speedf50

I recently installed powerstop stainless brake lines on my s2k while I was refreshing the brake system. When I went to bleed them one of the rear lines popped off of the inner connection to the hard line spraying fluid everywhere. The bleeder was open on the other caliper when this occurred so I don’t think it was from too much pressure, plus the car was not running so no booster.

I’ve installed many brake lines in the past and am pretty confident this was not from improper installation, but rather from poor assembly/quality.

Has anyone else had this happen with Powerstop or other aftermarket lines??? I’ll be contacting rockauto/Powerstop to try and get a refund, but I am afraid to run these lines now after this failure. Pretty sure I’m gonna pull all these lines and go with a different brand. I am glad this happened during the bleed and not on the road…

noodels

Mr.Matchbox

I installed a lot of Stainless Steel brake lines on Motorcycles, mine and buddys, and Cars over the years, never had this. Scarry.

B serious

That's very scary.

I wonder if powerstop has any actual design control of these lines, or of they're rebrands from Ali Express or some 3rd party vendor something.

I would definitely contact Powerstop. Rockauto is just a vendor.

Jub

Personally, I think that would scare me from using them and I'd be asking for a refund. I'd get a refund and buy elsewhere. Powerstop should do some due diligence to make sure this is a one-off. Having brakes is pretty high in the priority list of my car.

speedf50

Quick update. Rockauto has been of no help, and it is literally impossible to speak to someone there (they have no phone number apart from their corporate office). I tried emailing them but got no response.

Powerstop did respond but can't offer a refund as they didn't process payment. They offered to send me another set of lines which is better than nothing, but I'll probably just sell those on Ebay as I no longer trust their products as some of you mentioned above.

Lesson learned, don't cheap out on brake components. Ordering Stoptech lines from Evasive and pulling all these Powestop lines off the car.

Bummer I wasted a bunch of time, money, and brake fluid messing with these lines, but hope this post helps anyone else avoid making the same mistake!

B serious

Rockauto is a discount retailer. So...the customer service isn't their strongest product.

Just go through their online return process. Its very easy.

hai1206vn

Crazy. I'm glad it popped on you in the garage, not on the road/track.

Car Analogy

I'd have more confidence if Power Stop went into full investigative mode. Asked to have lines sent back to their engineering headquarters, sent you a prepaid fedex overnight shipping label and even a box.

The fact that did none of this is to me the scariest part of this story.

Maybe these were counterfeit. Or maybe it was a defect in training or worn equipment at one of their manufacturers. Or maybe a design issue.

Regardless, If I were them I'd be desperate to find out.

They now have liability, if this happens to anyone running these lines, on any platform, and results in any sort of accident, any decent lawyer could find this post and use it to prove PS knew about issue and did nothing. A lawsuit smoking gun.

To help that future fellow enthusiast and their lawsuit out, post any details about how you contacted PS, date and approximate time you spoke to someone, any more details you can think of regarding correspondence. Who you spoke to or even just what dept they worked in.

Will help lawyer sort through petitioned records, phone, email, etc. Not just your communication with them, but any internal communication that subsequently transpired.

speedf50

Well to conclude, Powerstop offered to replace them and didn't ask for them back, or do any kind of investigation.

I ended up getting Stoptech lines to replace them and pulled all the Powerstop stuff off the car. I installed the Stoptech lines in the exact same way and surprise surprise, no leaks and no issues.

I doubt they were counterfeit as they came from Rockauto who is a huge supplier and likely deals directly with Powerstop as a manufacturer.

TLDR: I don't recommend Powerstop brake lines, and they seem to not be super bothered by a failure that could have led to an accident or death.

In regards to documenting the event, I called Powerstop on 5/22 and initiated an email conversation, following our phone conversation where I notified them of my issue, this email chain ensued:

5/22 9:44am
"Hello,
I am very sorry that you experienced an issue with one of our products. As I stated, if you are looking for a refund, you can contact Rock Auto directly to file a return for refund. Please send me a description of the issue with the product and pictures of the brake hose once removed from the vehicle so I can send them over to our Product Management team to be reviewed and addressed internally.

Thank you for calling in today to report the issue and again I am very sorry that this happened.
Lisa "

5/22 10:47am
"Good Afternoon Lisa,
I attempted to return the lines through rockauto but they were of no help. I'll be honest, the order was shipped 43 days ago so they refused to warranty or return the lines. Life happens and installation was delayed until yesterday, I don't see how this should alleviate your company from responsibility for a faulty product that could have caused complete brake failure should it have happened on the road rather than during the bleed process.

I am extremely disappointed that it seems Rockauto will not help me, and Powerstop appears to not stand behind its products. I understand that payment was sent to Rockauto so they would be the ones to issue a return, but at this point I am left out of pocket with a failed Powerstop product, and a complete lack of confidence in the rest of these lines following the failure.

If there is anything you can do to remedy this situation I would be grateful.

I have attached pictures of the brake line below."

5/22 11:30am
"Hello,
I am very sorry that Rock Auto was not willing to help you. I will say that this is not a common issue with our brake hoses, so I am very sorry that you had this happen. Unfortunately, as the manufacturer we are unable to offer any type of refund as the purchase transaction was handled with the retailer. However, I would be able to offer a replacement brake hose kit, but they are currently out of stock and the eta I currently show is end of June. I understand that doesn't help you in the moment, but I can definitely send out a replacement brake hose kit to you once they are back in stock.

Please let me know if you would like me to send out a replacement kit once they are back in stock.
Thank you"

5/22 12:55pm
"Hi Lisa,
I understand you did not process the transaction so you can't issue a refund. I guess a replacement kit would allow me to re-sell it and recoup some of my money spent. I have lost all confidence in your brake lines and will not be re-installing your product. My shipping info is listed below, let me know if you need anything else."

5/22 3:06pm
"Hello,
Again, I am very sorry about that, and I understand. I will keep this case open until the parts come back in stock. Once back in stock, I will send a replacement and notify you via email with the order confirmation number.

Thank you"