Main Dealer Rip-offs (Again)

We're talking about discs. And I'd be surprised if Honda restricted themselves to just the one source. And made it a condition they didn't supply the aftermarket.

...don't think anybody has mentioned this in the earlier posts, but I'm certain the Vauxhalls of the 80s/90s all had clutch assemblies which could be removed without splitting the gearbox. I'm sure there was a tool which allowed the main gearshaft to be drawn along the box so the clutch could be extracted.

I'm not 100% sure on this, but the point I am making is that you might find the job should really be about £100 quid for the kit + £70 quid for a bloke to do it.

one of thee best ideas & Vauxhall do away with it !!!! you tell me ?

I can only guess it wasn't making enough money through the Vauxhall workshops !

I don't think the later Mk3 Cavs used that design (or possibly even the earlier ones) - IIRC they had a design that required dropping of the subframe - might have just been with the later 16v engines and the like.

You could probably realistically halve those prices. Ages ago when I did the clutch on the Mk2 Astra I had at the time, the clutch kit cost me £25, though admittedly, it didn't include the clamps I needed, which cost around £5 more. All in all it took about 1.5 hours over 2 days, but that was due to really crap weather, and me being a complete novice. If I was to do one again I'd probably have it done in half an hour, and a mate of my mate reckons he could do one in 15 minutes. They're *that* easy.

Peter

yep 15 mins is about right, approx 20 mins ive taken to do one, after doing a few they become second nature.

And with regards to needing a special tool, it's really not neccessary.

Some people might say you need a slide hammer - from what I've heard (and certainly from my experience) the shaft slides out very easily indeed, and there's a bolt with the right thread to screw into it to pull it out, on the gearbox somewhere - the Haynes BOL even points you to it. And to this day I can't remember if I put it back where it should have gone!!

Peter

They did, but in later models they changed the design of the flywheel so the clutch couldn't be removed without removing the gearbox.

Yes, I've seen cutaways of the Honda discs, and compared them to the pattern ones, they are *very* different.

Now I think about it, Honda discs are stamped by Honda Mfg Co. So yes, they do make their own components.

Even parts that are outsourced are probably copy protected tighter than Bill Gates' nasal whine.

In what respect, the finish? the metal?

Some years ago I went round the Munro shockabsorber factory. One line producing a particular shock had a run with the shocks stamped FORD with all the Ford part numbers ready to be shipped to Ford., 10 mins later a new run on that line was in operation stamping them Munro.

same here but i had a visit to the Bosal factory, had Bosal on one rack and the next rack Ford then Vauxhall stamped on some others, also had an evening with Crosslands Filters who are the biggest filter manufacture in the UK you'd be surprised who they make filters for as well.

Jimmy ( snipped-for-privacy@invalidaddress.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Did they make many stamped "Monroe"?

The finish for one, the thickness of the material for another. Even the diameter was different, and the design of the cooling vanes were radically different too.

And FRAM make the filters for Fiat too.

Have you spotted a pattern here yet?

Honda and Toyota, both manufacturer most of their own parts, and are both more or less equal in the most profitable car manufacturer table. They put a lot of investment into R&D and have very tight manufacturing tolerances (comparative to other car manufacturers). Strict control over the manufacture of components means they have less warranty repairs to pay for, and a better product. On a world-wide scale Toyota and Honda are a big as any other car Co. Indeed Toyota can actually buy GM with the cash they have in the bank.

I also know that Hyundai manufacture a very large proportion of their own components too, although they are one the of the largest manufacturing companies in the world (No. 23 when I was with them in the

Most of the components will be marked by different companies, but with the likes of the far eastern manufacturers you will find they *own* the supply companies anyway.

Now look at the others, GM, Fiat, VW, Ford etc. They use many shared components, manufactured by independent companies, who normally sell to the after-market trade. These are companies that are not as profitable, and do have reliability problems, and are cutting corners significantly. They do not invest as much in R&D, and do not have as tight a control over tolerances.

It is a matter of different philosophies, the Japs will R&D a product to make it sellable. The Europeans tend towards marketing. It's been this way for decades.