Nasty Spark Plug Tubes Replaced.

[roadster]

Three of my plug caps were swimming in an oil bath so I took a closer look.

I replaced these with some O ring ones from Hans Martinsen via Ebay. These look to be of excellent quality, time will tell.

The spark plugs took a lot of shifting with a half inch drive T bar. They wouldn't budge with the 3/8 one. I put them back with a torque wrench set to just over 8 ft.lb so I'll check them again after a few miles.

[dursley92]

I like the club ones, they have a step machined which locates them nicely.

[triumphdolomiteuk]

The ebay ones are a cheap and nasty ripoff of the ones which we supply - except that the ebay oners are actually more expensive!!!

[tony g]

I have the club ones and they are brilliant. I've removed the cover probably 30 times since fitting and they just take it no problems.

Tony

[roadster]

Well you can hardly say they are rip-offs when they are evidently a different design. I did try to follow the information about the club spares but I couldn't figure out whether they were available to non-members or even if deliverable as I needed them quickly and wasn't sure about timescale. It may seem obvious that I should pay club membership but I have a number of different vehicles and interests and can't afford to join everything. I suggest that if you do want to sell parts to non-members the process is clarified. No reason that full members shouldn't get a discount of course.

[triumphdolomiteuk]

The nasty ebay items are attempting to mimic the ones which we supply but clearly not as much thought has been put into them. You would have saved yourself a chunk of the subscription on this one purchase alone. It seems like false economy to pay more for parts on ebay just to save a measly £27 on Club membership

[Mad Mart]

The club ones have the shoulder, similar to the original style, which stops the tubes vibrating loose. If there is no shoulder then there is nothing to stop them working their way out through the cam/rocker cover (unless you bond them in with something).

[James467]

Looks like the op isn't a member, if he were a member he'd know how the club tubes are absolutely brilliant and superior to everything else in every single way!

Just goes to show how important it is to become a member before buying anything for your cars!



That reminds me, I need to buy some for YGD

[roadster]

The club ones have the shoulder, similar to the original style, which stops the tubes vibrating loose. If there is no shoulder then there is nothing to stop them working their way out through the cam/rocker cover (unless you bond them in with something).

The ones I have fitted use an extra protruding O ring ( just a shallower groove actually ) to prevent the tube moving upwards. I am sure the club design is well proven but there may be some merit in not over constraining the tube and allowing some self centering.

[roadster]

The nasty ebay items are attempting to mimic the ones which we supply but clearly not as much thought has been put into them. You would have saved yourself a chunk of the subscription on this one purchase alone. It seems like false economy to pay more for parts on ebay just to save a measly £27 on Club membership

I meant that the bodged up original ones were nasty, the ebay ones seem pretty good to me and the same price as the club ones according to the December price list. Sorry but I can't justify even a measly £27 pounds for every special interest forum/club that I contribute to. If I find that forums are providing friendly help and a welcoming attitude I try to make a contribution to the running costs via a donation every so often. I'm enjoying working on the Sprint but I have no idea whether I'll keep it long term.

[James467]

The most important thing is that you are keeping a car on the road.

[cleverusername]

The club ones have the shoulder, similar to the original style, which stops the tubes vibrating loose. If there is no shoulder then there is nothing to stop them working their way out through the cam/rocker cover (unless you bond them in with something).

The ones I have fitted use an extra protruding O ring ( just a shallower groove actually ) to prevent the tube moving upwards. I am sure the club design is well proven but there may be some merit in not over constraining the tube and allowing some self centering.

I recognise the ebay ones, didn't know the club ones were different. To be fair to them it does say in the instructions that they have two sizes of o-ring and that is how they are located.

[Flyfisherman]

I had these plugs tube fitted for the last three years and no trouble with them at all.

Paul

[triumphdolomiteuk]

The ebay ones actually cost more than the Club ones when you factor in the shipping; quoted price for our tubes includes shipping. The ebay seller adds £5 for his tubes, which curiously, he has priced to match our tubes.
We can sell our products to non-members, but we add a £27 surcharge to the cost - this includes year's complimentary membership of the Club. Why so you may ask? Simple; product liability insurance and tax prevent us from selling to non-members. Our Club is run by volunteers, no one is making money out of doing so, we do it simply because we want to see these cars saved. Evidently the ebay seller simply wants to make a fast buck by peddling a poor imitation of an item which the Club sells. You have to ask what he has against us? Why doesn't he put his time into developing new parts such as quarter light seals? That would be a real help to Dolomite owners everywhere

[xvivalve]

Gentlemen, gentlemen, are we forgetting our manners?

Roadster: welcome to the board and thanks for your contributions; may they be the first of many, and I hope you choose to keep the car.

Let us not forget also, that competition is healthy; it gives choice to the consumer and helps keep their costs down. Lower costs means we have to promote our offer, not only on price, but quality also, and I'd like to think we achieve well with both. We should be flattered that this isn't the only competitor who has lowered their prices to match our's.

It is a free market out there, hopefully about to get freer still, and we should embrace opportunity to compare other products with our own...