VikingTrad3r

i would to know if anybody has any verification at all that some north american parts suppliers (example, ball joints) actually use "quality" steel in in thier parts that are harder, less prone to rapid wear.

i have a generic "white box" ball joint and a "moog" balljoint sourced at local auto store and they are identical. im frustrated because i need a brand of parts that i KNOW FOR SURE IS QUALITY METAL and isnt going to be some recycled blended pot metal version of a part that im going to be replacing in a year.

does any parts supplier, including the oems like acdelco, offer a "hardness" rating or quality rating?

frustrated. looks like i paid 5x the price for a name on the box. grinds me.

constructive answers please. im willing to pay $ but i need proof that im buying superior LONG LASTING parts.

WW7

Moog sells quality parts from what I've seen and heard. Moog has their parts made in 16 different countries ( yes 16), but they have quality standards that must be met from all sources....Even though the 2 ball joints look alike , that doesn't mean they are the same quality. The reason they may look alike is because they're copied off the original part, China is notorious for doing this.. I always buy name brand parts for my cars , doesn't have to be original, but needs to be quality (No white box). Even many AC Delco parts are now made in China, but the quality almost always seems to be better then aftermarket because GM has standards the supplier must meet..Believe it or not, China does make some quality parts when they're paid to , but companys have to pay a higher "primium price" and most won't do it because they want to compete with the other sellers......
.I do know that Timken and SKF make some of the best wheel bearings on the market, when it's time for you to replace those......WW

FAUEE

Unfortunately, that's sort of the way of manufacturing now. It's impossible to tell what's a quality part, and what's an exact replica made with cheaper parts.

I'll go one further, it's getting to be impossible to tell that you're buying LEGIT brand name stuff as opposed to a generic made to be counterfeit of a name brand.

I'm getting to the point now where I just buy parts from the big auto parts stores. They at least buy direct form the manufacturers due to volume and I can feel fairly confident I'm not getting counterfeits. I try to avoid buying things online if I know it's something important (plus I like buying in store - I don't want to have to worry about there not being a store when I need something right now.

JrRifleCoach

Answer: For the C4, nobody. NOS on Amazon or eBay are becoming my goto stores.

Can't find good parts for my daily driver either these days

confab

Duramax truck here yesterday. Had the front end rebuilt with Moog parts a year ago, and the ball joints are worn out.

Edv92c4

I have this same quandary...I'm currently looking into purchase of a new master cylinder for my 92 but prices and brands are all over the board. I'm thinking of setting up a dart board and shooting at it blindfolded...

JrRifleCoach

You can go to one of the auto parts "Box Stores" and buy their premium part with a "life time" warranty.
Then you'll understand that lifetime means how much time you'll spend replacing that part.

VikingTrad3r

this is exactly what im talking about. i want to avoid this. i am about to do my front end with 250k miles on my 06 denali xl and i want parts that will last as long again. those are bugs not rock chips.





careful! u will bid up the prices!

Cjunkie

Try to find TRW front suspension parts then. They were/are OE.

VikingTrad3r

interesting. my research suggests moog manufactures trw.

im so confused as i dont understand how oe trw (moog) can last 250k miles yet when i read reviews on moog parts they do not appear any better than whitebox with respect to longevity.

VikingTrad3r

there has to be a manufacturer out there that cuts open thier parts and the whitebox parts and at least SHOWS us how there are more bearings or some design improvements or something

FAUEE

You can't always trust reviews. IMO, most people writing poor reviews on parts either took the stuff to a shop who didn't actually do the work and just sprayed some lube in it and called it a day, replaced the wrong part and so never actually fixed the issue, or in some other way bungled it all up.

Parts are deigned to specs and drawings. You Your bearing example for instance, say 5 bearings are specified, then the part will have 5 bearings. You can have tighter tolerances, better bearings, etc. but it's highly unlikely that someone will be able to add more bearings.

Plus the industry works off batches. So If I make a batch, sample it, and get a 99,9% confidence interval that all the parts are good, I sell it as my inhouse brand. If it's say, 95% I sell it to an auto parts chain for their store brand with a lifetime warranty. If it's below 90% I send it to a whitebox manufacturer that sells it for pennies on the dollar. These are obviously made up numbers, but it's sort of how it works in a lot of manufacturing nowdays.

belairbrian

Not sure what a year means. That could mean 10k or 100k. Duramax pickups are pretty popular with the hot shot trucks.

I know the my 3500 dually was tough on tie-rods. I put moogs on and never had another problem.

Cjunkie

Today that very well could be. I know TRW 'used' to be OE. I wonder if Dana/Spicer makes suspension parts.

cv67

The Z?

When my truck was 3 yrs old under warranty the ABS went out....replacement part didnt even exist, light is still on to this day;replacement GM Cats (y pipe) for the DD are 2 friggin thousand. The aftermarkets I put on are worthless, truck has no power at all.

Wonder if its even possible to get the same quality parts the factory uses...for example guys rebuilding an LSx using another hyper piston but cant figure out why the originals took some abuse and the new ones shatter way too easy

Viking most brand name stuff we can get our hands on is low grade stuff. Frustrating but guess the big 3 figure it will keep eveyrone buying new. Problem is someone comes out with a high quality part people cry becuase it isnt as cheap as the junk out there. So were stuck;Ill wait a long time if it means getting the right part.