Part brands

[98ciHemi]

So, I have the Escort all torn apart right now and I was planning on replacing all the front end components. I have been looking at parts and prices, and I was wondering if anyone knows of any real difference between brand. For the Escort I can spend anywhere from $7 to $50 each from control arms- the difference being one is some no name brand and the other is the raysbestos professional grade part. Does anyone have any thoughts on that stuff?

[1Y]

Moog is good, but if budget is tight buy what you can afford. Chances are the scort will find a new home before any/either parts will go bad.

[SpiderGearsMan]

OEM of available
even moog stuff looks cheesy these days

[Scott Liggett]

I agree with Spidey on Moog of late. Talk to some local mechanic pros. See what they like to use. They hate returns and stuff that don't fit with a major passion. They aren't shy of saying what brands suck and what brands don't. I also get suspension parts from parts stores that cater to shops.

[Barry Donovan]

add a thick bead of 86,400 psi and call it your own.

[TheSilverBuick]

X3 on the moog. I just get the autozone stuff personally. On a car as light as the escort I'm not sure it matters a whole lot. I've had good name brand parts not fit just as well as no name parts.

[Stich496]

90% of moog is now china made junk,,
trw is moog, both are made with better metal than the no name junk..
the outer tie rod on the 99 grand mark is one (no name)got 5k on it and it is stripped and now I get to buy a tie rod and adj. sleave.
and moog and trw , where forced to outsource, as those same mechanic "pro"'s where installing the cheaper parts and not buying moog or trw, and now bitch that moogs gone down hill..
moog had to do the "can't beat um, join them" and it's because of shops buy the elcheapo parts
for the amount of driving that will see, I'd use the good stuff, and any moog part for your car is old stock, the good stuff..
you try rock auto??
list up brands and part # and I'll see what I can do..

[milkovich]

There are really only so many actual manufacturers of this stuff, they all sell to eachother to have coverage on the application. So the moog might be the same as the delco or motorcraft on certain applications and the prices can vary wildly. I'd stick with Motorcraft or Ford OEM. I use Steve the parts guy at Tousley Ford who sells for a flat rate over their cost.

Personally speaking though, I'd steer clear of Autozones Duralast stuff, in my experience it's usually lowest of the low grade. If you have to use a parts store part, i'd spring for NAPA at the minimum.

[milner351]

I'm with Milk on this stuff - sorry Randal - I've actually handed some parts back to the autozone guys after opening the box and seeing the pure cheapness of what was inside.

Unfortunately - even good old NAPA has started to cheap out lately - I've had some bad experience with starters / alternators from them being NFG right out of the box - that was especially painful on the focus wagon with the alternator in the most horrible place concievable for service. I think the NAPA GOLD filters are still WIX and very good quality - not sure about suspension parts however.

ROCKAUTO is a good suggestion too as they offer a zillion different brands - the only problem being dealing with shipping back what you don't like.

[squirrel]

A lot of times, "good used original" is better than the new replacement. I would only replace the parts that need to be replaced. Might save you money too

[SpiderGearsMan]

my buddy ran his trans am on the streets with solid aluminum bushings . best handling car I ever saw

[1931s/x]

i just rebuilt the front end in my duster, i used all moog and every part i bought was made here and i was happy with it all. last year i did upper and lower ball joints on my 03 ram, again i used moog and the stuff seemed great to me. that stuff was made in mexico. with the work involved in that job, no way was i going for the cheap crap, moog wasnt the most expensive either. i did sway bar end links on my wifes mariner, there was a huge difference in price, it was a super easy job so i just went for the cheap stuff deeza, made in turkey i think. they looked like total crap and were only like 8 bucks but have lasted lobnger than the originals. i also used the deeza inner and outer tie rod ends on my liberty, i think they were made in india, that stuff was dirt cheap, looked ok but its a cheap beater, i didnt want to spend all kinds of money on it since i couldnt tell if it was the inner rod ends or the rack until i opened it up. so far so good.

[Stich496]

anythink he buys has been sitting on a shelf and is the old made here parts,, as there are not a ton of box escorts running around

[dieselgeek]

There's no one "safe brand" and NOBODY can tell you what you are getting even if it's a FoMoCo part, because most of the older cars parts supplies have LONG been farmed out to the cheapest bidder.

You just have to wing it and decide if the part in your hands is a good idea or not.

[Stich496]

advanced brakes are wagners
the front end parts are trw
the coils are delfi
so far thats all I've crossed