Parts advice (general)

[Expertamateur]

I need to replace the front suspension roll bar links on my 307CC and doing a search for the parts I see a vast number of the correct part available by different manufacturers. For instance:Ridex, Monroe, Delphi, First Line, QH, SKF, TRW, FAI, Borg & Beck Febest, etc. The prices vary from about €9 to €22. There are loads more makers names that I have never heard of. Has anyone noticed this? It makes me wonder which brand has actually earned a good reputation for quality. Are they all made in China and all equally crap or are some brands better than others? Someone who has been in the trade for a few years may well have an opinion that would be worthwhile.

Thanks in advance

[PaulC5]

For something that costs so little why not get them from a Peugeot dealer unless they charge a lot more.

[myglaren]

Febi Bilstein have a good reputation for drop links, although they are generally among the most expensive.
The big problem here is being certain that you actually get what you are paying for, there are so many fakes on the market now.
SKF and TRW also are very well regarded, but with the same proviso.

[Expertamateur]

Thanks for that. I am aware of those names, particularly with bearings and shocks. Likely a good bet.

[Expertamateur]

For something that costs so little why not get them from a Peugeot dealer unless they charge a lot more.

I live in France. The dealers should be made to wear a mask.
They charged me over €50 to adjust my headlights. On another occasion they charged almost the same to cut a spare ignition key. (Conventional, not remote) In UK I would just pop in to the nearest motor factors and get trade but that can't be done here. So it has to be mail order from one of the online distributors. So if I have to choose from a long list of options I just thought it would be sensible to pick a brand that had a good reputation. I'm not looking for a particularly critical part so I don't suppose it matters if I buy rubbish. If I had money to burn I would take it to the nearest garage and have someone else do it and not care what junk parts they used.

[RichardW]

Aftermarket ones are a bit of lottery, but the dealer ones may not be much better! I like Meyle HD, not that much more expensive, but last a good few years.

[Expertamateur]

Thanks to all who have replied. I have made note of the brands suggested.

[PaulC5]

I found a 12 year old topic on a Peugeot forum and it said dealer ones were almost £30 each so expensive, no idea what they are today but prices never go down. On it Meyle HD were recommended. https://www.peugeotforums.com/threads/3 ... ars.96602/

[Expertamateur]

I found a 12 year old topic on a Peugeot forum and it said dealer ones were almost £30 each so expensive, no idea what they are today but prices never go down. On it Meyle HD were recommended. https://www.peugeotforums.com/threads/3 ... ars.96602/

I ended up getting a pair of Meyle, not prohibitively expensive. Having a bit of bother getting the old ones off, as usual.

[ozfrog]

On another occasion they charged almost the same to cut a spare ignition key. (Conventional, not remote)

With the talk about cutting keys, how do you go about getting a spare key cut for your Peugeot in England? And what's the cost?

I had to get a "spare" for my 307 cut a couple of years ago. I had to supply the plastic card to the dealership, presumably to show I wasn't trying to get a key cut for someone else's car, and then I had to pay $300 AUD and wait 4 weeks for the key to be cut, coded, and returned to the dealership. Then I had to collect it personally from the dealership. I was told that the $300 AUD was cheap for a Peugeot, but no one told me what the 'normal' price was, or should be.

I will admit that no aftermarket or private locksmiths could match the price. And when I did quote the price I'd been given, I was told I'd have to pay extra for coding. And again, no one believed me when I said that the price I'd been quoted included coding.

My wife needs to get a spare key cut for her 1st generation 3008. The magic plastic card wasn't supplied when she purchased the vehicle about 3 years ago, so I don't know how anyone will confirm that she isn't trying to get a key cut for a vehicle that isn't her own.

[myglaren]

I have had several cut here, the first for a Xantia a long time back. Just the key, the fob was OK. £10, then they wanted another £17 to re-initialise the fob. Didn't have that done as the fob was working.

The others were done by independent mobile locksmiths, the most recent last December. My son had dropped the key for my daughter's C3 and it wouldn't work any more (the circuit board had popped out and was under the car) He charged £130 for a new key+fob and coding it to the car.

I had a similar price from a different mobile locksmith for a spare key for a Civic. Oddly enough it was a Peugeot key fob he supplied.

Quoted dealer prices are always at least double that.