Has anyone had experience of the aluminium expansion tanks available on Ebay from the States?
It looks like you get a robust tank for not much more than the cost of the crappy plastic one over here.
Mine is holding coolant at the moment but looks a bit suspect, so I would prefer to spend £75 on a good one rather than £60 on one that might fail again in a couple of years.
Are they worth it?
They usually use alloy tanks on race prep cars rather than the plastic standard things, so if its ok for them then I should think it is plenty good enough for a road car?
If you go down that road I would buy from a reputable source and get one from someone who specialises in that type of thing and offers a guarantee it will not only fit properly but also last.
You might have to pay import tax too if you import from the States dont forget that??
Thanks The Nun, you're right, import tax as well takes the price to nearer £90.
I am a bit amazed that a simple thing like the plastic expansion tank is so fragile.
Mine looks a bit dodgy, and I don't like having a ticking time bomb under the bonnet.
The alloy header tanks on ebay (FORGE look a likes) are absolutely fine. The problem with these when used as a replacement is that they still use the standard BMW screw down plastic pressure cap. These are NOT good and frequently leak, and have been reported to hold/release pressure at various differing levels so not very reliable either!
The best solution is to use an alloy tank that has a bayonet type (like on an classic mini) pressure cap.
You can by these from the USA or I think GTT are mfg this kind of tank in the UK now but don't know what they cost.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
MINI Cooper Forum
3.6M posts
159.9K members
Since 2001
Join our Mini Cooper Forums to talk about your new Mini. From reviews, mods, accessories, reliability concerns and more, this Mini Owners Club is full of info!