New, Used, Rebuilt ... which way to go???
Helping to decide is purpose of this page. So here are some Important Buying tips, one of the very few things that the new Range Rover ABS Bible, Getting Comfortable with WABCO ABS brakes, Range Rover 1990 to 2002, third edition, does NOT tell you. Prices and information cited are approximations, current in early May, 2010.
In order to
decide whether to buy a new, rebuilt or
refurbished, or even a used pump, two other parts should be considered
as well. A great deal of confusion surrounds these terms.
This is made worse by the fact that P38a
models
use a different configuration: Photo is of one of those, but
you'll get the idea if you follow the braided steel hose on yours to
find your secretive accumulator. So let's see if we can
set it all straight.
Pump: Brake pumps generally last a long time. If one has failed the cause is very rarely old age: the causes are usually a bad accumulator, a sticky pump-control-relay [$16], or a clogged filter. See The Book for details, for tests, and for repairs. The filter is integral in the pump, so new or rebuilt units are far better risks than used ones.
A "new pump" is only supplied as an assembly, and it therefore includes one other key component: a new pressure switch. Physically speaking, the switch is easily removed from the outside of the pump if necessary. The assembly is made only by WABCO: there is no aftermarket version for sale. New switches alone are no longer available -- except when purchased as part of a new pump [assembly], and rebuilt switches, such as ours, run around $350.
Accumulator: This is separate on Classics, and not supplied with a pump ... new, used, or rebuilt.
The Range Rover Brake Book explains the details of how the accumulator is built, tested by the user, how it affects the life expectancy of the pump, and how it fails. Regardless, WABCO has never sold license to manufacture this part to anyone else, so whomever you buy a new one from, it is the exact same part.
Pressure Switch: These control the pump's operation cycles. Often, when they fail, the mechanic deems the entire pump bad. Yes -- a new pump assembly will include a new switch. But the switch can be obtained and changed without buying a whole pump. Switches do not fail with any regularity. Sure, it can be an issue, randomly, from time to time: some last hundreds of thousands of miles while others puke at 80k miles. As with any mechanical condition, use hastens their demise, and the worse the accumulator, the more the use-cycles on the switch.
Used switches can be found for $200 to $400 but are rare: since they don't necessarily fail from age, so this is a good alternative, if you can find one. A new pressure switch has never been available from Land Rover. Rebuilt ones are usually about $350.
RECAP: New pump assembly [$1100] comes with new switch [$400], so the new pump alone is worth about $700. Rebuilt pumps, without the switch, but at less than 2/3 that cost [$450], work as well and will last as long as new ones. Used pump assemblies, if they come with switch can be considered, but since the filter is integral to the unit, this is quite risky. Working used pumps can be refurbished, however, for around $250.
Pump faults are almost always caused by other things, things which the Range Rover ABS Brake Book explains in fine detail ... so that the owner can tell well in advance. Stay on top of accumulators, fluid, filters, and relays. Read the book and there's no reason to need to buy another pump!