Visco Fan clutch brand

[mauro12]

Hello guys .
Since my fan clutch is not working properly ,
I want to buy a new one . The original behr is nla or it cost a fortune , over 1000€!!
I’ve seen many European website like sls shop , db depot and mb.classic.de .
They have on stock different brands like meyle , febi , dasis , NRF and thermotec . The last 2 are the cheapest. Any experiences with those brands ? Those are in the range between 65 to 130€.
Thank you all .
Mauro

[Vander]

Meyle and febi are both good brands. I'm not familiar with the others.

[zoegrlh]

Is your fan clutch hard to turn when engine is off, or does it move freely.

[WRe]

Hi,
I have tested some of these cheap brands and they are all rubbish, don"t work, one came already leaking from dealer.
Even febi didn't work properly.
...WRe

[mauro12]

Mine doesn’t spin freely but has lost some of its capacity to cool the engine during stop and go traffic . Any experiences with these brands ? I want to avoid 1000€. I cannot believe that only behr is the most reliable.

[WRe]

https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=38731.msg282959#msg282959

[Davek1]

Nothing wrong with Febi, used them many times and no regrets

[Pawel66]

As much as I can tell...

From my own experience with car parts: should budget constraints be a factor, stay away from cheap parts.

I think Meyle and Febi are comparable renown and respected brands.

Thermotec is a Polish company with mixed opinions - good opinions on gearboxes, not so good about radiators.

Dasis: supply a lot to VW/Audi (which to me does not imply good quality), not bad opinions.

NRF - quite known supplier for automotive, industry, marine... good opinions.

I would buy Febi.

[mauro12]

The best thing would be to hear somebody who have those part in their car . Fan clutch is quite simple device .

[WRe]

Hi Mauro,
If it is so simple you could repair your clutch: https://buschtaxi.org/der-viskoluefter-funktionsweise-und-instandsetzung/.
...WRe

[Leester]

Thank you WRe for a humorous (we need all the humor we can muster these days) and informative article. I have a half dozen old clutches and might just give it a go one day. Will aim for a day when youngsters are not within earshot!

[mauro12]

Have you ever noticed when the cluch actually engages ? Some people complain that these aftermarket fan clutches do make very strong noise , is it true and noticeble ?

[WRe]

Hi,
I have never noticed a noise coming from the clutch but from the fan.
...WRe

[mauro12]

Hi , of course I meant from the fan which  is driven somehow by the fan clutch . Do you actually feels when it engages ?

[WRe]

You can hear it clearly.