Fleet Parts faces fine on spring brake actuators
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• Fleet Parts has been convicted under the Trades Description Act 1968 of supplying Bendix-type 24 brake actuators to which it had applied false descriptions. Its leave to appeal ran out shortly before Colin Rothwell, managing director of Fleet Parts spoke at the recent CM Workshop conference defending the activities of the independent brake remanufacturers.
The brand new actuators appeared on the market via Fleet Parts who had overstamped the letters std (which stand for standard), with an M, and stamped the letters hd for 'heavy duty') below. The spring inside the actuator remained unchanged and, although they do not meet the needs of many vehicles on the UK market, it is feared that there may be more still in circulation.
The actuators were originally supplied by Bendbi to a major UK manufacturer to fulfil a Middle-East contract that was subsequently blocked. Bendix took back half the actuators, but some of the remainder have appeared back on the market via Fleet Parts.
Fleet Parts was taken to the magistrates court by Cheshire County Council on 23 October, and the fines imposed for the five specimen charges add up to £2,400. It was ordered to pay 21,404.15 costs.