I have just been e-mailed a list of available parts for my car from Blue Print. It is quite an extensive list including timing belt kits, brake, clutch, suspension parts etc. I have never used any part from this scource. Has anyone used any parts from this supplier? If so do you have any comments on quality, reliability, price etc. I ask because my local motor factor is a stockist, so it would be convenient for me. All comments gratefully received.
Regards Geoff Peace.
The motor factor my dad works for (no, not Halfrauds, but one in East Anglia) uses them and they seem to be ok. I used their oil filter and belt and they seem to be ok so far. I’m surprised to hear they’re expensive though as they use this brand rather than QH I believe.
My local factor sells blue print and I have fitted a number of these parts, the largest being clutch kits all without problem, I also believe the cam belt kit I fitted to a Kia Sportage was blue print, and that is still going strong with 40k + since, I am happy with them for pattern parts ( from memory I believe the friction plate in at least one of the clutch kits was stamped valeo! )
Generally they seem ok for discs etc, but never ever use a spurious airfilter from Blueprint or Nipparts etc. The sealing edge material is too hard and the wrong design for the Mazda airbox and can result in un-filtered air entering your engine - I have seen very many examples of this and keep one here to show customers why it is better to spend the extra on a genuine Mazda item, I dont use spurious oil filters either 
Dr. Eunos
Mazda Japan oil filters are different from those supplied by Mazda Europe, which are rebranded French oil filters (Fram I think). Filters for some MX6s are closer in spec to the origonal MX5 poil filter, than the ones sold by Mazda Europe. I have an idea Mazda Japan source their filters from the same Malaysian maker who supply VAG and MAN for the APAC market. Blueprint/ADL are like Firstline; a lot of their Japanese car parts are sourced in Japan, from the same suppliers who supply to Mazda. So, for instance, go to Firstline, and their brakepads for Mazdas will generally be Sumitomo, in a Firstline box. Sumitomo supply Mazda. All Japanese manufactured brake pads are now ceramic compounds. Nipparts is a Dutch company, and its a bit more low budget, so will source more from China and Eastern Europe. Because Chinese ISO standards are almost an internal standard (TUV have seperate Chinese offices), the quality is more uncertain, though its getting a lot lot better very quickly.
Just for information QH is now in the hands of the receiver. So it remains to be seen if another company will buy it out, or, it goes to the wall. I do hope the former rather than the latter, many jobs would be lost in North Wales if the company went to the wall!
Regards Geoff Peace.
Just got a servic kit for SWMBO’s Yaris and it was all Blueprint stuff.
Had a look at the bottom of the box…a Bilstein Group Company. So they’re not as unknown as they sound.
Blueprint was a trading name for ADL,n (principally Japanese and Korean model car parts) and have been around for years, so I’m surprised anyone even thinks they are “unknown”. ADL was originally owned by Mazda Cars Limited; the same mob who were the official concessionaires for Mazda in the UK (note, they were not Mazda Cars). MCL lost the franchise, and were reduced to selling Kias. Bilstein snapped up ADL in 2010. Automotive Distributors was just that; they source parts from a variety of OE and OEM manufacturers.in the same way Firstline does. Don’t assume that just because they are now febi Bilstein, everything they sell is made in Germany by Bilstein. I expect they will continue to source Mazda specific parts from manufacturers in Japan, China-Taipei and the PRC.
Interestingly, they have a seperate operation, Specialist Product Solutions, that sources parts from the Asia (they opened a Shanghai office a few years back)
Well if they’re not new, they’ve surely got a new sales team because I’ve been buying parts off trade counters for 20 years and they’re new to me and all of a sudden their parts are all over, my mechanic mate now has piles of blue boxes turning up from his supplier, and they’re a new name to him…then I walk into my usual place the other day and out came all blueprint parts (including the oil filter, which would usually be a FRAM in my experience).
Maybe they’re just rapidly filling the spot the QH have left…or just new owners pushing the sales a bit better.
The only experience I have had with Blue Print is I ordered a set of plug leads a while ago. When they arrived two of the leads were over 120k ohms resistance and the were all around an inch and a half too long. Not easy to loose that especially on plug 4. I suspect they are also for the earlier 1.8 with the coil pack on the other side of the cam cover. Not cheap £55. However I returned them and am still searching for quality leads of the correct length.
Regards Geoff Peace.
Yes, I have no experience of their quality yet (2 out of 4 being duff seems pretty poor…that can’t be average!) but that’s always the way with leads…the car manufacturer specifies the exact length they want, they get what they want since they’re buying a million of them a year…but then the aftermarket suppliers just stick the closest standard length in the box and really short ones get ‘rounded up’ to the next size they already have made. Not that it makes any difference other than neatness, mind…as long as they’re made well. And they ought to be, since they’re just glorified wires. You can even get kits to make them up yourself…