[My442]

I have been buying MOOG suspension parts from Amazon.

The last 2 ball joints were missing the metal boot retainers.

One of the tie rod ends was missing the castle nut.

Their QC is non existent.

[ScumOne]

Huh, I've ordered Moog parts for my C5 Corvette from Rock Auto. They got here overnight from a local warehouse, and all the parts were in there. You might want to give Rock Auto a try instead.

[John62]

There quality has been slipping. They were all US made parts and quality was good, now some are made here and some are not. Also in some cases you can buy the good US made version with a lifetime warranty or a lower price of the same part, still Moog but made overseas and a short warranty.

[Ben M.]

Just because it came to you missing parts doesn't mean it left the factory missing parts. I've seen re-taped and re-boxed items come in from various vendors. I've seen Felpro gasket sets that were taped back up and I was assured the entire set was there, only to be missing half of it once I opened the box. Moog parts come in a box and if the box pops open or some idiot grabbing and shipping drops it, sometimes parts can go missing.

[GTOWAGON]

I sell moog at my store missing parts happen sometimes but its not the manufacturers fault all the parts are in the box when it leaves them. the problem is the warehouses that then ship the parts out to the jobber (me) sometimes the boxes are broken open in the shipping totes with all the parts in them loose and sometimes they don't get put back in the right box. this is easily fixed if you deal with a walk in store as we can look in the box and give you another if there is a problem. moog is still the beast suspension parts you can get and they don't sell cheaper versions under the moog name. Moog is the easiest warranty I can do always approved

[77 TRASHCAN]

X2 on post's 4 and 5!

I sold Moog for 13 years. Been a while, though. Don't think I ever had to warranty a single part, still use their stuff, when needed.

[69 RA GTO]

compare moog parts to the other junk out there and I bet you may change your thinking. I only use moog parts on our cars after lots of reading out on the old interweb

[GTOWAGON]

another thing to look out for is reboxed parts
when a jobber changes lines most of the time the line rep comes in and instead of taking out the current parts they just rebox the parts into their packaging. Moog parts always have moog stamped on them usally on the grease zerk pad

[The Champ]

Moog was purchased by Federal Mogul and most of the products are no longer made in the United States.

Quality has gone down.

Moog is better than the cheap crap sold by some stores.

But their are better products out there than Moog.

[poncho-mike]

I would be very careful when buying suspension parts. Your life depends on those.

It's been many years, but I ordered a complete suspension kit from a company that specializes in suspension components for vintage cars. I don't remember the name, but they advertised on the back pages of HPP.

Anyway, I received my order and looked at the parts. The bolts for the ball joints had no hardness markings on them at all, so I have no idea what grade fastener was used. I initially planned to buy my own grade 8 hardware, but then changed my mind and returned everything.

Who would be considered the best manufacturer for premium suspension hardware such as ball joints, tie rod ends, etc?

[GT182]

Originally Posted by Ben M.

Just because it came to you missing parts doesn't mean it left the factory missing parts. I've seen re-taped and re-boxed items come in from various vendors. I've seen Felpro gasket sets that were taped back up and I was assured the entire set was there, only to be missing half of it once I opened the box. Moog parts come in a box and if the box pops open or some idiot grabbing and shipping drops it, sometimes parts can go missing.

I agree with Ben. The parts store I go to sees missing parts out of the box all the time.... for everything, not just Moog. Their parts come from UniSelect warehouse in New Jersey, and that outfit is the pits. They can't buy from anyone else as there is no one seeing UniSelect bought out all of the warehouses and almost most all of the mom & pop parts stores around here. The only other alternatives are Pep Boys, Auto Zone, and Advance.

I'd rather order from O'Reileys than Rock Auto.

[b777d]

Originally Posted by The Champ

Moog was purchased by Federal Mogul and most of the products are no longer made in the United States.

Quality has gone down.

Moog is better than the cheap crap sold by some stores.

But their are better products out there than Moog.

Bingo.... I worked for Wagner-Moog.. Federal Mogul bought the company..

Federal Mogul anti union.. Slowly closed everything down in St Louis MO, first the brake fluid plant (moved that to Mexico) then the foundry and last the warehouses… During this time we got container after container of rotors from China and Mexico………..

