Good Old ECP - Done it again. Monday's e-mail to my mate Phil who is manager at ECP Castleragh, Belfast. I got to know Phil, who used to be active on CGTI, through Parz (TSC). Phil is another great ex-CGTIer who helps me no end. Cos. of ECP computer system problems and ECP stocking level inaccuracies I ended up with a Q Drive CV because the Lobro one had disappeared up its own anus. After my visit to the hospital yesterday I can tell you it is still no fun to have something pushed up your anus. OK the 30mm dia. camera is smaller than a CV joint, but, even so, it still feels flipping uncomfortable.lol Good Morning Phil. The CV is coming back to you. It is not the correct CV Joint. It may well fit some Audi 100s but not the 2.0L as your website states. ECP need to put OE numbers on so we can check against ETKA. The outer spline is OK but the inner spline is massive on the Q Drive CV. On my Audi 100 the inner is same size as Golf, Audi 80 FWD and Audi 90Q Rear. The inner on the Q Drive is the same size as the 90 20V Q, Ur Quattro & 100 S4 Front. I think that the one you sent is one of these? But. I am mobile again as the wear was 99% inner race. It looks like it has run, without grease but with water, so long that the balls have dug holes in the inner race. Just slight scuffing in the outer race. As the outer is high carbon steel which has been induction hardened at the raceways it's surface will be much harder than the through hardened inner raceways. Now, as I have a new pair of Audi 80 Lobro CVs for my Mk2 Golf conversion. So I took the balls, cage and inner race from one of them and built them into the old outer. What's most upsetting though is that I had to use the Lobro rubber boot, my beautiful Oetiker stainless clips (No old rusty ones on new Lobro rubber), and the only CV Joint grease I have is 'GKN Motorsport". What a waste on a car that, when we find a Mk4, I shall be breaking for all of the outer Golf bits I have used on it. i.e. New OEM water pipes, refurbished Mk3 rear brakes, Goodridge Brake Hoses, etc. PS. I will have a full set of one year old OEM petrol pipes, from tank to engine compartment, available soon. They fit all petrol Audi 100s and UR Quattros, 200s and Ur S4s as well. I can't remember exactly, but I recon it was 400, or so, from the dealer. See you in a couple of weeks to return it. I shall post on CGTI how crap the ECP website and systems are. BUT. I shall says how unfair it is for managers and staff at branches who have to deal with, unlike myself, irate customers who suffer the same problems. Kindest regards, Dave. ps. I recon ECP should buy the BEER? LOL
Hi Dave! The number of times I've had the wrong part from vendors such as these is incredible. Customer satisfaction and parts that fit properly don't seem to be up high on the list for the aftermarket supplier. Gurds
It's just not good enough Gurds. Poor old Phil, and his staff, suffer some right aggro because of this, and it's not their fault. Phil is being pushed, by the useless bosses, for turnover day-in and day-out. His branch has one of the very highest turnovers in the UK, and he is getting a b0ll0cking when things are returned cos. it cost loads 'o money in administration sorting it. I was OK in the end and managed to fix the car so I could make the 400 km round trip to the hospital. Other poor bu99ers who are let down by ECP, and other's bad management, and who also need to be somewhere important can't be expected to do what I did. Kindest regards my loverly sSon. Sorry not to have contacted you before. sDa.
Just realise that this is going to cost me loads 'o money for: A new Lobro Audi 80 CV New Oetiker Stainless Steel clips More GKN Motor Sport CV joint grease When I do get around to assembling the drive shafts. What's that? 150 + p&p = 200 minimum. That is almost the cost of two GKN Motor Sport Drive Shafts. The word is: ****E.
No problem Sda! I completely agree with you. Quality over quantity isn't valued much these days. It's sad how business growth and profit is more important than quality and service. Gurds
I order all my CV's, bearings etc. from ATP in Germany, they have an Ebay UK shop. Never had an issue with parts fitting and they usually get to me as before UK suppliers!
Dave, I'm not sure which outer CV the GKN is for 1990 GTI 4Dr. Part No.: 657443350 (With groove?) or Part No.: 657443250 (Without groove?) The inners are 100mm so I think they are -> Part No.: 657443650 Also Found - Part No.: 657443610 and it's cheaper... so I'm lost now. http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/V...ransmission/transmission-parts/cv-joint-kits/ Thanks, wish you a festive end to 2015 and happy new year! h
Hi all, Bumping this as I’m looking for a pair of outer cv’s, based on the measurements of the original ones these GKN ones are correct but are no longer available. Any idea where I would get them?
USA AGAIN, BUT A BIT CHEAPER. https://www.ebay.com/itm/234624282028 I HAD A LOOK AT VW CLASSIC PARTS: https://www.volkswagen-classic-parts.com/en_uk/ I COULD NOT FIND THE EXACT CVs BUT WHAT I DID FIND WERE EXPENSIVE AT AROUND €300.
