Yes, the normal boots crack and split. The acordian boots just tear along one of the ribs. The internal boot they use on some lower balljoints I haven't seen an issue with yet. Might just not be visible.
Ball Joints - school me / help choose.
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Yeah that's my concern. If it doesn't fit relatively well around the OD of the socket, it's not doing much but sitting there like an umbrella I'd think.
In theory, the greaseable joints are tougher for heavy duty type of applications (offroad, high loads) and they withstand heat better. But that's ONLY if you remember to regularly grease them. In the vast majority of fleet applications or where the owner takes their vehicle into a shop for servicing, chances are they are going to be forgotten. That's why for the vast majority of consumer applications, a sealed joint with smooth ball + PTFE seat is more appropriate.
Well received my joints from Parts Geek. One is good. One is used - clearly someone installed it. It also lacks the retaining ring. Who installs then returns a ball joint?
The joints were shipped from Worldpac in Pomano Beach.
Oh well, guess I will return one and order one from somewhere else.
The joints were shipped from Worldpac in Pomano Beach.
Oh well, guess I will return one and order one from somewhere else.
Well received my joints from Parts Geek. One is good. One is used - clearly someone installed it. It also lacks the retaining ring. Who installs then returns a ball joint?
The joints were shipped from Worldpac in Pomano Beach.
Oh well, guess I will return one and order one from somewhere else.
It might be like Rock Auto, where Partsgeek is just a dropshipper that happens to use Worldpac instead of Parts Authority and Auto Value.
Nobody directly employed by Partsgeek ever saw or handled your ball joints. They probably just sent a Partsgeek-generated label to the warehouse.
Yes, exactly. There just a website. However much like Rock Auto, these parts supply houses seem to use the online orders to off-load returned parts? I guess they can afford to loose me as a customer, because in the end I am not there customer anyway, Parts Geek is.
I wonder who pays for the shipping in this instance?
I went ahead and ordered another one from AAP so I would have it. Clearly should have gone that way to begin with. Oh well, I guess I can say I tried Parts Geek once, and don't need to again.
they should pay return shipping, as it was a used part sold as new
Yes they paid for the return, I was wondering if they paid or the warehouse paid in the end.
I also have to pay for shipping on the new part, because I ordered 2 but can only use 1. I didn't see an option for replacement vs refund in the RMA process, unlike every other place I have ever ordered. I would have been fine with a replacement but wasn't given that option.
ive had good luck with mevotech parts.
thats all i install for customers and i run them on my own trucks as well. been good to me so far. just remember to grease them !
So to close this off, I ordered a second 555 ball joint from AAP. It was "deliver direct" and not eligible for any discounts, combinations, etc. It was also delivered from Worlpac - but this time the one in Landover MD.
So had I originally ordered 2 from AAP - presumably I could have gotten the same 2 from Florida, including the used one?
Generally I have a pretty poor opinion of Worldpac. But us retail customers have no choice in wholesalers.
Parts Geek has received my return, but not processed my credit. I assume thats coming.
So At least I have the parts now. Hopefully they leaky joint will last till the car was coming home anyway.
So had I originally ordered 2 from AAP - presumably I could have gotten the same 2 from Florida, including the used one?
Generally I have a pretty poor opinion of Worldpac. But us retail customers have no choice in wholesalers.
Parts Geek has received my return, but not processed my credit. I assume thats coming.
So At least I have the parts now. Hopefully they leaky joint will last till the car was coming home anyway.
Two words: Pot holes
Metal on metal BJs hold up better to impacts. Yes they need greased every once in a while, but some people have the false believe that they need greased with every oil change, while it's more like every few years unless the boot leaks and if it does, you can't remedy that with the non-greasable joints unless you want to use a syringe and just hope that some grease makes it inside, but that can't flush out the debris that the torn boot allowed in. Possibly a new boot can be sourced, but by the time I'm taking the suspension apart enough to put a boot on, if the BJ can be swapped out, I'm swapping it out.
To me a non-greaseable BJ is like lifetime transmission fluid, lubed for life because the automotive manufacturer assumes no maintenance will be done, but the vehicle's lifespan (at least what the manufacturer cares about) is over before these parts fail - yet we're all about maintenance and hope our vehicles stay running past what the lifespan would be if never serviced (besides oil changes).
Yes, absolutely. If I owned a truck or 4x4 that I take offroad and had to replace the joints, I would choose metal-on-metal for things like tie rods and ball joints. Because I know where all the grease points will be and I'd be hitting it on every oil change. I also tend to keep vehicles for a long time so I don't mind going for a high quality part. Being able to regularly flush out a joint with fresh grease is a good thing.
BUT if I was working on a car for family for example, where I know it's for city driving...I'd probably just replace it with a sealed joint. Not only is it less work for each future servicing, but chances are by the time a joint is bad you're usually more than half way through the life of the vehicle anyways. So is it really necessary to go for the toughest joint in city driving? Probably not, unless they're the sort of person that's always hitting potholes.
Sway bar links, IMO I don't think is necessary to go with a greaseable. I consider that a non critical part where even if it had play...it's not a big deal to replace (especially if you get a part with lifetime warranty). It's more hassle to have to clean + grease each of those joints every time.
Out here, the boots on OEM ball joints fail before the joints wear out. Usually after 15 years or so.
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- Apr 6, 2024
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Moog is garbage, TRW should be ok.
When the boot fails, if you don't notice right away, grime probably got inside. With a greaseable BJ you can much more easily attempt to flush that dirty grease out and re-boot the BJ.
Plus with a non-greaseable, if it used a silicone grease, you can't even flush it out by agitating it in a petroleum solvent.
It's not so much the sort of person as it is whether the roads you must travel are riddled with potholes, and then you're going to hit them. Swerve around one and you just hit a different one, and look drunk doing so. I was in that boat till a feeder road to my home was repaved. They weren't even especially deep, but had to drive over them twice a day at a minimum.
