Brake pipes.

[cdbe]

What do you think? 2004 Blingo. No advisories at last MOT (10 months ago).

I thought for this year (assuming they're reasonably sound underneath) I'd give them a good scrape, clean up and spray with underseal. Longer term obviously they'll need replacing, I've never done brake pipes before and I thought I'd be able to buy them ready made and swap them but it all seams to be kits with rolls of pipe and tools - not ideal for a one off job when I imagine the tools are probably pretty rubbish. Can I buy them off the shelf from the Citroen dealers? I guess that's what they would fit themselves.

Thanks

 

[ajstoneservices]

my corsa van failed its mot on tuesday with brake pipes that were similar to yours in several places. I thought I could buy replacements off the shelf from vauxhall but cant. tomorrow I will be making them up myself.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

They should certainly have been a fail. I have never seen pipes that bad pass an MOT and I would not want to be in that car.

With a decent tool to make off the ends, buying ready made has no advantage - even assuming ready made are available. Copper pipe is the easiest to work with and easiest to make of the ends.

 

[Burnerman]

A good motor factor will make pipes up for you, so take the old ones with you as a pattern.
I make my own, but the flaring tool cost around the ton but its a good one.
Best of luck getting them off though, Mole grips are handy and expect the ones going to the rear wheel cylinders to shear off
John

 

[cdbe]

Thanks. Sounds like I'll need to do it sooner rather than later! Passed last MOT 21 June 18 with no advisories and done less than 3,000 miles since. Turns out my Dad has made his own in the past so will give me a hand.

 

[Burnerman]

That well known sods law dictates that the pipes will look great until you get to the very ends where the coating has been peeled off and the rot is there.
On Berlingos of this age I'm getting rear axle problems due to bush wear in the trailing arms....the first sign is excessive negative camber followed by a 'boing' as you go over a bump slowly. Is yours suffering?
John

 

[Avocet]

I think they should have failed too. You have nothing to lose by giving them a good scrape though. You'll then see better what the metal is like, however, I fear their days are numbered! You can certainly buy genuine pipes and they will be steel, and machine-bent. They will be an excellent fit and should last about as long as the originals, but:
(a) you'll pay through the nose and
(b) depending on which pipe it is,you might have a great deal of work to change it. Often, brake pipes go on before heat shields, fuel tanks, subframes, etc, so to replace a long pipe (one of the front-to-rear ones) you might have to dismantle a great deal of car to do it!

As others have said, you can get cheap DIY flaring tools and rolls of copper pipes to do it yourself. You get what you pay for with flaring tools though! Copper-nickel (sometimes branked as "Kunifer") is better than just copper pipe. It's a fair bit stronger. Not as strong as steel, but more corrosion resistant. You won't find any manufacturer who uses copper as original equipment but a few use copper-nickel. (Or used to)!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Copper or Kunifer will last forever, it will never fail again where the pipes have been replaced with either.

 

[cdbe]

On Berlingos of this age I'm getting rear axle problems due to bush wear in the trailing arms....the first sign is excessive negative camber followed by a 'boing' as you go over a bump slowly. Is yours suffering?
John

Not yet, it's only done 75,000 miles from new and most of the time lightly used as a car but with the occasional overloading, but I expect it in the future - looks like a few hundred for a recon when it does.

 

[Burnerman]

Its not the worst job in the world but it takes some effort.....exhaust, brake pipes off and whatever.
Eurocarparts do them for just over £300 but the hubs and brakes etc have to be swapped over, and the mountings always split
The two Berlingos Ive done were an 02 and a 56 plate, both around 90k.
Good luck with the brake pipes! Do check the rear wheel cylinders too.
John

 

[cdbe]

I haven't got round to doing the brake pipes yet, but it's just passed an mot (with just an advisory for the pipes)! It's not due for 2 months but I had an appointment at the council place for my wife's car but it wasn't ready (I'd just done the discs and pads all round but one of the caliper mount bolts stripped the thread in the carrier so I'm waiting for a repair kit) so I thought I'd take mine in, expecting it to fail but to see if anything else need doing.
Obviously the pipes will still be replaced but to say I'm surprised is an understatement.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I haven't got round to doing the brake pipes yet, but it's just passed an mot (with just an advisory for the pipes)! It's not due for 2 months but I had an appointment at the council place for my wife's car but it wasn't ready (I'd just done the discs and pads all round but one of the caliper mount bolts stripped the thread in the carrier so I'm waiting for a repair kit) so I thought I'd take mine in, expecting it to fail but to see if anything else need doing.
Obviously the pipes will still be replaced but to say I'm surprised is an understatement.

The MOT inspector ought to go to Specsaver

 

[Mottie]

They should certainly have been a fail. I have never seen pipes that bad pass an MOT and I would not want to be in that car.

With a decent tool to make off the ends, buying ready made has no advantage - even assuming ready made are available. Copper pipe is the easiest to work with and easiest to make of the ends.

Look passable to me. The wall thickness has to be corroded by a third to make the fail. If in any doubt (on anything) we are told to give the benefit of doubt to the vehicle presenter and 'pass and advise' which is what has clearly happened.

 

[ajstoneservices]

If you are going to replace the brake pipes yourself get one of these
I should have bought this kit instead of getting the pipe and fittings from a local motor factors.

 

[Keithmac]

My Mitsubishi GTO is 27 years old and the pipes are no where near that bad!.

I've cleaned an painted them this year but to be honest I'd change those in the picture without a doubt..