[Ben M.]

Originally Posted by poncho-mike

Who would be considered the best manufacturer for premium suspension hardware such as ball joints, tie rod ends, etc?

Mike, I would like to know too. I asked a few months ago as the suspension on my '73 is literally rattling itself off the car as it's all original. No one had a good answer on the forums, but lots of negativity about the current crop of parts. It seems unless you're building a common body style like a '65-67 A-body, 1st or 2nd gen F-body no one has any answers. There's lots of companies that will build you custom modern suspensions but I can't see dropping a 3-5 grand for that plus the complete reworking it will require. Our host and all of the bigger vendors offer kits for the common cars & the pieces for the rest, but they are the same as you can get at the local parts store of dubious quality, cost more, & have to be shipped.

I will say what I did was piece the entire suspension I wanted from Moog parts through RockAuto. The parts are nice & solid compared to other brands, even if some of them are Hecho En Mexico.

[GT182]

Federal Mogul bought out UniSelect too this past summer. But they kept all the idiots UniSelect had.

[RAJ7395]

Originally Posted by poncho-mike

I would be very careful when buying suspension parts. Your life depends on those.

It's been many years, but I ordered a complete suspension kit from a company that specializes in suspension components for vintage cars. I don't remember the name, but they advertised on the back pages of HPP.

Anyway, I received my order and looked at the parts. The bolts for the ball joints had no hardness markings on them at all, so I have no idea what grade fastener was used. I initially planned to buy my own grade 8 hardware, but then changed my mind and returned everything.

Who would be considered the best manufacturer for premium suspension hardware such as ball joints, tie rod ends, etc?

I believe that you are referring to PST (Performance Suspension Technologies)

I bought the full steering and suspension rebuild kit from them. After inspecting the inner and outer steering tie rods and couplers (made in china) and reading several negative stories on various the forums. I sent the whole thing back. No thanks!!

As for MOOG, I have professional experience with the poor quality of Chinese metal composition and therefore refuse to use any critical parts from China.

[poncho-mike]

I think the parts vendor was PST. This would have been around 2000 or so. The stuff looked cheap, with poor finish and machining. I decided not to use anything they sent.

But the question still remains: Where can you buy good American made parts?

Less than an hour ago, I ordered a set of Raybestos ceramic disc pads and a set of Raybestos Professional Grade rotors from Amazon. The disc pads were made in the US, but the rotors are made in China.

You would think that a product described as Professional Grade would be made in the US, but it isn't. The next step up is the Raybestos Advanced Technology rotors. Guess what: Also made in China. For an extra $18 per rotor, the hub is black fusion coated and the specifications states application specific iron being used. In my opinion, that's a bunch of bull. I'm an engineer and I deal with China frequently. Unless you test every batch of steel, you're going to get whatever steel was available at the time. I would like to use USA made parts from a recognized brand, but it's getting harder and harder to do so.

[TedRamAirII]

Maybe check with XRF. http://www.xrfchassis.com/

NAPA Chassis Parts, NOT their cheap "Master Ride"

Spicer, I think you can get from CARQUEST....Advance Auto Parts bought them out.

Moog has gone to CRAP. If you do buy Moog, check the parts before you leave the store, if the part is not stamped MOOG, it may be reboxed (Moog buys parts from other vendors and put them in their box)

Sure you can buy crap parts with a "lifetime warranty" but you don't get paid for labor, damage or a rental car when the part breaks 100 miles out of town, damages your fender and you wipe out a mail box. The will gladly hand you a new crap part when you bring it back with a receipt.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by poncho-mike

Who would be considered the best manufacturer for premium suspension hardware such as ball joints, tie rod ends, etc?

I suggest you look at the ACDelco Professional suspension parts (Professional - not Advantage). The Professional series is a premium piece with a lifetime warranty.

I hate to admit it, but NAPA also uses the same vendor for their quality suspension pieces.

Either one will be of much higher quality than a Moog piece.

[My442]

3 of the 9 MOOG parts I bought from Amazon were missing parts......

[GTOWAGON]

Originally Posted by My442

3 of the 9 MOOG parts I bought from Amazon were missing parts......

lesson here is don't buy parts from amazon