Moog tie rod end?

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mainemike

mainemike

Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Threads
17
Messages
533
Location
Central PA
Website
www.purplelizard.com
The local alignment shop broke the OEM tie rod ends this afternoon at 3pm on a Friday. They are replacing with Moog because that's the beefiest they can get from CarQuest. Toyota parts aren't available until next Tuesday at the soonest.

Uhg.. I never use non-OEM parts unless it is an obvious upgrade.

Anything I should be aware of?

Plan on replacing with OEM and keep these as spares? Redo it next month with BudBuilt? Or am I worried about nothing?

The tech said "Moog has a lifetime warranty" and I said "A lot of good that does me 100 miles from the nearest town..."

mike
 
Moog makes good parts. Most of CarQuests' and NAPA's chassis and suspension parts are made by Moog. I would feel confident in using them if nothing else is available. Can you be without the car for a few days? If so, leave it there until you can get them to replace it with OE.
 
I kind of like Cdan's take on rod ends. That is, " stick with OEM because it is better to tear apart a rod end rather than a $1500. steering box" The price and quote is paraphrased. However, this is sound advice since our steering boxes are rather pricey compared to the ends. :beer:


Dave
 
In the shop I work in, Moog parts are all we use. Period. Lifetime warranty. And we have never had any issues with them. That is just my take...
 
The Moog tie rod ends work fine, it's been about 20,000 miles with no issues. Very little rock wheeling this year so they weren't particularly stressed on the dirt trails and beach runs - this season was mainly highway miles.
 
I would like someone to please explain to me the true differences between a top quality aftermarket and an oem tie rod end. Unless the aftermarket is made from cardboard or is 1/8 diameter I would assume that there would be no difference.
 
phxtlc said:
I would like someone to please explain to me the true differences between a top quality aftermarket and an oem tie rod end. Unless the aftermarket is made from cardboard or is 1/8 diameter I would assume that there would be no difference.
Click to expand...

Often times its like playing Russian roulette with regards to what will come out of the box. Even brand name companies like TRW, MOOG, et al will sub out to off shore companies for their import parts. This is mainly to make sure they have a full product line/vehicle coverage to offer to their resellers. Some parts will be OEM equivelant and /or exceed OEM quality. Others won't. In the end, OEM parts are pretty consistent in quality.

Here's an example of what you might get with aftermarket parts. A couple weeks ago a customer needed brake rotors for his '80. I ordered him two rotors, but only one showed up the next day. With the Thanksgiving holiday, Toyota's parts shipping schedule was all screwed up, so I wouldn't see his other rotor until this week, since it got referred to another warehouse. Since he needed it sooner, I got him one from NAPA (reboxed Raybestos). When he came to get them, we noticed the OEM rotor felt heavier than the NAPA rotor, so we weighed them. The OEM rotor did in fact weigh more than the NAPA rotor, which indicates OEM uses a denser metal. I'm no metalurgist, but the difference in density tells me the OEM rotor will absorb heat better than the aftermarket one will and will be less likely to warp under the same conditions.
 
Yes, I agree that with certain parts it makes a difference. However a tie rod end is a fairly simple object and you can find them on "almost" ever car ;) I haven't seen many failures in my life that would create a cause for concern.

As far as the rotor goes I wouldn't mix and match any two from different sources. In that case the oem was heavier and would probably last longer, how much is the question. I've run NAPA rotors on other cars and they lasted just as long as OEM. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that in some cases I agree that you need to pay the extra $$$ for Toyota and sometimes you don't. Let's be realistic, Toyota outsources their OEM parts just like everyone else, they have to in order to stay in business. For example my "Toyota / Dealer" altenator is specifically stamped, "remanufactured for Toyota". If I think that Mr. Toyota is hand making my replacement parts for a vehicle that was only made in the form I have for two years then I'm drinking too much TLC KoolAid. It all comes down to the aftermarket company holding as close to the approved factory specs as possible. Some do, some don't. I always take my old part to compare.
 
Speaking for myself, I typically only use OEM parts. For various reasons, but cost is certainly the biggest one. As an OEM reseller, I purchase them for the same (or less) cost of quality non-OEM parts that I would purchase wholesale from various wholesale distributors. The other reason is experience. As I mentioned above, I always know what to expect with OEM parts. This gives me peace of mind in knowing that once a part leaves through my door, it won't come back. Few of the after-market companies can match that. YMMV
 
I think that Moog is an OEM supplier to Gm.

Anyway, they make good stuff in the USA. If you use the GM1 ton in LC applications, it's Moog. Good stuff in my opinion, have it on 2 trucks.
 
gotmud said:
Speaking for myself, I typically only use OEM parts. For various reasons, but cost is certainly the biggest one. As an OEM reseller, I purchase them for the same (or less) cost of quality non-OEM parts that I would purchase wholesale from various wholesale distributors. The other reason is experience. As I mentioned above, I always know what to expect with OEM parts. This gives me peace of mind in knowing that once a part leaves through my door, it won't come back. Few of the after-market companies can match that. YMMV
Click to expand...

I hear you, but back to my original question, I'd like to really know the difference when it comes to a part like a tie rod end. I'm playing a bit of Devil's advocate :flipoff2:here so bear with me. But on the other hand when I just get quoted $168 for a PS pulley on a 92 LC I have to think about it a bit.
 
Yeah OEM parts are pretty consistant but you will find aftermarket parts that exceed OEM quality. Moog can be one of those parts and I wouldn't think twice about getting tie rods for my cruiser from them if I couldn't get the 555's from Kurt at the time.
 
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