power steering rack replacement

I ordered a set of energy suspension bushings since I noticed one of mine was toast. However, before installation I did notice that the rack boots appear to have "wet" inside. So at this point, I'm going to assume it is a waste of time to replace the bushings. So I need to bite the bullet on a rack & pinion here soon. I have read on this a little and decided not to go with a cheap aftermarket replacement. I purchased my CV axles thru CVJ. Has anyone else purchased a rack thru them? Otherwise, who's got the cheapest OEM replacement? Need to replace my outer tie rods too. Thanks ahead of time!

 

They want one of my arms for this one on ebay with no outer tie rods

https://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Toyota...952089&hash=item282e231d5b:g:9YQAAOxy56hSPHve

 

That’s a lot. I didn’t look much and found this one right away.

https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/oem/toyota~gear~assy~power~steering~for~rack~pinion~44250-35041.html

It’s still a bunch of money. It’ll cost you and arm but you get to keep your fingers from the hand.

 

Screw the "oem or die" nonsense, theirs no reason to pay 3 times the price for the same product you can get for a fraction of the price just because it says toyota on the box. So far Ive got a year and a half on my $250 Detroit axle rack n pinion and not a single problem.

 

This too. Make sure you do your research. Some stuff yes, some stuff no. Some stuff is worth the extra OEM money because it’s actually more than just Toyota on the box. Others not so much.
Also some non-OEM stuff has lifetime no questions asked replacement warranties. If the part fails and the failure isn’t catastrophic like a lower ball joint for example and it’s easy to replace and it won’t leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere that might be be the way to go.

 

I don't use oem lbjs either, 5 years now and I'm not dead. I've seen stories of oem failing prematurely same as I've seen stories of non oem lasting 100k+. Most of the whole paranoid "oem or die" mantra (which is worse in toyota guys than any other brand I've seen) is just Internet folklore that gets blown way out of proportion just like everything else on the net. 90% of the people that "know" a non oem part is junk have zero first hand knowledge with that part. They're just regurgitating what they've read.

That being said, to each their own, people can spend their money anyway they want so if they wanna pay 3 times as much for something they can get cheaper more power to'em

 

For sure.

I replaced an inner tie rod 24,000 miles ago. It already has play in it. The originals before that had 200,000 miles. Will I get moogs again....unlikely.

 

Ya, moogs quality has definitely gone down over the last 5-10 years. Definitely not the top dog in the aftermarket world any more.