Hi all, so I'm starting to throw some major time (and money) into my old 92 w250 and of course it needs a brake booster and a brake master cyclinder.
I think new is out of the question at least for the booster, so that pretty much leaves remanned stuff.

My local parts stores only carry remanned stuff by A1 cardon, but one can get stuff by wagner, although there's a pretty long wait as most is factory direct according to them.

So with all that in mind, is there a reman company of choice for our pickups or are they both the same?

Thanks

 

Mine is a Cardone.

 

My Cardone reman. brake booster lasted less than 10 days -- you could raise the hood and hear the air whooshing out of it. I was so disgusted I then bought an OEM Mopar unit from a Dodge dealer in Kansas who still had one sitting on his shelf (and he was willing to make me a good price). I used a NEW master cylinder from Wagner and have had no problems.

All my friends in the auto repair business have warned me away from Cardone.

 

I finally ordered a bendix master cylinder and its the only one that hasnt leaked, I dont know about the booster...

 

I can't say that I'm big into rebuilt stuff altogether as you don't know where it's been and who did the rebuild.
Then again, I'm kind of scared of the new stuff too as who knows where it's built and if it's going to be a direct replacement part. They say it is, but I've heard that too many times to know better.

Can I still buy a new brake booster from mopar or has it been discontinued like everything else for our pickups?

 

I've heard and seen where the people doing reman work don't even bother with honing the bores on master cylinders or calipers, much less re-sleeving them if they are severly worn or damaged.
If they won't even do that, how can they claim "quality remanufactured parts" on their labels?

Bad as it sounds, I'd rather buy a "new" Chinese part than an "American" (yeah, right) reman, at least there's a fair chance it'll work properly.
Maybe.

Mark.

 

Your dealer will list two boosters -- one with two ports and one with three ports. The part number you want is 5200 8407. The part has been discontinued and so is now considered "obsolete."

However, your local Dodge dealer will be able to put the part number into his computer and tell you which dealers still have a unit sitting on the shelf. (His computer also provides each dealer's phone number). About a year ago when I bought mine, I think there were six remaining in the US. The list price is somewhere around $480, but because the part is obsolete, dealers want to get them off their shelves and will cut you a deal. I recall I paid about $300 to a dealer somewhere in Kansas, who promptly shipped the part to me.

If you're serious about buying OEM, I suggest you phone the parts desk at your local Dodge dealer immediately and see what information he's willing to give you.

 

Of course I'm serious. Local parts people are pretty cool here. I spent about 12 minutes on the phone with them recently looking up obsolete stuff for my pickup.
They didn't mention anything about a dealer network though, so I'll give them a call.

I've heard a lot of horor stories about remanning stuff myself. Too many people not doing their work properly out there. On a side note, the chinese stuff is getting better. 10 years ago there was NO way, but now it's a least worth taking a look.

Thanks

 

I just put in a remmaned cardone master cylinder in my truck today.... It has a 3 year warranty and works great... and it was only $23 with a $14 core... easy on the wallet..

 

I've had a cardon MC on my truck for about a year. No problems.