On Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:29:16 -0700 (PDT), phaeton
> wrote:

>Using online catalogues, i've priced out the parts to rebuild the
>front end on my truck. (In-store pricing might be slightly different)
>This will mean 2 upper control arm assys, 2 lower ball joints, control
>arm bushings all around, and inner and outer tie rod ends for both
>sides.
>
>At NAPA, it's about $450 for parts, at Autozone about $370, and
>O'Reilly will be just under $300. These are all using store-branded
>parts, not the generic (in NAPA's case) or Moog brand (in O'Reilly's
>case). Is there any significant reason for this, or any major quality
>differences? We're talking about a bunch of machined metal and
>rubber, not microcontrollers. For all I know they could all be made
>by the same contractor.
>
>Tempting as it it is, I see entire kits of everything listed above on
>eBay for under $100. They're generic names, but no more generic
>sounding to me than the store brands.
>
>Any thoughts?
>
>Thanks.

First off, until the Congress reverses some the lying labeling
legislation they've installed to hoodwink buyers, it's often hard to
tell where these parts are made.
That's how the sellers want it.
Besides that, it doesn't usually matter in terms of quality.
I did ball joints and tie rod ends on my Lumina last year and had
the O'Reilly parts guy bring them out for me.
I went with Moog ends and the O'Reilly brand - ProParts? - ball
joints. Might have looked at some TRW parts too.
The Moog ends looked better enough to justify maybe an 86 buck premium
each, the joints looked the same, and didn't justify the maybe 20 buck
each premium.
But that's all my own voodoo. It's not like I could take them apart
or do Rockwell tests on them.
My kid does suspensions all day in a shop that only does suspensions,
99% trucks, from fire trucks and garbage trucks to pick-ups.
I just called him to ask what they use.
It's either Moog or OEM.
And he really doesn't know where either is made.
He "thinks" Moog are Made in U.S.A.
But he's not sure.
And he's not sure that Moog are the best either.
Just that's what they use.
Maybe they get a volume discount.
That eBay stuff just sounds too cheap. Maybe hammered out in some
Indian shipwrecker yard. The Indian billionaire that owns the
operation could pay off the right Congress critters or regulator to
get any junk into the country.
I'd go with the cheapest from a distributor than can be easily sued if
the parts cause an accident. That's the only fear that keeps them
half-way honest.
Otherwise there's probably not much difference.
Check that they at least have zerk holes tapped in them.
As I recall, the O'Reilly non-Moog ends didn't have them.

--Vic