be rebuilt in their "Chicago facility".
If it were mine I'd get the Raybestos but I'm trying to save a family member some money.
Click to expand...

Most remans today are generally not the best quality regardless of who claimed to do it and where it was done. IMO if the Raybestos calipers are available for the car they are the best way to go.
They fit properly, work properly (very important if the caliper has the E brake mechanism) and are corrosion resistant, the price is very good for new.
 
In my limited (I am not a mechanic by trade) experience, many of the remanufactured components (brake calipers, starters, alternators) have gone downhill from years ago. Carburators? Forget it unless you get one from one of the very few experts doing rebuilds.
Good luck.
 
I installed new Raybestos Element 3 front calipers (plus rotors & pads) this spring on my 2012 Toyota Tacoma 2.7L 4x4. Easy change out and perfect fit. Could of gone with re-manufactured but chose not to. So far trouble free and working well. Purchased them through Rock Auto and I believe Lifetime Warranty on the calipers?
 
New calipers only. Ever had a rebuilt caliper fail on you? I have and it was on a twisty canyon road with no shoulders at 40 mph. I managed to get where I was going 5 miles down the road where I parked and found brake fluid all over the caliper. Filled the master up and drove 12 miles back mainly with no brake pedal. Filled up again and drove another 14 miles home with no brake pedal after a few miles. When I took the caliper off there was a very fine nick at the sealing point and that is all it took. How did I drive all those miles with pretty much no brakes? A manual transmission and emergency brake.
 
tbm3fan said:
New calipers only. Ever had a rebuilt caliper fail on you? I have and it was on a twisty canyon road with no shoulders at 40 mph. I managed to get where I was going 5 miles down the road where I parked and found brake fluid all over the caliper. Filled the master up and drove 12 miles back mainly with no brake pedal. Filled up again and drove another 14 miles home with no brake pedal after a few miles. When I took the caliper off there was a very fine nick at the sealing point and that is all it took. How did I drive all those miles with pretty much no brakes? A manual transmission and emergency brake.
Click to expand...
I see your point. I would suggest that perhaps the remans were not rebuilt properly.
If a caliper is withing spec, honed properly and rebuilt with quality parts, it should perform as good as new.
But with the availability of new calipers like the Rabestos stuff, new is a compelling choice.
 
JeffKeryk said:
I see your point. I would suggest that perhaps the remans were not rebuilt properly.
Click to expand...
The problem with remans is almost universal ( and this comes from inspecting a few vendors for approvals on lists as part of reliability programs under ISO- auto parts reman facilities are no different)

These places don't hire mechanics or technicians- they hire workers who can be trained to follow a process and a gauge in an assembly line fashion.

They do these things in bulk and what little testing that's done is often nothing more than an air puff against a spring ( 1 cycle) and if it cycles and doesn't hang- it goes on the belt to packaging.

Most times they don't even evaluate the core, just change parts to a checklist.

I was really surprised at first but some of them are proud of it. I see "quality" signs everywhere.

More of that MBA mindset from the other thread.
 
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