Moog vs. OEM

vwgtiturbo

Well-Known Member
Recently, I decided to look into replacing my OEM sway bar links and tie rod ends. Looking on Camelback Toyota's site, each link is $130, whereas the Moog pieces are $35??

While I have no problem paying for a better performing part, I recently went to a single income household, so I'm a little more... Aware, of what is leaving the account.

Does anyone have experience with these Moog parts? I'd rather get the OEMs, if they last 155k like my originals, but if the Moogs are decent, then it may be a smarter option...

Thanks in advance!
 
Recently, I decided to look into replacing my OEM sway bar links and tie rod ends. Looking on Camelback Toyota's site, each link is $130, whereas the Moog pieces are $35??

While I have no problem paying for a better performing part, I recently went to a single income household, so I'm a little more... Aware, of what is leaving the account.

Does anyone have experience with these Moog parts? I'd rather get the OEMs, if they last 155k like my originals, but if the Moogs are decent, then it may be a smarter option...

Thanks in advance!
Moog is good stuff. I'd buy Moog before OEM, personally.
 
Moog is good stuff. I'd buy Moog before OEM, personally.
Thanks for the feedback. While I'd like to keep my old girl tip top, it just blew me away seeing the price differences. If the Moog pieces only last a year, then I could totally understand springing for the OEM parts. But if that isn't the case, I have a hard time justifying OEM parts at this point in time.
 
Moog is good stuff. I'd buy Moog before OEM, personally.
+1
Thanks for the feedback. While I'd like to keep my old girl tip top, it just blew me away seeing the price differences. If the Moog pieces only last a year, then I could totally understand springing for the OEM parts. But if that isn't the case, I have a hard time justifying OEM parts at this point in time.
Moog made quality in the past. I haven’t used their products in the last few years. I’d do the Moog $35 vs the $130. If they lasted 50k Miles vs 130k you’d still be ahead minus the labor and time.
 
+1

Moog made quality in the past. I haven’t used their products in the last few years. I’d do the Moog $35 vs the $130. If they lasted 50k Miles vs 130k you’d still be ahead minus the labor and time.
Thanks @OR17TRD, that's kind of where my mind set is. My ex used to have a '90 Chevy that I rebuilt the front end on, and the NAPA/AutoZone joints lasted only 13k, so I've always been leery of taking the cheaper way. Like you said though, if they even last a third as long, I'm still ahead, not counting time.
 
Moog!

Every time I would choose Moog!

I helped a friend about 10 years ago rebuild his front end and drivelines with Moog parts. He has driven a lot of hard miles since and wore the parts out again. They were replaced under warranty so cost him nothing but our time to rebuild it again last fall.
 
Moog used to be top drawer products. These days many companies are going to China to have their products produced, with a resulting loss of quality. So I would shop carefully.

A bit of a different application, but the same idea. Wilton has made top drawer vises since 1941 in the US. I bought one three years ago and when it arrived there was a small, no, make that tiny, sticker on the vise that said "made in China".

The vise looked like the US made counterpart, but the quality, fit and finish was lacking. However, the price was the same as when it was made in the US. So, the manufacturer trades on it's reputation and sells an inferior part/product for more profit.
 
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Like with my Wilton vise. The key word is "look".

You don't have to buy them. Feel free to go buy OEM.
Why not pay 3 times as much for half the quality, stimulate the economy paying big money.
Thanks for being a great economic supporter, the world needs more like you actually.
Those Toyota parts counter guys appreciate it to!
Sincerely Martin
 
You don't have to buy them. Feel free to go buy OEM.
Why not pay 3 times as much for half the quality, stimulate the economy paying big money.
Thanks for being a great economic supporter, the world needs more like you actually.
Those Toyota parts counter guys appreciate it to!
Sincerely Martin

Calm down. I have nothing against Moog products that are NOT made in China. On the other hand, I have nothing against most any product NOT made in China. I have yet to see a product made in China that was equal to a product made in other countries. You want to buy cheap junk, have fun. When a tie rod end fails, what happens? Somewhere I have a news clipping of a school bus that turned over. Steering components (made in China) failed, as did bolts with grade 8 markings. The steering components were 'supposed' to be up to spec. They weren't. The bolts were 'supposed' to be grade 8. The closest they came to grade 8 was that they had 6 hash marks on the bolt head. Six or seven kids were killed, plus the driver and bus monitor.

