I was looking to get good quality wheel bearings for my ford flex. Apparently timken is an OEM provider for ford and they are now made in china? Guys buying timken bearings and it says made in china on the box? Is there a US made wheel bearing brand for ford flex?
Timken bearings made in china?
- Thread starter Rust_Belt_Pete
- Start date
You might want to ask in a Ford Flex oriented forum as you're bound to find more fellow owners who have replaced theirs already.
I thought some Timken were still made in the US but it just depended on the particular part #. Given the available options on Rock Auto (not knowing your model year), I'd get Schaeffler (FAG), Timken, or SKF there... if not spending a premium for the Motorcraft OE design. Don't get Motorcraft "service grade" if there are other major brand options.
Otherwise if you're willing to spend more, you might drop into a local auto parts store and have them pull out a box so you can see country of origin on it.
I thought some Timken were still made in the US but it just depended on the particular part #. Given the available options on Rock Auto (not knowing your model year), I'd get Schaeffler (FAG), Timken, or SKF there... if not spending a premium for the Motorcraft OE design. Don't get Motorcraft "service grade" if there are other major brand options.
Otherwise if you're willing to spend more, you might drop into a local auto parts store and have them pull out a box so you can see country of origin on it.
A lot of SKF is made in China now also unfortunately.
WJB bearings on Rockauto appear to be completely identical and off of the same production line as Timken bearings. At least the ones for my Cherokee.
Oddly enough, WJB bearings have lasted longer than any other bearing in the Jeep ... Including Timken.
Oddly enough, WJB bearings have lasted longer than any other bearing in the Jeep ... Including Timken.
SKF, FAG, NSK and other have plants in China and there is nothing wrong with the quality and are company branded. Timken was/is buying cheaper Chinese and putting them in an Timken box. This is from my own experience of taking some out of hubs that had no brand on the bearing only the box, no COO on either until it was pressed out. On the now visible side there was no company name only China on the outer race, I would say they went to some bother to hide info that may have effected someones buying decision.
There is a big difference in "made by (brand name) in China" and "made in China for (company name)"
There is a big difference in "made by (brand name) in China" and "made in China for (company name)"
Over 30 million vehicles were manufactured in China last year. I wonder if they used American made bearings. 
If they like their bearings they can keep their bearings.Over 30 million vehicles were manufactured in China last year. I wonder if they used American made bearings.
Made in China means little. Check Warranty length from timken vs SKF. The one with the longer warranty will always win.
I have SKF wheel bearings on my XJ which have been beat on off-road with no issues.
I have SKF wheel bearings on my XJ which have been beat on off-road with no issues.
Timken is a huge global company that has manufacturing plants all over the world. Their plant in Randleman, N.C. operates 3 shifts around the clock. Having said that, it’s more than likely a crapshoot as to where the bearings you purchase have been manufactured.
Made in China doesn't mean it is trash. I have engineer friends who build oil refineries for the big oil companies. Know where they get a lot of their huge, important, expensive parts? China. They've told me it's some of the best work they've seen in the world. Granted, a lot of junk does come out of China. But a company like SKF _can_ choose to make a good product there.
Why would I buy something from China when we have many good bearing factories here?
20 years ago I could buy a good T-shirt or a cheap Chinese T-shirt for a quarter the price. We were told manufacturing in China was a good thing because it saved US consumers money. You could take either side of the argument but at least there was a reason to debate.
Now, I can pay the same price for a Chinese bearing and line the pockets of the slimy CEO that moved it there vs a bearing made by US workers.
Seems like intelligence test to me.
OEMs have been moving production to China for a long time. I've received OEM parts clearly labeled as such, including Motorcraft blue box parts like a driveshaft for my SuperDuty -- purchased from a Ford dealer. Ditto for some AC Delco stuff.
I'm not saying it's good or bad, just that it's not new.
I'm not saying it's good or bad, just that it's not new.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
Let me Google that on my iPhone
the most important thing is QC.
wins in what?
My purchase, durability..etc if the warranty only gives you 90 days vs another one gives your 3 years the longevity can be decided by that alone.
To be fair though now lots of China makes have been inflating warranty periods to give people warm and fuzzy about buying a cheap wheel bearing really can only compare from T1 companies.
For my XJ for example,
Timken 1 , SKF 5 years
The bearing you need may not be made in the USA any longer and possibly never will be again. I know SKF moved a large portion of its aerospace bearing manufacture to their modernized plants in Italy. The USA is no longer a great place for manufacturing, the skilled labor is lacking in both numbers and skills. Thank DEI and overly aggressive labor unions for that. Europe and the UK are destroying themselves for other reasons. Too deep a subject for this forum but when you read this sort of crap it is an instant red flag your company is about to go down the swanny . JMHO
https://nam.org/2-1-million-manufacturing-jobs-could-go-unfilled-by-2030-13743/?stream=workforce