Raybestos "Professional Grade"? I think not!

[Falcon_LS]

So a buddy of mine has a '03 Expedition and the hydraulic brake hoses were never changed, so we decided to replace them sooner rather than later. Ironically, his wife had a near accident and hit the curb, which caused the passenger side front hose to crack and he was running low on brake fluid - perfect timing.

We decided to go with Raybestos Professional Grade hoses, given I had good experiences with them in the past and there was a waiting period on OE Ford lines because they were out of stock. No worries.

Got the hoses and see "Made in China". I had a bad feeling about this, but hey - we had little choice. Took about an hour to replace all the hoses on all fours, only to find out the fronts were leaking under pressure. Do these dumbbells not pressure test before packaging them off? Now the [censored] truck's off the road for the next 5 days until the Ford dealer can get a set from Dubai.

Sure hope their suspension products (Spicer) are nothing like their hydraulic hoses - I got RPG control arms and springs waiting to go on the Envoy.

 

[JHZR2]

Where were they leaking? Pinholes in the rubber? At the crimp? Or could they have been cross-threaded?

Im no fan of Chinesium to save a couple dollars while costing a neighbor's job... But I have to imagine that there is some other issue here. Wow, thats scary!

 

[Falcon_LS]

Right at the crimp. The reason we went with Raybestos was because we were going after a reputable aftermarket alternative, given the OE part was not available. We were told there's a waiting period of up to two weeks to check for availability. Ford has this stupid 10 year rule, and we were fed a bunch of [censored] by the dealer about it not being available. Now they say they can get it from Dubai in 5 business days.

 

[Donald]

I have not had any issues with their calipers and rotors.

 

[flacoman]

Maybe a local hydraulic supply house could fab some up for you. Braided stainless and the right fittings ,done for life.

 

[Merkava_4]

Those brake hoses will leak if you try to use the old banjo washers.

Every time you tighten that banjo bolt, you better be using a new banjo washer with it.

 

[artificialist]

Nearly every aftermarket brake hose I used was made in China. I never had one fail as quickly as yours. The only time I had a hose made outside of China, it was made by uRO parts in Italy.

However, they make good brake pads, brake rotors, and suspension parts.

I have heard that some of the high performance braided hoses are made in the USA, but I never got to install one.

 

[01rangerxl]

Sorry to hear Raybestos Pro let you down on this. That's discouraging.

I have Raybestos Pro ball joints on my truck...made in Taiwan, but truly top notch quality. The lower joints could be put on display they look so good.

I am hoping my truck's original soft lines will last forever, because I know once I have to replace them, it will become a routine thing.

 

[willbur]

Forever? The place to look is where the rubber hose joins the metal line. It's covered by a rubber sleeve,many times. Pull it back and you maybe surprised by the corrosion you find. My lines looked great and I checked this when replacing pads. They fell apart in my hands.Trapped road salt and moisture were the cause. They were 5 years old and passed state inspection before this.

 

[01rangerxl]

Southern truck since new...not a spot of rust underneath. The rubber will go first. Rusty brake lines at 5 years is a Northern thing.

And the "forever" part was tongue in cheek.

 

[zzyzzx]

I have been using Made in USA new old stock brake lines for my car.