Ball joint knockoff or real deal under different supplier?

So everybody on here says to use the Toyota OEM ball joints. And I'm sure they have a lot of personal experience and that is why they are saying to go with strictly OEM. Which is not a bad idea because it is made to the exact specs that the original Engineers designed to work with the vehicle. However, I'm shopping Moog brand because I've had good results with them. Anyone else on here use non Toyota ball joints that wherever good quality and held up? Or should I just not even bother and go directly with Toyota?

 

OEM only on this one Cody. Thats what I did.

 

Thanks! Better safe than sorry.

Also, I have access to a shop with tools that I can borrow for free and with a hydraulic press and all I have to pay is $7 an hour to use the bay. Press them on or just get the whole entire control arm?

 

If your going to rent a bay in a facility that's loaded with all the tools, it's really difficult to say buy the entire arm assembly. The labor to swap the old with new isn't time consuming.

 

Yeah for sure. And I figure I might as well put the thing in the parts washer and then when it gets done spray a coat of black paint on it maybe.

 

I ran Raybestos for a few years without a problem. They were stamped with 555 which tells me they were probably made in Japan by Sankei, which in my experience isn't a bad thing. When I rebuilt my front end I went back to Toyota. I have used Moog in the past on other cars without complaint.

The trouble with aftermarket parts is not knowing the grade or origin. A lot of those brands you find at big distributors don't manufacture parts, they just middle man. I got brake calipers and lower arms from Beck Arnley, the brakes were slightly different and the arms were completely different builds. The inconsistency screams outsourced and that leaves quality to be questioned.

 

I really hate that. I wish they could just be honest about what they're selling and whether they're manufacturing it or whether they're just the middleman. Either way is fine with me I don't care I would just like to know the truth. So that I know what I'm spending my money on.

 

Yeah same here. That's why I went Toyota on the ball joints last time. I thought about going raybestos again but would be disappointed if they weren't the quality I got last time.

 

Certainly don't replace the control arms unless they're somehow damaged. Tundra ball joints don't require a press -- they bolt on/off.

For instance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YnxkhBIix8

+1 on using OEM parts for this application.

 

So I've been around awhile and have read multiple times about only using oem lbjs. My question is why. The only time ive seen failures is on the oem lbjs. I hear all other brands are crap, but have never seen proof. But I have seen multiple oem failures. Are new oems built different than what came factory? I'm half tempted to get the moogs just to test them....



@empty_lord maybe you've seen a thing or two? Words of wisdom?

 

Just had mine done. The OEM part is really rugged and in my opinion worth the extra cost. I have read a ton about failures both OEM and aftermarket. All the failures I read about seem to involve one of three things, abuse, modified suspension/ride height and neglect. My mechanic noticed some play a couple months back so I had them replaced with OEM. The old ones were OEM and never failed and were still in reasonable condition when they came off the truck. The ones that were taken off were 11 years old and had 75k on them (low mileage truck). I read a lot of these forum posts were people were still running OEM ball joints after 200k. It's pretty common.

If you look at the cost breakdown alone the most expensive ball joints on rockauto are $63, I paid $120 for OEM. I think it is fair to say OEM is generally more money but there is a higher quality standard. I've seen a lot of junk aftermarket parts and have personally had problems with aftermarket ball joints on different vehicles.

On a non-failsafe setup like our 1st Gen tundras spending the extra money for OEM and having the piece of mind that you did your best to keep your vehicle and the occupants safe is well worth the extra cost.

 

Yeah, agree with ohfive. It's all anecdotal of course, but I'm a member of a 1st Gen Tundra Facebook group, and people are always posting about the LBJs. What I've seen are ultra-high-miles OEM failures with one or two premature failures, mixed with more stories of aftermarkets failing in 30K or so.

The problem with the OEM failures we see are people just don't change the things. They're a wear item and are supposed to be replaced every 60K or so (if I'm remembering correctly). The fact they can go 100-200K is more a testament to their quality. I don't recall any posts about aftermarkets going that many miles.

Go OEM for the proven track record...it's really only a difference of less than $100 for both (Toyota actually has a kit with new LBJs, castle nut, and cotter pins for about $200). And as easy as they are to change (as long as you have a tie rod or similar puller), it's kind of a no-brainer. Same with the uppers.

 

I think it's simply because most of these beasts are getting up there in miles and no one ever bothered to change the LBJs previously. Mine were done under a recall in 2007 (per records), and there are no records of them ever being done again. I got the truck at 190K. So mine had close to 150K....way past replacement. They could have been done, in all fairness, but they were OEM and looked like they'd been on there a while.

The testing would be really interesting...though the cost of failure at the wrong time could be...uh...significant.

 

I've seen a lot of failures for aftermarket LBJs for the 1st gen Sequoias on Facebook in where it failed while driving on the highway. This has led me to only want to use OEM as that is a huge safety issue. Not sure if it's the same part for the Tundras but as the saying goes, do it once, do it right. I agree though, typically the wallet does the decision making but based on the majority here, spend extra on OEM and not worry about it.

 

I went with Moogs on my 2012. Had a noticeable lock steer (steering doesn't return to normal straight when you let go of the wheel, but is stuck) with them and was advised that is what I would get if I went that route. I doubted and I did it anyway. 2 weeks later I went with stock Toyota full assemblies (both upper and lower control arms). No problems after that. I tried to find the thread in another forum with the discussions about Moogs but haven't found it yet. If I do, I'll link it.

 

I'm not 100% sure they're bad. Im gonna post pictures of mine for comment later today or tomorrow. I appreciate all the feedback!

 

At the risk getting flak from the community, I'll admit to installing non-OEM LBJs even after reading the recommendations to stay away from the other options. I found the units supplied by TRW to look almost indistinguishable from the OEM LBJ already on my '04. So far I've not had any problems after about 5 months and 7,000 miles. They are sealed just like OEM where as most of the other aftermarket options have the zerk fitting.

 

No worries bud. I wonder if TRW makes the Toy LBJ?

 

You need to calm down with that 3rd gen stuff in our 1st gen paradise.

 

I can't see spending $420 + tax on ball joints. Im gonna go with Moog. I've had good success with them in the past. Don't hate.

 

I got my LBJ for $104ea

 

I was about to say the same thing. These are not $400...

$86 from Cool Springs.

https://parts.toyotaofcoolsprings.c...9dHVuZHJhJnk9MjAwMiZ0PXNyNSZlPTQtN2wtdjgtZ2Fz


Edit- 2006 is $102

https://parts.toyotaofcoolsprings.c...9dHVuZHJhJnk9MjAwNiZ0PXNyNSZlPTQtN2wtdjgtZ2Fz

 

These are the oem parts I found from the toyota website.

 

@Cody06tundra that's the same part number I linked for $102.

You do you, but if you're planning to keep the truck a long time you may regret aftermarket ball joints.

 

Forget the company. But it’s listed in the recall paperwork from the National highway blah blah. It’s some company that doesn’t make any known aftermarket.

 

No hate. Just keep any eye on them just like everyone should.
Had moog on my Tacoma for 20ish thousand miles before they ended up with slop.

 

Ok I looked them up and with shipping for both sides upper and lower its $300. Sorry I jumped the gun. That's much better. Thank you!

 

Uppers do need a press. There is a heavy duty c clamp press you can rent at autozone or the like. It's a pain to maneuver in there but it's possible.

 

You get a discount on shipping at Cools Springs too. Search @Roman The details are in his signature.