poida Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 just wondering if anyone has an opinion on moog ball joints good or bad .im fixing up a 1970 holden station wagon,currently with a 161 engine 3 speed manual on the column but i will be fitting a 3.8 litre v6 and 4l60e trans.while i have the front end off i want to replace the worn steering and suspension parts.apparently the ball joints are the same as on some chevs, upper k5108 lower k5103.most of the stuff here in oz seems to come from china with reports of them wearing out after a couple of years so im wanting to fit quality ones that last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVLXX Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I have never heard of anyone having problems using Moog Ball joints... here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I wouldn't use them on the bike, but they are a "premium" brand. I'd have no reservation about using Moog parts except for the prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skull Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 For what it's worth, a mechanic friend of mine said he thought Moog parts were generally of inferior quality to OEM. I've not found that to be my experience, though. I'm very happy with the Moog parts on my Impala. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXBirdSlapper Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I have had mixed results with MOOG parts. I would likely use them for ball joint replacement. Honestly, since I made a good parts counter contact at a GM dealer some years back I go GM for anything I can. They beat most auto parts store prices and I expect better quality since they're selling the stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I've been told, but don't know, there were two Moog lines; good stuff and China crap. All the Moog parts I've bought had a quality look and fit. OE might be better, but it depends. In many cases OE are sealed and Moog replacements are greaseable, whether that's better is somewhat a matter of opinion, but I prefer greaseable and trust Moog quality. Even cheapos if kept lubed will last a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXBirdSlapper Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Grease at regular intervals is key. Had a F250 for around 18 years, all of the components still were tight. Greased the front end every 3-5k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furbird Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Moog uses a porous (sp?) bearing surface, and it is proprietary. When you grease their stuff, the grease literally permeates through the bearing. I actually have one of their bearing demonstrators on my desk, really cool to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomek Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 It all pretty much depends whether you do your own wrenching or you pay someone else to work on your car. I`ve used Moog parts on our Volvos. The durability is somewhat inferior to OEM but there is a huge price difference, like 22 bucks vs. around 100 $ for sway-bar link. OEM does not last 5 times longer, 50% maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poida Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 thanks for the info.i like how theres a broad spread of knowledge on this forum.the moog ball joints here are around $118 a pair delivered compared to $72 to $82 for a set of 4 chinese ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I agree with others that OEM quality is generally much better. If you can score OEM for a better price than Moog, I would go that way. Just make sure the dealer isn't pawning off non-OEM supplies on you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Try Rock auto online, they have great prices and may have OEM stuff as well as others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poida Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 had a look at rock auto,shipping was a couple of dollars more than summit racing but noticed they sell ngk plugs for the blackbird for $6.49,.i think last time i priced them here in aus they wanted around $20 each kinda explains why i try and buy parts from the usa myself.2 moog ball joints here $118 or buy them myself from us 4 for $135 delivered.havnt found oem ball joints so will go with moog.uppers and lowers are greasable and hopefully more reliable and better quality that the chinese crap thats flooded our market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmhjr Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I know this is an old thread, however, just to pass along knowledge.... I came across this while searching for somebody else. Moog "used to" be a premium brand. Make no mistake - they are no longer premium. Frankly, in many cases they are honestly unacceptable. Here are two examples. Ball joints specifically: I will never, ever, under any circumstances, use another Moog ball joint. Period. One of my vehicles is a Dodge Ram 2500 truck, 4wd, Cummins Diesel 5.9 HO engine, 6spd manual tranny. Ball joints needed replaced. Decided to use Moog. Years ago, Moog was my vendor of choice for springs, ball joints, u-joints, etc. Got the brand new Moog units. There was no choice as to "quality level". Moog only offers one config for this vehicle, similar to most other vehicles. Installed the Moog setup and did an alignment. Truck was unsafe to drive. Immediately. Wandered all over the road. Terribly unsafe to drive. First I thought perhaps the alignment was screwed up. Took it back for another alignment. Same thing. Truck was literally the most scary to drive "newer" type vehicle that I've ever driven. In terms of pulling a trailer, absolutely no way it was safe enough to drive. Started doing some research. Found tons of people complaining about problems after installing Moog units. Then I found this: http://www.thecarlisuspension.com/blog/2009/09/carli-upper-ball-joints-w-moog-lowers.html I'd been fighting this for weeks, and had lost the use of my truck. I bought a set of Dynatrac rebuidable ball joints. http://www.8lugtruckgear.com/Dodge-Suspension/Front-End-Parts/Dynatrac-ProSteer-Ball-Joints-03-12-Dodge-p389.html Very pricey. But I was at the end of my rope. Installed the Dynatrac units - no other changes. Didn't even do an alignment first. Truck drove perfectly. This is the same behavior that tons of other people experienced as well. There is zero doubt. The moog product was crap. Total, unsafe, horrible, crap product. 2nd example: I also like to build cars. Was building a reasonably high end Pro-Touring '66 GTO. The only thing from GM left in the drivetrain and the chassis is the donor block and the core of the frame. Talked with several suspension gurus across the country, as the car was being built to participate in the Optima Ultimate Street Car series. Every single suspension guy said to never, ever, buy a Moog product. Their "published" spring rates were crap, and usually were off by more than 25%. Just wanted to share, because many of us that are over 35-40 years old grew up thinking that Moog was great product. The company has changed, and the product has changed as well. My Moog experience cost me a fortune, and a whole lot of hours. I called Moog after this, armed with reams of examples and complaints, as well as both my experiences and the statements of the frame shop that was doing the alignment. They could not have cared less. They will never ever get another penny from me. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Good to know, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Thanks, Bill. As you say, many of us are quite used to the Moog brand to be a symbol of quality. the almighty dollar speaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Krypt Keeper Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Damn thanks for sharing. I have always used them as well. Not anymore I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poida Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 thanks for sharing your experiences with them.its a shame that so many companies now just trade on the good name they built up years ago but supply cheaply built crap instead.i ended up only replacing the worn ball joint with one from a suspension shop,more than likely just a chinese made part.decided not to replace the others as i figured they would be old australian made ones and would probably still outlast the new ones on the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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