Remanufactured parts repeatedly failing

[Giacosa]

I'm getting a mite peed off with remanufactured brake calipers. I have using them on and off since about 2005 and they never seem to make it past the two year mark. Usual symptoms are a sticking caliper. I try to be scrupulous in fitting, bleeding and care usually copper greasing the sliding steel wedges every 6 months before they suffer from electrolytic corrosion and jam solid. Despite this they just don't last. I suppose I should just buy new ones from Fiat but as its a Lancia Y10 thats going to get increasingly difficult. Anybody else suffering from this.

 

[portland_bill]

Is the caliper actually failing, or just the sliding mechanism?
If its just the sliding bits, have you bought new wedges? I remember from my classic Pandas, copper grease does not seem to stop the corrosion once started. You also need to try to clean up the faces on the calipers, where they contact the wedges. I had to do this about every 6 months, might just be a fact of life as they get older.

If the caliper pistons are seizing, you could try these guys. Classics Monthly and Practical Classics magazines rate them highly. http://www.biggred.co.uk/index.php

 

[Giacosa]

Is the caliper actually failing, or just the sliding mechanism?
If its just the sliding bits, have you bought new wedges? I remember from my classic Pandas, copper grease does not seem to stop the corrosion once started. You also need to try to clean up the faces on the calipers, where they contact the wedges. I had to do this about every 6 months, might just be a fact of life as they get older.

If the caliper pistons are seizing, you could try these guys. Classics Monthly and Practical Classics magazines rate them highly. http://www.biggred.co.uk/index.php

Thanks for the tip. Iv'e never bought new wedges just dipped the old ones in jenolite rusteater for a few days after getting rid of loose stuff and the daubing them in copper grease.
I'm pretty sure its the calipers that are failing, the wedges always knock out easily when I service them.

It may well be a fact of life sadly, i'm also finding flexible brake hoses are failing with irritating regularity as well. They were cracking after only a year so bit the bullet and bought braided hoses.