Chassis Parts

showcrop · May 17, 2014

At a repair shop the proprietor told me that he uses a specific brand of chassis parts such as ball joints, because they are a lot better than many others and pointed out that the ball joint that had recently been put in my car at another shop was an inferior brand. I have long been under the impression that the brand that he favored is very high quality but is there really that big a difference between brands?

T in NE · May 18, 2014

You get what you pay for when it comes to ball joints. I put the $20 NAPA lower in my truck last summer so I could drive it. Went to grease it a couple weeks later and it wouldn't take any.
Moog's for my truck (90 Dodge) used to be the preferred brand, but their quality has been slipping lately it seems, guys are switching to TRW and DANA, but they cost. Like $70-$80 cost. But I bet they will still take grease after 3 weeks, too.

mkirsch · May 20, 2014

No offense man but I expect that ball joint wouldn't have taken grease on Day 1.

If it did what are you going back and greasing it again at 3 weeks for?

ericlb · May 21, 2014

yes there is a difference, car parts are a field where companies have been profitizing, places that used to have a rep for good stuff have been bought out and now have chinese junk in the boxes that used to mean good stuff, the stuff allowes more money to be made by the parts store as well as the mechainic, you pay retail he pays jobber and theres a big price difference, there betting on the part making it until you trade the car in, i fyou like me and tend to keep a work vehicle 20 or 30 years or more as it still does the job you have it for thats a problem, on the few occasions when i have a professional mechanic fix mine as opposed to me fixing it, i buy the parts, lay them in the seat and the mechanic uses those parts, and as i was in the parts business for some time , i can tell if they did or not , if you cant, just take a felt tip pen, white or pink, and put a small dash where it will show on the installed part, it looks like a manufacturing quality check mark and only you know its your mark

T in NE · May 24, 2014

Because I was under it for something else already and a grease gun was handy, and I knew it was a cheap (AKA junk) part. And it did take grease on day 1, unless I was pumping it into a black hole or something.

Chassis Parts

showcrop

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T in NE

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mkirsch

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ericlb

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T in NE

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