Thanks for that, I didn't have the OE part number to search by. If I can't get GKN, out of this list what's best? https://www.car-parts.ie/oem-number/171498099c
In my opinion it has to be SKF. To my knowledge the other suppliers are not OEM manufacturers and many of them don't make anything they just factor stuff they purchase anywhere. I have always been a big SKF fan ('Buy Swedish - Buy Best' applies not only to SAAB but also to SKF) At GKN we only used SKF bearings in the overdrives. SAAB only used SKF bearings. I only specified SKF bearings in my designs at BSC and Butterleys. The 2.0m diameter bearings at Kilroot Power Station cost over £20.000 back in 1983 and are still running well. I have visited SKF in Sweden during business trips to SAAB and VOLVO and their factories are exceptionally well engineered. https://www.skf.com/binaries/pub12/Images/0901d19680603a49-CVJ_leaflet_A4_EN_2017_tcm_12-307016.pdf
Cheers, I was thinking SKF would be the ones to go for. The original outers are slightly pitted, inners are OE and are fine after a clean and re-lube.
Nor am I, that's why I said "at a pinch", the reality is that the original/better manufacturers are not as widespread as they once were and sadly we are starting to get stuck with sub-premium brands.
Although Meyle are part of the Febi Bilstein Group of companies, which do have manufacturing facilities, as far as I can ascertain, they are not OEM suppliers. Quote from a Feb Bilstein website: "All of the products found in Febi Bilstein's catalog are OEM grade and are often considered to be the go-to choice when Genuine parts aren't available." Some of you may know that I am a retired Chief Design Engineer and I started my career, in Automotive Engineering, with GKN Laycock Engineering, in 1966. We manufactured some of the highest quality automotive products in the world. Our gears were sublime! Shaved gear faces and diamond honed bores! I have worked with quite a few vehicle manufacturers and I can tell you now that there are different standards of "OEM grade". SAAB's drawings called for the highest quality standards, with tolerances we found difficult to attain. VOLVO were not far behind. Followed by Mercedes. We even made parts for Willians F1. They were close to SAAB. Japanese companies were up there with SAAB. I never got to look at VAG drawings, but I assume that Porsche were close to SAAB as both companies used the same OEM manufactures. Companies such as: FORD, Vauxhall, British Leyland, Rootes, etc.. had much lower standards. So! OEM grade depends on who the original manufacture was. In the aftermarket the only group I trust is ZF. Lemforder, Sachs, Boge, etc.. are all OEM suppliers. I have never had a failure when using their products, and quite often the part was actually an AUDI, or VW, marked item. Enough said. If I can't find an original VAG part from VW Classic or AUDI Tradition, I shall buy ZF or SKF.
I am aware your significant automotive knowledge and experience Dave and I for one, make it a point of locating Genuine VAG or the actual OEM parts in all the vehicles that I have owned. With that said it has been my experience that the quality of aftermarket parts is not what it used to be and I believe the tolerances and standards that you mention above are becoming rarer. As an example, my experience of TRW who I believe are also part of the ZF Group has been far from good with their quality - I purchased TRW suspension and brake parts for my 190e and they were not good, to the point I took them off and went with Ate and Lemforder. Those two brands, I heartily recommend all day long along with Sachs and Boge that you too include. My list of aftermarket brands that I always use is as follows - let me know if you agree or not with my selections Electronics, sensors, injectors, pumps, starters, alternator etc. - Bosch / Hella Brake parts - Ate all the way, I have used Pagid & Jurid pads/discs previously and did not have an issue with them. Suspension including bushings etc. - Sachs, Boge, Lemforder and Bilstein Belts - Continental, I hear good things about Gates but I have not used them myself I don't have a lot of experience with engine components but hopefully in the not too distant future, my GTI's spare head will have extra life breathed into it with an upgraded camshaft from Techtonics Tuning (USA), some porting/polishing courtesy of Tristan along with uprated valve springs and then of course stem seals and I have even bought new valves - the original head will kept as a known working spare.
I am in complete agreement with everything you say Costel. (Sorry I don't know your given name) I still can't make out the relationship between: Lucas and Girling and TRW. Certainly ETKA, for the Golfs we own, refers to Lucas rear calipers, which now appear to be TRW!? I would have been more confident if ATE brakes were fitted at both ends. I was quite surprised when ZF acquired TRW as I don't believe that they are in the same quality league as ZF's other companies!? I never thought much of American vehicle engineering with regard to cars and motorcycles. One can only assume they wanted an OEM brake supplier to add to their overall aftermarket coverage. Mind you, it was dirt cheap! "Veoneer Inc. said Tuesday that it completed the sale of its money-losing U.S. brake business to German supplier ZF Friedrichshafen for $1". I like ATE and usually fit their products. Having said that I fitted Brembo discs and calipers at both ends of Elaine's Mk4 25J last summer. I know from experience, that Gates belts are up there with Continental. At Butterleys we usually used Gates conveyor belts as they consistently met, or exceeded, our specifications. We never had any complaints from customers.I trust Continental and have specified their timing belts and vee-belts on quite a few machines. But, I did fit a Gates timing belt kit on the 25J some years ago.
