I really screwed the pooch this time

So there's 2 that lasted 300k, and many dozens/hundreds that haven't lasted much more than 100k.

So far, team "just go ahead and replace them" seems to be winning.

 

I do, and regarding LBJ I did inspection at at least 2 times a year especially after 300k miles. But I'm not throwing in parts just because other do. My truck did get it's share of replacement parts (listed in my building thread) most of them because they failed inspection (way before they failed as a part). As for preventive maintenance you can read about my frame treatment - that is preventive big time.

I do not say "don't ever replace factory LBJ", my example was to simply respond to the difference between OEM and aftermarket - you get what you paid for. Given my 300k+ miles and 20+ years were DD, with no "trail" abuse. If I'd ever torn the boot that LBJ would be done in 2 weeks.

As for the pars selection my game plan is to put the best parts on my truck so I don't need to replace it to frequent. I don't put Walmart brand wipers that last less than one season, but I pay three times more for Bosh, that last 3-5 times longer. I paid 200 dollars for OEM LBJ so I will not need to replace them too soon (I will still inspect them like I did with the last pair).

Some prefer "life time warranty" deal and willing to do replace they LBJ often - makes sense if you like to do it, have time to do it and don't worry about abusing them. With "life time warranty" you can replace your LBJ every weekend and I guarantee you, they will never fail (unless you f-ck up the installation). If this is the game plan, it will work too.

 

I had greasable ball-joints on mine. Napa Chassis. I checked them about every other oil change and greased them when they needed it. My ball-joint was a manufacture defect. I suppose you could have that with the OEM ones but it happens less. Just need to swap out the lower ball joint and control arm with a better assembly to avoid the bad joints. Or just replace them every 120K.

 

There is a manufacturer recall on 1st gen OEM lower ball joints.

Also, there is no reason to replace the control arm unless you' are going with a long travel kit.

 

It would take a lot of anecdotal observations to provide any level of proof for one brand over another. Regardless, I do know that on a 1st gen group on Fecebook there is someone that posted last week of a LBJ failure after 30k miles of an O'Reilly's brand part.

Also, this post is fairly significant for the argument for OEM.
https://np.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/9zo6ml/what_is_it_about_toyota_that_makes_them_so/eab0c7v/

Keep in mind I have soul-crushing medical debt and I'm looking for reasons to justify not getting OEMs because saving a few bucks now really does matter.

 

Then go with 555's.

 

No one is claiming that Toyota parts are inferior. If any of us were claiming that, we probably wouldn't own Toyotas! The point most people are making is, or at least questioning, is if the added cost of the OEM part is worth it. If I had money coming out of my ass, I wouldn't hesitate to buy all OEM, but I don't...

Something I always like to say is that the plural of anecdote is not data. Hearing about a dude who had a 30k BJ failure, or even hearing about someone running 300k factory BJs is worthless. Those anecdotes should weigh on your decision, but shouldn't be the only factor.

It would be great if we had access to (OEM and aftermarket) manufacturers' sales numbers and statistics on returns and warranty claims, but for the most part, we don't. The posts we see on TW, Reddit, or google searches, are not a representative sample. Out of the ~1.5 or so million 1st gens sold, these posts represent an extremely small sample size. And when you consider the idea that you are more likely to post when angry (i.e. had a failure) vs. adequately satisfied, the statistics are even less representative.

There's really no way of knowing how many Auto Zone balljoints have been sold, let alone how many have failed or how many miles were on them when they failed. What we do know is that Toyota recalled many of their BJs for qa/qc reasons and eventually changed the inherently bad design in the 2nd gens. I am not aware of such a recall on the 555's, or even the Auto Zone crap.

555 is actually an OEM supplier, so while I don't think they directly supply the BJs to the factory, they're hardly a store brand crap part.

In the end, do what you feel gives you the best piece of mind. But I can tell you that from my experience, the 555's at half the cost of OEM are more than acceptable, and hold up to plenty of abuse off-road.

Yep

 

You read my comment wrong, because I wasn't alluding to that at all, because...

That's exactly my position on the matter.

Incorrect. It tells you it is possible for no-name aftermarket to fail very early, and OEM can last the life of most vehicles, even if they are outliers. That's not worthless. Most people don't understand the concept of statistical significance, but I hope we have an understanding here that we aren't trying to reach the level of a peer-reviewed publication, we just wish for more information.
I agree with the rest.

 

I'm not an OEM type guy.
My 555's are crap compared.
I also believe it's a shit design from the beginning, like the rear brakes.

 

It is a poor design, the way 1st gen ball joints are designed the ball joint is under pressure to be pulled apart. In the 2005+ Toyota corrected it so you never really hear of a 2nd gen with ball joint failure, unless it was grossly abused/mistreated.

I'm of the opinion that since we're dealing with a poor design, it's wise to get the best quality parts. I believe that's OEM.

There...told myself I wasn't going to get involved in another ball joint thread but I did

 

Correction: 320k miles - with pictures to prove it .

 

You're absolutely right. Most people don't understand the concept of statistical significance, which is why those people think that hearing a story about "this one guy" means anything.

Given what we all know about DIY car repair, the most likely culprit in any one-off mishap is user error. The 30k failure and the ones that last over 300k are outliers, and while they show what is *possible* they don't show anything close to what is *likely*.

I tend to put more weight on things like manufacturer recalls, class action lawsuits etc... because at least with those, you have to have more than just a story from that one guy who had a failure.

 

congratulations

 

Translation

 

Can we agree this thread turned out exactly as expected?

 

Not until someone makes a hitler reference..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

 

Never heard of it but great. Next time an argument goes there I get to say "You lose. Godwin's law".
I'm going to found the Pearl Harbor equivalent. "You lose. JLo's law".

 

So it's settled, there's just not enough raw data to make a statistical level of confidence of which LBJ is better.
Just get the one that makes you feel good and do preventative maintenance

 

As a rule of thumb I think OEM is always best. Doesn't mean you should buy it though. Just depends on your reasoning.