Flying Spares is known for only stocking the best, and responsibility for keeping the bar sky-high lies with our in-house Quality Control Department (QCD).

Led by our resident engineering genius, head of quality control, Malcolm Crane, the QCD tests every prospective new product using incredibly precise equipment. If it doesn’t pass our rigorous checks, we won’t sell it. Simple as that.

For an insight into this vital work, let’s look at two of the more interesting products currently being put through their paces by Malcolm and his team: 1) new OEM Bentley GT brake discs, and 2) new premium antifreeze/coolant.

Brake discs are, of course, a safety-critical product, hence the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) Regulation 90, commonly known as R90, which defines minimum standards for aftermarket braking products.

To achieve R90 compliance, brake discs are tested for size, shape, composition, dynamic friction, load integrity, and thermal fatigue. Performance must be within a certain tolerance of the equivalent OE part. But that’s not good enough for us!

We only source parts that are equal to or exceed, the original product in terms of fitment, specification, and performance. And we’re so confident in our procedures that we back our aftermarket/OEM parts with a market-leading 3-year warranty.

Our prospective new OEM Bentley GT brake discs are currently in the final stage of QC approval. In addition to the manufacturer’s impressive test results, they’ve now passed our own demanding lab tests… but Malcolm won’t sign them off yet.

He’s had a set running on our Flying Spares GT test car for a few months now because there’s nothing like proving real-world performance.

It’s a similar story to our new premium antifreeze. If you frequent any of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley online forums, you’ll know that this product group attracts an awful lot of scrutiny.

The robust quality control started with analysis by a leading European automotive supplier, incidentally also a specialist in aircraft de-icing fluids. It has passed all their lab tests, and ours, including the complete submersion of various engine seals in a 100% solution. None showed any degradation.

The final test, which finished at the beginning of 2023 was a long hot summer and hard winter conditions in our Silver Spirit test car. The coolant/antifreeze passed with flying colours and is now available to buy from Flying Spares. GREEN COOLANT (5 Litres) (UE70936L5P) | Flying Spares

 

 

 

 

As you can see, gaining Malcolm’s approval is no mean feat, and that’s just one aspect of his work. The QCD also conducts ongoing random batch tests to ensure standards don’t slip. That’s Flying Spares quality.