Going through Spicer ball joints frequently

[Rubicon88]

To put that in perspective, we pick up a lot of our brake parts at a local wholesale auto parts distributor because they have a loading dock and we don't. They carry the Centric line just like we do. We do not share a single part between what they sell and what we sell because they do not buy any of the premium line. They don't because none of the shops they deliver to will pay for it. Shops by and large do not request or use the top dollar items and so they have to deal with egg shaped drums, and bad out of the box crunchy u-joints. There is a reason Spicer U-joints and Timken are not carried around us locally and it isn't because they are bad parts.

They might not be on the shelf but I guarantee you can aquire them.
These parts houses all promote "their" brand and while Spicer might not be on the shelf they are an afternoon delivery away by someone.

With the above said garages around here will use cheaper parts for two reasons. #1 the customer (most) have no idea if the garage put on a low quality part vs. a premium part and that extra profit can be hidden in the part cost.
#2 a lot of repair facilities don't have any idea if it's quality or not. I've got friends in the business near me...(we all talk and share thoughts) some of them have no idea the difference between a moog/national/Timken component vs a driveworks, duralast, proformer etc.

Many think that only if it says AC Delco, Motorcraft, Mopar it's good and all else is no good.
The above three don't make shit. They just put their stuff together and sell it.

Are you guys buying blank material and machining per order (like slots and chamfered holes, etc..) or just reselling and installing pre-made product??

 

[mrblaine]

They might not be on the shelf but I guarantee you can aquire them.

They can order them in. So can I. I get them faster and cheaper than they do which does not change the fact that they are not stocked on the shelves locally and why.

These parts houses all promote "their" brand and while Spicer might not be on the shelf they are an afternoon delivery away by someone.

You act like this is my first rodeo. I promise it isn't.

Many think that only if it says AC Delco, Motorcraft, Mopar it's good and all else is no good.
The above three don't make shit. They just put their stuff together and sell it.

The above 3 do however have an entirely different set of specifications their parts must adhere to because they provide a warranty.

Are you guys buying blank material and machining per order (like slots and chamfered holes, etc..) or just reselling and installing pre-made product??

What specifically are you asking about?

 

[gasiorv]

My intent was not to state that there is no such thing as bad or counterfeit parts. My intent was to state that MY ISSUE was NOT due to bad parts from Spicer or Amazon. I just don't want Spicer or Amazon (or any company) to get a strike against them because I was not properly evaluating the wear. In the case related to this thread , it was a user issue not the part

 

[Rubicon88]

What specifically are you asking about?

I was asking if y'all got rotor blanks in and machine slots and holes in them per request.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

My Amo

Thanks for all the info! I may have been changing these ball joints prematurely due to my lack of understanding. Luckily they are not that expensive, and I am now very familiar with how to change ball joints.


Anyone reading this in the future. Apparently there is NOT an issue with Spicer ball joints or Amazon parts and any reference to Spicer or Spicer parts bought via Amazon as noted in this thread is incorrect.

I agree, there certainly isn't an issue with the Spicer ball joints I ordered from Amazon and installed in 2014 I run 35's on.

 

[mrblaine]

I was asking if y'all got rotor blanks in and machine slots and holes in them per request.

No, never on the slots. We re-drill rotors to fit our applications but no blanks. Don't have the space to store them.

 

[Rubicon88]

The above 3 do however have an entirely different set of specifications their parts must adhere to because they provide a warranty.

That wasn't the point and I'm not sure how I wasn't crystal on it....
I was stating that even associates of mine in the business are ignorant to some of the quality brands vs. Non quality .. and think the only quality replacement part is in a AC Delco, motorcraft, et al...
When they don't make said part as everything is contracted out.

There are only so many mfg of these parts in the world using two standards...standards being tolerances, material etc.

Moog, Timken, national, Napa chassis etc etc..as examples all fall under quality and a lot are made at one facility to certain specs with certain material.
Different paint scheme, packaging, whatever.
A Timken box with made in Korea on it and the same counterpart different brand with...made in Korea on it...isn't just a coincidence.
But those are one standard and the house brands and countless of other mickey mouse brands on eBay are a completely different standard. They'll work but length of satisfactory performance is sacrificed.

Nobody loves USA made
more than I but it pisses me off when I see made in China on a Spicer U-joint box.
Then again it annoys me the Milwaukee grinders in our shop are Asian as well.

Annoying sigh........oh well.