Where does half the quality figure in to that?

Add Wix filters to that list. The USED to be made in USA. Now...China. Pay a normal price for half the quality. I use Toyota and Hastings filters. Used Wix for years, then I noticed a quality change, thinner box, the flutes on the filter were off size. Called the company. They have been made in China for over 3 years now. Ditto for Vise-Grip piers, but that has been about 7 or 8 years. They all trade on past reputation and produce crap.
 
For over 20 years I worked for American Home Products. We made Dristan, Anacin, Prep H, Advil, Semicid, Today Sponge, and Robitussin to name a few. I worked various jobs over that time, and one of them was being a compounder for Anacin aspirin.

A compounder is essentially a mixer. You have a bulk sheet (same as a recipe that a cook uses) that has numbered steps. Each step must be signed for by the person who performs the step and verified by their co-worker. It doesn't matter if you perform the step or verify the step. If something goes wrong, you are both in equal and VERY job threatening trouble.

All raw materials coming in are accompanied by a manufacturers spec sheet, showing the tests that it passed and the values in those tests. Upon acceptance of the lot of material, every drum or container is tested by our lab and our results are compared to those of the supplier/manufacturer.

Anacin (any aspirin) is comprised of 3 components, in descending order of amount. Aspirin, caffeine, corn starch. That's it. Well, you need pressure, in the range of 3/4 to 2 tons to form the tablet. We mixed the aspirin on the second floor in 12 ton batches, ten tons of aspirin, 1.5 tons of caffeine and .5 ton of corn starch. The corn starch acts as both a lubricant and a binder to hold the tablet together. It was fed to tablet press machines in the rooms below that ran 24 hours per day, 5 days per week

The company bought aspirin from China. It came in wooden drums with steel bands binding them closed. We soon discovered that Chinese aspirin would pass all our tests, but would make aspirin that would not pass our friability test. That is a test of how long it takes a tablet to dissolve in pure water at 72 degrees F. IIRC, the spec was from 65 to 100 seconds. No matter what the press operator did, the tablets made from Chinese aspirin would not dissolve in under 150 seconds. Chinese aspirin was cheaper than aspirin from other manufacturers.

To make a long story short, a new bulk sheet had to be printed which allowed 15% Chinese aspirin by weight and 85% non-Chinese aspirin by weight to make a tablet which passed friability tests.

This cost our company over 1.5 million dollars in lost production, destroyed product and research time and cost to come up with a formula that would reliably make tablets. But the Chinese aspirin was cheaper than aspirin from other manufacturers.......by 20%.
 
Not with Moog, but I had an issue with a K&N oil filter on my Ram. I didn't think anything about it being made in Mexico at the time, just replaced the filter, sent K&N an email as to my dissapontment in their product, and went on about my day. A couple of months later I noticed that that particular filter is now made in USA again. I'm sure it wasn't my one and only complaint that changed the process but maybe they got enough complaints for them to look into it.
 
Almost all companies have sold out to China ! But wait aren't Toyota parts made in China for Chinese trucks ! Just asking ? I have always liked Moog products but not bought them in years .
 
Almost all companies have sold out to China ! But wait aren't Toyota parts made in China for Chinese trucks ! Just asking ? I have always liked Moog products but not bought them in years .

so far i believe the ONLY OEM Toyota dealer discount parts that I have received where the label actually says Genuine Toyota Parts Made in CHINA are some VC spark plug tube seals for the old '96 Corolla
 
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