Ooof.. another LBJ bites the dust

Spotted LBJ failure in Costco parking lot
Guy said they were recently replaced too

 

LBJ? I'm guessing it's a ball joint of some sort...? Also, is the dented dually related to this in any way?

 

Lower ball joint yea

And no the dually parked there after the Tacoma had its issue

 

They were non Toyota oem LBJs

 

Why people don’t use OEM ball joints to save a few dollars I will never understand

 

Thing is many people have a mechanic install them and even is you ask for OEM they give you aftermarket OEM and tell you it’s OEM. They’re not true dealer parts tho

 

If they even changed them. Mechanics these days seem to be really hit or miss. Even if they're not dishonest, sometimes they just miscommunicate internally.

 

Lyndon Baines Johnson *

 

"Recently" replaced meaning 80k miles ago.

 

Even if true, it’s horrifying that catastrophic failure of suspension components could happen in 80k, regardless of maintenance. Aftermarket LBJs are really scary

 

ugh, not really. The scariest part is the design, which is Toyota's fault.

Another scary part is the people who put even OEM ball joints on and figure they can ignore them for 80k miles.

I'll bet you this guy was rolling around with torn boots and no grease for 10k miles.

He was in a parking lot. Even cheap Amazon shit doesn't spontaneously explode like that for no reason.

 

this ^ They’re 17-26 year old trucks with not a great ball joint design to begin with. Mine lasted 15k before they started throwing grease. They should be checked regularly. Especially if lifted.

 

When I replaced mine I went to the dealer and got OEM parts then had them installed at my shop. Best way to know that it's getting done right. Tons of people with these trucks have no clue about replacing these ball joints either. Why would they? If there just an average joe.

 

I never buy any vehicle without knowing it's reliability issues. LBJ's came up in my search prior to buying and it was the first thing that I replaced. It's a fairly easy DIY and even easier to check on them.

 

In all fairness, I've had the Toyota Dealership install non-OEM parts on my Tacoma, and when confronted, they said it was because "they were trying to save me money," which is BS because my bill was already fat.

 

They were trying to save THEM money... Bet you they still charged you over $100 each for the LBJs...

 

Shoot. I'm one year in on these $25 advance auto LBJs I got when I needed a quick and cheap replacement for the moment

 

Well if you don’t go OEM you have a greater chance of spending 1000.00 or more for repairs or totaling
your truck or 4 runner to save a few dollars

 

OEM will do this also if you don't actually check on them and just ignore them for 100k+ miles.

 

Just check it regularly, easy enough to do when your already crawling under the truck during an oil change.

I'm on my second set of Chinese ball joints, I currently don't wheel my truck at all while I'm attempting to restore it but still use it as a DD. No catastrophic failure but only because I check every 3k miles and swap em when required.