I'm seeing tensioners running from under $20 to about $300 -- has anyone tried the cheap ones? I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars more than reasonable, but not willing to do this again in a few months.

 

Not to belabor the point, but you asked nearly the same question 3 days ago on a different thread. The answers haven’t changed that much in three days, unless my name is Rip Van Winkle



Z

 

That thread wasn't just about tensioners. I figure that people who don't care which Jag I bought (so wouldn't read the other thread) might have information about tensioners.

 

OK,
that’s a legitimate POV, if’n (that’s a real word in some places) anyone has a positive experience using $19.95 tensioners backed up by a few ten thousands of miles use, I’m going to eat crow. (Won’t be the first time I’ve enjoyed that bird)

Z



P/S The drawback of cheap a*s tensioners is that when they fail you just won’t be putting new ones in.

You’ll also be having to replace all the parts that keep valves from hitting pistons, along with all the valves and pistons that had encounters of the violent nature (no winners).

I justify buying quality parts by viewing them as insurance that are cheaper in the long run than cheap parts, which are like visiting a casino 7 nights in a row.

You may beat the house 3 nights out of 7. But when the house wins 4 nights out of 7, you lose.

 

Barrett sells two grades of aftermarket, one for about $50 and the other about $80. I figure they wouldn't sell the cheap ones if they were going to fail, and I also figure that (as a "boutique" vendor) they're boosting the price by at least 50% - 100% over the same items from other sources.

I've checked with DuckDuckGo and haven't found much in the way of reports of aftermarket metal tensioners failing, either in Jags or in the Lincolns. That doesn't mean that there haven't been failures, which is why I'm asking.

Remember also that this is just a FORD part, used in several of their cars, and the budget aftermarket manufacturers are pretty good at quality copies.

 

The Ford engine models that have similar tensioners (are they exactly the same ? IDK; the Fords don’t compete in the same market as do the Jaguars. The Jags are GT cars that are driven much differently than the Lincoln’s having a similar part.

a part that does well in a Lincoln might not fare so well in a Jaguar where it is put thru its paces on a regular basis.

I’d just personally find somewhere else in the car to economize besides cam chain tensioners. Thats just me.

you have more faith in aftermarket parts manufacturers than I do. Quality Control has not been a place where money is freely spent these days .

 

So, would you buy the $50 tensioners, the $80 tensioners, or the $240 tensioners? Barrett has all of them, on the same page, with no explanation of why there are TWO aftermarket parts, with different prices.

I'm looking for info from people who have bought less expensive tensioners, and trying to find failure reports. If the $50 parts at Barrett are the same as the $30 parts on Scamazon, I can find other uses for the extra forty bucks. If, OTOH, I DO find failure reports, I'll go with the Barrett parts just because I doubt that they would sell junk.

 

First of all, I never purchase just off of a web page. SNG Barrett’s has
customer reps that know the backstory on their parts. And can quantify the reasoning behind the thin information given in the web pages. They can educate you why a part costs more and is worth more. Those are facts that you can classify as actionable information. Unlike the many theories and subjective posts you get on the internet.



Z

plus, if you want to to enjoy the forum discount , you’ll need to order by phone and talk to a real person to get it.


PPS / what parts do I buy ? I ask the professionals at Barratt, who sell a ton of parts, not a niche company, which parts have the lowest return rate, which parts are getting used by the owners who are known for putting the parts thru the wringer, giving a real test of real world reliability,


there’s good actionable data out there to be had if someone looks in the right place

 

For such an important / critical part, I would definitely use a quality named supplier who has a reputation to protect. I bought mine from Jaguar and they were not particularly expensive, perhaps $100 for the pair, although that was a long time ago.

Richard

 

The Ford dealer sells the same parts for the 3.9 liter V8 fitted to the Lincoln LS or Thunderbird.
Decades ago when Jaguar sold the secondaries for $100 each, the Fords were $70 each.

