# Warning!H.E.L Brake line sheared off, Nearly crashed



## gavoh (Apr 3, 2008)

My brand new HEL braided brake lines have just shear off (O/S front), causing me to nearly crash into a stone wall!!! 
I was coming down to a T junction applied the brakes and the brake pedal started to go to the floor, managed to slow it on the hand brake and cram it down on the gears. But this didn't scrub all the speed so had to hope for the best and chuck it 90 left (hoping for dear life nothing was coming), managed to get it back home the split system just about working.
Still quite shock up so having a drink right now.
These have done about 400 miles, so I'm really fuming going to be ring HEL tomorrow. They better come up with the right answers!!!

Here are some pictures








Red ring shows where its sheared.
















brake fluid all over inner wing *****.








Brake fluid all around my new wheels

Don't know what you guys think about this??


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## Ian C (Jun 3, 2003)

Hi gav, sounds like you had a horrific experience!

Problem with these aftermarket hoses is they generally don't come with a crimped fitting that goes onto the strut. i see you've using a P clip, but this isn;t really good enough to ensure the correct length of hose is retained between the body and suspension to prevent it getting snagged.
Saw the same thing happen on a trackday with goodridge set up, which was fitted using a zip-tie to the strut.

These are so important and simple to design, but it seems most companies have forgotten the key point - does this part meet the functional requirement? Mostly no.

In my experience, only the nismo parts are worthy of using.
When you speak to HEL, they'll probably ask:
- Was a qualified technician used?
- How was the hose retained on the strut?
- Was the clip put in the correct position on the hose?
etc etc

Ian


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## car32 (Oct 12, 2003)

looks like the way you have it routed to me.while turning it will pull against where it is mounted to the chassis.just like bending a piece of metal over and over it would crack and break


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## Nocturnal (Nov 5, 2004)

Glad you made it back home alright... take some time to relax yourself and get a drink...

Like any product, sometime things goes wrong during production... but that is quite a dangerous item to get wrong I have to say.


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## gavoh (Apr 3, 2008)

car32 said:


> looks like the way you have it routed to me.while turning it will pull against where it is mounted to the chassis.just like bending a piece of metal over and over it would crack and break


The P clip is what HEL supplied me and that's the only place it can mount!!

I used to be a rally mechanic and do rallying, I may not be able to prove it but I'm not an ametur with cars. 

If it mounted incorrectly I'll let them tell me that and take it from there. 
As far as I'm concerned it was installed the only way it could have been with the length and fitting they supplied.


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## ru' (Feb 18, 2007)

Nasty! Glad you and the car are okay though.


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## car32 (Oct 12, 2003)

i have hel on my 33 and i routed them between the drive shaft and the hub, then onto the caliper.
are the pics with a jack on the chassis or suspension,if its on the chassis the pipe will be even tighter when you have suspension compressed


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## gavoh (Apr 3, 2008)

car32 said:


> i have hel on my 33 and i routed them between the drive shaft and the hub, then onto the caliper.
> are the pics with a jack on the chassis or suspension,if its on the chassis the pipe will be even tighter when you have suspension compressed


I do agree with you, but the ends on the kit, the length of the hose and the P clip supplied all dictated that was the route for them. installed as per the route of the factory ones. 

Ian I do agree with you about the Nismos wheres the best place to get them?

Cheers


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## car32 (Oct 12, 2003)

at least your in one piece and car is ok,could have been alot worse.
the hel kit i had went all the way from the chassis to the bajo on the caliper is yours the same?
if i get chance tomorrow ill take a pic of mine


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## gavoh (Apr 3, 2008)

car32 said:


> at least your in one piece and car is ok,could have been alot worse.
> the hel kit i had went all the way from the chassis to the bajo on the caliper is yours the same?
> if i get chance tomorrow ill take a pic of mine


Umm mine go from the chassis to the end of the metal pipe that then fixes into the caliper, I'll take some more pics tomorrow. 

Does anyone know the best / quickest place to get the nismo ones?


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## jaycabs (Nov 16, 2007)

you lot got me worried about my new D2 kit i recently fitted , i thought about routing it between the drive shaft and hub but thought what happen if it starts to touch the cv boot from movement ??? so i routed over the hub to the caliper which has slightly more tension if i remember correctly ?? :nervous:

can always change it but if some ones got a tried and trusted way of routing it then can they post some pictures ?


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## nick the tubman (Jun 28, 2006)

now that is scary. glad you are ok.


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## R.I.P.S NZ (May 7, 2004)

TBH it does look like an install problem, not saying you had any choice but to do it like you did but if the suspension is hanging in those pix, it would be under huge load during operation, maybe they arn't quite the right hoses for your model?

Rob


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## gavoh (Apr 3, 2008)

Thanks guys for the input! 
I did order the R33 GTR ones, I'll give them a call and see what they say.

Glad it didn't happen next month at Nurburg:blahblah:


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## gavoh (Apr 3, 2008)

Well after about a week of discussions with HEL (hose soultions) I can't but feel that things could have gone better.

I rang them a couple of times and no one got back to me about what had happened, so sent an email voicing that I displeased with the lack of response. Then I did get a phone call back and the guy said that he'd been off ill (not what his the person said when I rang). 
So the conversation started off by him asking me what had happened etc and how I'd fitted the brake lines, so I said "before we go any further, you explain to me how you think / know your brake line should be fitted / routed" He explained exactly the same how I had fitted them (as in the photos). 
He then asked me how they could improve the design etc and we talked about the std fitting ones with the block in the middle to avoid line crush. 

All sounded good and I pointed out that I'm not in the game of taking people to court and that I didn't want a replacement Line, as I'd lost faith in the product and that I'd ordered Nismo ones. He asked for my paypal address and that they would sort me out etc. 

So nothing happened for 4-5 days, emailed him and he replied that he'd been off ill (again!!!) and that he would get it sorted.
He did refunded the £54 into my paypal.

But through fitting these lines I had put new fluid in (motul 660 at a cost of about £60 ish) So I have had to buy the same amount again to put the Nismo lines on (as all the other stuff has drained out the split line), my cars been off the road since it happened (which I use as a daily driver for work) plus the little back brackets I binned due to them not been needed with the HEL kit. So I sent him another email pointing this out and that I was under the impression that he would have been giving me enough back to cover the cost of the fluid as well (but I didn't want anything for lose of car use etc).
He pointed out that he did offer a replacement line to get the car back on the road (yeah like I want to go through that again). 

He then said that he'd refunded for all 4 lines and it was only one of them that failed wtf 1 line, 4 lines it's bought as a kit.

I just feel the right thing would have been to sort out the cost of the fluid, luckily I can do all my own car work. But what if it had been in a garage, there would have been more costs for storage, re fitting new lines etc. 

Am I been unreasonable or do you think what I said is fair??
Not sure what to do now, suppose that's the way it goes.

In fairness Im not trying to bad mouth them, and he pointed out that in 14 years this has never happened before. So if thats true and I fitted the kit as per there recommendations, I was very very very unluckly.

Thanks

p.s. sorry about the long rant just feel very let down.


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## gtr-loz (Feb 10, 2006)

i have hel lines on the gtir and they have been fine, however i think if you contacted trading standards and asked them if hel are to fault then they have a legal obligation to either pay for the repairs or do the repairs themselves i guess that would indeed mean the fluid etc it might be worth giving them a ring


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