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swt

Member Since: 24 Aug 2018
Location: Cumbria
Posts: 149

2008 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Stornoway Grey

Cautionary tale of R-clips

Had all my discs and pads changed a couple of weeks ago, and treated myself to professional fitting. Thought I had made the right decision when one of the front calipers was found to be in a bad state and needed replacing as well.

I was at work yesterday evening, about 30 miles from home in the middle of nowhere, with a vulnerable passenger, when I realised (descending a steep hill) that my brakes were working neither properly nor silently. A chance to use the redundant braking system of manual gearbox and huge wind resistance which come factory fitted on all Defenders.

A quick look revealed a brake pad up in the air, held by a single retaining pin. With the wheel off, I discovered that the retaining pins were secured by R-clips. One pin had lost its clip and rattled itself inboard, to the point of no longer securing the outer pad. Fortunately I had been able to get to it before disc, pad, or piston (all brand new) could do any serious damage to each other.

Proceeded home with the assistance of a bent nail, and have today replaced the R-clips, which were on the front but not the rear, with split pins (as specified by LR). The R-clips seemed a very thin and weedy example of their kind: nothing compared to the thickness of a split-pin.

It's not clear to me whether the use of R-clips is down to the brake supplier, the fitter; whether that retaining pin ever had its clip fitted in the first place; or whether these were particularly bad clips, or I've just had one unlucky failure.

In the future, I would not risk an R-clip in this application. And I'm resolved to check other people's workmanship more thoroughly.

12th Jul 2023 2:34pm

MercianRover

Member Since: 07 Apr 2022
Location: Culworth
Posts: 124

1998 Defender 110 300 Tdi CSW Java Black

Photographs as evidence and ask the workshop to explain themselves?
Maybe a chat with trading standards too?

12th Jul 2023 4:51pm

blackwolf

Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 16879

2007 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Stornoway Grey

I have seen kits supplied with R-clips instead of split pins, and I imagine whoever fitted them just used what was supplied. The issue is more likely to be with the supplier/manufacturer than fitter.

I imagine that someone has decided that split pins are too complicated for the typical modern technician.

12th Jul 2023 6:31pm

diesel_jim

Member Since: 13 Oct 2008
Location: hiding
Posts: 6037

I once had a genuine set of LR pins (military stock IIRC from when I was wearing green) and they had R clips.
Having said that, I used these for numerous years and never had any issues with them. Maybe I was just lucky, or your R clips were sh!te quality.

Worth contacting the garage you used though.

12th Jul 2023 6:38pm

Retroanaconda

Member Since: 04 Jan 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2548

R clips were used from the factory on some vehicles - there’s nothing wrong with them per se. The clips themselves should see no load and just retain the pins which carry the pads.

Probably cheap rubbish parts as above, or they just forgot to fit them.

12th Jul 2023 6:47pm

swt

Member Since: 24 Aug 2018
Location: Cumbria
Posts: 149

The R-clips didn't look great, but as you say, they really have no load to take in this situation. My money is on that one never having been fitted.

I'll have to have words with the garage. It's the third locally whose door I will not darken again with any of our vehicles. Life was much easier when we were near Lakeland Land Rover in Torver: not cheap, but you could rely on the work that was done.

12th Jul 2023 9:05pm

MarkBrown

Member Since: 03 Oct 2022
Location: Mid Wales
Posts: 321

1983 Defender 110 Other HT Auto Keswick Green

I bought a pack of 100 stainless steel split pins to use on mine, they were cheap and I'll never be tempted to re use the old ones, just in case! Probably cheap rubbish r-clips with no spring to them, that fell out.

12th Jul 2023 11:18pm

Screbble

Member Since: 26 Apr 2015
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 2033

2004 Defender 90 Td5 XS CSW Zambezi Silver

Sounds like a nasty experience.

Whilst they aren’t my securing method of choice, I have never had any issues with R clips. As others have said they aren’t taking any load.

As for the lack of pride/ability and workmanship of far too many garages nowadays…

13th Jul 2023 7:04am

sako243

Member Since: 08 Jul 2014
Location: Wales
Posts: 1188

1994 Defender 110 300 Tdi CSW Alpine White

Mine has has r clips on for as long as I can remember and some 180k miles later still not had an issue. Mind you they're such a tight fit you need to pry them out so they're not going to wiggle out. Ed
82 Hotspur Sandringham 6x6
95 Defender 110 300Tdi

17th Jul 2023 7:03pm

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