 

Where IS that place?

 

I would call Barrett directly and ask. As a known failure point for the early cars, I doubt they would sell tensioners of questionable quality. As some have pointed out, tensioner failure can lead to significant collateral damage so your careful research is commendable. A Barrett customer rep could explain any difference in their available parts over the phone.

 

[QUOTE=MVMonarch;2915114 I doubt they would sell tensioners of questionable quality. [/QUOTE]

Same here. The question is not whether THEIR tensioners are good, it's a question of WHO ELSE has good tensioners -- perhaps even from the same manufacturer.

Barrett doesn't MAKE the part. The part is not exclusive to Barrett. That means the exact same part is available from other vendors, who are likely to be selling at well below Barrett's price. Since I KNOW that I need them, and know WHAT I need, the only question is the quality/price curve. If I can find the $48-at-Barrett (plus shipping) part for, say, $32 from an online wholesaler, that's where I want to buy. If I CAN'T find them by payday (Wednesday), I'll go with the Barrett part rather than wait.

Barrett is a "boutique" vendor, having a greater familiarity with a relative handful of cars, thus they have a lower overall sales level, and have to make up for it with higher pricing. $48 x 2 = $96, + $13 (shipping) is $109, as opposed to $32 x 2 = $64, free shipping. Factor in Barrett's 10% discount for Forum members, that brings it down to about $100 -- still 50% above the Amazon price.

I have 6 days to either find a quality part at lower price, or spend more.

 

Personally I would buy the OEM part (either Jaguar or Ford) from a reputable retailer like Barratt. This is a job you will likely only ever have to do once in the lifetime of the car, so the cost is minimal. Or you could roll the dice on finding the same part cheaper from somewhere else that isn't a Chinese counterfeit.

Maybe check the price of second hand engines before you decide.

 

Well, since Barrett sells aftermarket tensioners, obviously OEM is overkill.

 

It depends what they are - if they are the Ford versions then fine, but given that Jaguar made three attempts to get the tensioners right, I'm not sure how much I would want to test out the durability of a non-OEM brand for such a crucial part.

Either way let us know what you choose.

 

An Italian repair shop specializing in modern and classic Jaguars recommends FAI Auto Parts TCK89 timing chain kit for our cars. My car was taken there by the previous owner, and they installed that kit. I can't really judge the quality of this kit, it costs a lot more, so I hope it's good quality..

 

^^^^^ this ^^^^^

i have been burned buying by price when it comes to parts with these cars.
the Internet is full, 100% full of counterfeit Jaguar products, which is surprising considering the small market for them. The part(s) that burned me came in a factory box with factory stamping on the part(s). Only close examination revealed the vital and cheaply made differences.

yes, buying from SNG Barratt is paying a little more. You are buying their reputation as well as a part. You will be getting bargain.

if you concentrate on the trees, you'll
never see the forest.



Z

 

it’s Barratt. If we can’t trust the top 5 of trustworthy vendors it’s time to sell and drive Toyotas exclusively. If you take the time to ask them, They will respond with accurate assessments of the success rates for each product queried.

only you can decide if Barratt’s reputation is worth the moderate cost of doing business with them for your needs.

For me, and others that have responded, the peace of mind is worth the price of admission.


Z

 

No, you said "there’s good actionable data out there to be had if someone looks in the right place"

Where is THAT place, that has the data? I'm trying to find it before making a mistake. Not just "It's from Taiwan, so I don't trust it," I'm looking for actual reports of failure of aftermarket tensioners.

BTW, just talked to William at Barratt, and the 10% discount isn't there any more. Barratt has two different aftermarket tensioners, one of which is from Eurospare -- and is the OEM part -- and the other made in the UK. They haven't had any problem with either. They're a week out for delivery, which sounds to me like stocked at the main warehouse rather than in the US.

I'm looking for info about Japanese and Taiwanese parts, not interested in Chinese tofu-dregs metallurgy.