bob p

I'm wondering if it's normal to open a Dorman brake hose box and find a part inside that's labeled "Sunsong".

In the past 3 months I've ordered 7 different Dorman brand brake hoses from RockAuto. The first 6 have had totally different markings and appearance than the one that arrived today.

The first 6 have all had hoses that were marked "GB 16897-2010 HN SAE J1401, and were a heavy hose that measured OD=0.493". The fittings on the ends were stamped "DOT QDHN-LD CHINA".

The line that came today is marked "SUNSONG -- SAE J1401 -- 1/8HL -- 06/12 -- DOT". It is a much more slender line that measures OD=0.406". The fittings on the ends are stamped "SUNSONG". The hose looks pretty thin by comparison.


Maybe I'm just too cautious about brakes, but I immediately noticed that this hose in a Dorman box didn't look anything like any of the other Dorman lines I had recently purchased. The markings were different, the line was definitely much thinner, and overall, it just didn't look right for a Dorman product.

I had thought that RockAuto might have unknowingly shipped a line to me that someone had previously returned, where someone had returned a Sunsong hose in a Dorman box for credit. So I called Dorman. I gave them the part numbers, the lot codes, and the date codes off of the boxes and they weren't able to tell me whether the line was genuine or counterfeit. The rep had absolutely no ability to help me verify that the hose was genuine. The hose that he had to look at for reference didn't have ANY markings on it. He had no ability to say anything about the hoses, their markings, or who their suppliers were, other than to say that COO=China, which I already knew for both hoses.

Has anyone else had experience with Sunsong-branded hoses?
Does anyone know if it's normal for this kind of hose to come in a Dorman box?

Photos below. First one compares two "Dorman" hoses. The thicker hose is the H53540 for the 1962 88 front L/R application. My H35018 for the rear (not pictured) is just as thick, and has the same markings, as did the hoses that I recently bought for my Chevy truck. The other Other photos are of the Sunsong hose in the H36664 box. It certainly looks different.

therobski

That's what the previous owner installed on my new acquisition.

bob p

I got a call back from the guy at Dorman this afternoon. He made some calls within the company and someone got back to him with the answer that yes, Sunsong is one of dorman's suppliers, so he thinks that a Sunsong branded dorman line is probably genuine. He guaranteed that they'd warranty the hose, so I went ahead and installed it.

Interestingly, he told me that they were going to be changing suppliers so that Sunsong would not be one of their suppliers in the future. When I asked if there was some sort of QC problem that was causing them to change suppliers, he gave sort of a funny reply. He was told that "too many other people sell the same Sunsong hose as an aftermarket product and we want a different supplier." He said that a lot of the parts stores' private brands are Sunsong hoses and Dorman wanted some product differentiation.

It certainly sounds like most of the aftermarket people are now selling the same Sunsong hose and the only difference between the products is the box that the hose comes in, and the price tag on it.

ssbatarseh

if a break line fails, what good the warranty is if ending being in a ditch dead or half dead... this is like having a warranty on knee cap replacement surgery.

oldcutlass

Since this is a 5+ year old thread you resurrected as your first post, there has not been any notable Brake line failures related to this product.