Thread: Aftermarket parts. Worth it??

An aftermarket coolant pump i bought, seals lasted 9 months, the LR genuine I replaced it with is going strong 2years later.

Go genuine for the coolant pump

if you look in the right places the genuine stuff isnt really all that expensive, i cant remember costs but i do remember last year putting brand new genuine water pump and thermostat in my V8, but the viscous fan i found a good second hand one because i couldnt find a decent priced new one

good luck!

Originally Posted by Titch101

I am looking to replace some cooling system components due to the old girls age and a recent too warm episode and have been looking all over different sites for parts including the UK.

Are aftermarket parts ok to use and any brands better than others or should i cough up the cash and go genuine?

I am going to replace the top radiator hose, coolant pump and viscous fan assembly and obviously these are very important parts so i don't want to take second chances if the aftermarket ones aren't up to the job but at the same time why pay 3x the price for a LR logo if the noname brand is just as good.

Any thoughts?? and reccomendations for suppliers is most welcome, would love to shop local but the UK pricing seems to be too good to pass up on.

Cheers,

Rob 99 Disco TD5

Rob

If you know the part numbers just use this website to get a idea of the prices

Britcar (UK) Ltd I buy from them but there are plenty of other options out there as well.

Genuine oversea is very cheap even with postage therefore I just buy genuine.

Regards
Andrew

LR Direct in the UK gives you a choice of different standards for different prices.
I recently bought a Quinton Hazell from them. They are the OEM suppliers to Land Rover. It was the second most expensive of the options , as I had previously bought a cheap one from another supplier and it leaked within a couple of years.
The only problem with LR Direct is that you have to know the part number which is not hard to find from google.
Regards Philip A

I'm usually happy to go with aftermarket from people like QH - I've just bought one of their coolant pumps from LR direct.

Ive was pretty happy with my QH water pump that came for my TD5. looks of good quality. Havent tested it yet (its in though) but its not leaking from the weep hole anymore .
Ive also bought a Garret turbo about 2 years ago and have been quite happy with that as with my fuel pump and lines (1 year ago) from LR (apparently only LR make the fuel pump - no aftermarkets?).
My SLS was replaced with Arnott bags and although theres a recent thread that condemns them I havent had any trouble with them in 9 months. They were 300 pair from the US whereas LR was like 550 for 1!

I go genuine land rover for my rotor oil filter and aftermarket for standard.
replaced power steering house with genuine LR so I could get it quick (only 80 bucks or so and didnt have to wait and my power steering is fine).
I had my rear diff replaced with a used one with 60k km on the clock and so far thats been ok (done last month 1500).
Going to replace my turbo waste gate valve and turbo oil feed pipe with LR for 2 reasons. Ease of getting them and I'd rather spend the extra monies on genuine if its related to the turbo.

If i remember any thing else ive done with the car in the last 2 years I'll let you know.

On ebay a QH pump was 132 (inc express postage) and LR was like 210. el cheapo was 88 and there was no way I would seriously consider using a cheap no-name water pump as its an important part of the car and best to fork out the extra $$ so you dont have to pull the car apart twice. I used www.discovery2.co.uk - Workshop TD5 Water Pump Replacement. for the install of my water pump as it doesnt involve taking out a whole heap of stuff; just unbolting the rotor filter housing. It is a very tight squeeze however.

Good luck with your job. ALSO, if removing the turbo feed oil pipe DO NOT lose the washers or at least have 4 on hand. they fall off very easy once you remove the bolt. (its all written in the writeup above).

Trev

Actually LR direct has them pretty cheap; 47 punds, aka like 70 bucks then watever to post. though youll have to wait is all. if it cost 20 bucks or so to post then maybe its worht paying the extra 40 to get it asap, mine came the next day. If you dont need it asap then get it from there and save yourself some monies.

Thanks for your replies, I have had a look at LRdirect and have decided to go with a QH pump, genuine top hose and am looking at a Bearmach viscous fan.
I was under the impression that Bearmach make some quality stuff but it's a lot cheaper than genuine which makes me wonder (£54 as opposed to £124).

Does the QH pump come with all the o rings needed or is that a seperate part no?

Cheers

Rob

Originally Posted by Titch101

Thanks for your replies, I have had a look at LRdirect and have decided to go with a QH pump, genuine top hose and am looking at a Bearmach viscous fan.
I was under the impression that Bearmach make some quality stuff but it's a lot cheaper than genuine which makes me wonder (£54 as opposed to £124).

Does the QH pump come with all the o rings needed or is that a seperate part no?

Cheers

Rob

If just speaking about the pump then that's all you need. It has the o-ring sealed to the unit. If removing the PAS pump to get to the water pump you will need to replace the PAS o-ring.