Rotor Arms
Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 2:02 pm
Just phoned a Jag parts supplier this morning to order, amongst other things, a new rotor arm for my 3.8 Mk 2. It already has a new and unused arm (I've been restoring the car for a LONG time) but I noticed that the arm set into the plastic body is loose - the pin that secures it is clearly not up to the job.
The chap on the end of the line was very helpful and offered me a choice - an original Lucas rotor at £2.86 or a "high quality" after-market item at £9.20. He explained that the fault I had found with my rotor was well-known, but the manufacturer refused to acknowledge it, whereas the expensive one specifically addressed the poor pin fit and looseness and was therefore "selling like hot cakes". Needless to say, I took the hit.
If the above is true, and the cheaper part is made by Lucas, it's interesting to know that the tradition of British industry's old head-in-the-sand attitude is being maintained in some quarters and that Joe Lucas is still striving to keep the title of Prince of Darkness! However, is making a pin that will securely hold the part tightly together really that difficult?
The chap on the end of the line was very helpful and offered me a choice - an original Lucas rotor at £2.86 or a "high quality" after-market item at £9.20. He explained that the fault I had found with my rotor was well-known, but the manufacturer refused to acknowledge it, whereas the expensive one specifically addressed the poor pin fit and looseness and was therefore "selling like hot cakes". Needless to say, I took the hit.
If the above is true, and the cheaper part is made by Lucas, it's interesting to know that the tradition of British industry's old head-in-the-sand attitude is being maintained in some quarters and that Joe Lucas is still striving to keep the title of Prince of Darkness! However, is making a pin that will securely hold the part tightly together really that difficult?