- Joined
- Nov 15, 2018
- Messages
- 2,038
DAMN, SWEET DEAL OF INFORMATION!!!For 1st gen Tacos/ 3rd gen T4R’s, Moog are literally the last ball joints I would use. They have had numerous documented failures within 10-20k miles after install. Plenty of threads on T4R if you look around.
The Sankei 555 brand (made in Japan) from Napa were a popular choice for people that didn’t want to pay OEM prices or needed them same day, but “OEM only” is preached a lot on T4R. I tend to agree that with the design of the LBJ for these vehicles, OEM is the safest bet for a quality part. Since it’s a safety issue, I have no problem paying a little extra for a better product. I ran the Sankei 555 after a LBJ failure on my old ‘96 T4R for about 50k miles before selling it when I picked up my 2000 4WD T4R, so I can vouch for them being a decent option to OEM. Unfortunately, they were within $10 each of OEM when I bought them because I couldn’t wait for Camelback Toyota or whoever else had them for under MSRP to be delivered since the ‘96 was my DD and I needed it to get to work and felt that since the part was Japanese made, it was probably the best non OEM option I had at the time. My local Toyota Carlsbad/ Toyota of Escondido wouldn’t price match anyone except local dealerships, who were all over MSRP. Buncha crooks. The cost difference between the Napa Sankei 555’s and local Toyota dealerships was around $25 a side and I just couldn’t swing it at the time.
All that being said, I replaced my LBJ’s in my 2000 runner with OEM in late 2018 and never looked back. The peace of mind for a wheeler makes OEM an easy decision for me, personally.
I've never had issues with MOOG parts in the past. I was more worried about the Duralast because of my recent radiator bracket fitment issue, HAHAHAHA. Again, it wasn't too big of a deal because I was able to reuse my old brackets, but to be off-center by roughly 1/16in was pretty bad. I KNOW I ordered the right part number, but I'm now thinking that it is a "gen issue". Meaning, I know there are slight differences between the 95/96-97 Tacoma's vs the 98-2004 Tacoma's regarding certain parts and such. I'm now starting to think that some company's that make replacement parts don't take into account certain generation differences and clump the generations as a whole, if you get my meaning?
Anyways, good to know this...