Should have been so simple but....

[Peter C]

On Monday morning I noticed that my Merc W124's rear exhaust box started to blow. On Monday afternoon I collected a new back box from my local ECP (£110!). Monday evening I removed the old box with the help of a grinder. So far so good.

 

 

I attempted to fit the new box, couldn't get the thing to line up. It looked like it would go on if I took the centre section off the hangers but I decided to pack it in as it was getting cold and late.

 

I called my un-local (25 miles away) garage and asked if they could fit it for me. "No problem, bring it in on Wednesday morning". So I did.

 

And Nigel (top bloke), confirmed that there's no way that this box will fit as the shape of the front pipe is completely wrong.

 

 

With the pipe on, this is how the back box would line up.

 

 

The garage quoted me £160 to supply and fit the box, which I've agreed to and all being well the car will be fixed on Friday morning. I've been driving around without the rear box and my Merc sounds like a fucked Saxo, boomy as hell and it's giving me a headache. I just want my car fixed!

 

I returned the back box to ECP, got a full refund and somehow managed not to call the sales guy a complete cunt (for the hassle that ECP caused me). I bought a rear box for my W123 from ECP a few years ago and that didn't fit either.

 

I fucking hate ECP.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Was it a Klarius ? I've found them to be really bad - they need plenty of adjustment to fit, never really fit well, and rarely last more than their one-year guarantee period.

 

Nowadays I only buy Bosal, even if they're nearly double the price !

[stripped fred]

ECP are annoying me with their constant sales too. Quick, flash sale for next 2 hours with 20% off! I think their products are at least 20% too expensive anyway. If you phone them about an expensive part it's obvious they have a fair bit of leeway in the price.

[Peter C]

It wasn't a Klarius. The brand had a long name that I couldn't pronounce.

[billyboy406v6]

Bosal ??

[spike60]

A bit late for you now but when I wanted a centre silencer for my 1989 300SE Ebay were £115 + postage, ECP £129 and Mercedes dealer £141. I ordered it 4.45 over the phone from the dealer and it was available for collection 8.30 the next morning, - Christmas eve. The right one too. i've recently bought some rubber pipes etc for the intake and the dealers were cheaper than Ebay. So far so good!

[garbaldy]

I have just sent back an exhaust for the Sierra as it was the wrong one,

I suppose that's what I get for ordering it through ebay

[Peter C]

  On 27/04/2016 at 15:18, billyboy406v6 said:

Bosal ??

Nope, I can pronounce that no worries.

[sierraman]

I've had this problem with the Focus. Managed to sort it Saturday by stripping the joint back and re sealing it with Sikaflex. Their exhausts are shit. However the alternative was a £250 visit to Ford for a OE replacement or £90 and I do the job myself.

[ruffgeezer]

  On 27/04/2016 at 11:38, Peter C said:

I returned the back box to ECP, got a full refund and somehow managed not to call the sales guy a complete cunt (for the hassle that ECP caused me). I bought a rear box for my W123 from ECP a few years ago and that didn't fit either.

 

I fucking hate ECP.

 

To be fair to ECP it's the pattern part makers at fault here, I had a run of 10 0r 11 exhausts by Regal/ Bosal that had to be modified to fit the cars they were supposed to fit.

 

You start out by sending them back, losing a lift for an afternoon waiting for a different part, but in the end it's quicker just to correct the shit fitment yourself. Often it's shit pattern parts or OE only though.

[Tamworthbay]

I tried to get some gearbox oil for my dolomite from them but the website wouldn't let me just look at gearbox oil, it demanded my reg. I wasn't surprised that it found the car and even less surprised it didn't list any oil for it. I know they sell 75w hypoid but I couldn't order any so went to Halfords. Bloody mad.

[eddyramrod]

This thread is not encouraging, as I've ordered a silencer through ebay for the Saab, and I'm waiting for it to arrive.  The ebay description lists the maker as Polmostrow, and elsewhere in the ad it says the steel is made by Thyssen-Krupp.  Either of those ring any bells?

[twosmoke300]

I really don't know why anyone bothers with Ecp . Crap quality parts at average prices with terrible service

[I_am_Diesel]

ECP parts never fit properly. I really don't know why they fucking bother.

[twosmoke300]

Because of the the people that shop by one criterion - price

[Pillock]

Don't Thyssen-Krupp make lifts and escalators or summat?

[rainagain]

You can get the same wrong parts but ~20% cheaper all the time from their sister company carparts4less

 

You can even use the same part numbers

[Rusty_Rocket]

GSF gets my money nowadays.  Unfortunately, there are no independent factors near me any more, all have disappeared  Not sure about other's experiences of GSF but they've always been spot-on for me, particularly when they have a 40% sale on.  The important bit is, the parts are usually correct and quality has held up so far.

[beko1987]

The meriva is on its second klarius back box. First one rotted through after 2 years. For the price (£30) I didn't really mind, but the replacement, same price, same brand is slightly different, and catches on the rear of the chassis on slow/bumpy right handers. Stumped me for ages wondering what the noise was until I shook the backbox and there was the noise. It's annoying, but I know that in 1 year 7 months itll need replacing again, so let it get on with it, and hope they change the stampings in that time.

[AnthonyG]

Thyssen-Krupp are one of those German companies that used to make practically everything you could think of from fridges to ships.

 

They still make steel, iirc considered merging/buying Tata Steel Europe but it fell through as they didn't want the British bits, hence Tata plugging the plug.

[Peter C]

  On 27/04/2016 at 19:43, twosmoke300 said:

Because of the the people that shop by one criterion - price

 

In my defence, the only reason I bought the part from ECP is because they had the "right" part in stock within 1.5 hours of my enquiry.

 

Wankers.

[twosmoke300]

I could have "said " I had it in stock too