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Raybestos Pro has been recommended in past threads, but doesn't seem to be available anymore. Has anyone used Moog or B/A, and know where they are manufactured? AC Delco Pro is also available, but appears to be the same as Moog. B/A $32, Moog $42, Lexus OEM ~$80 ea. plus shipping. I usually go OEM, but the originals are totally shot after 135K miles, so I'm not so anxious to go OEM on these. ( To contrast, our 97 Camry, at 255K, has all original front suspension parts, and it is still tight.)
Raybestos Pro has been recommended in past threads, but doesn't seem to be available anymore. Has anyone used Moog or B/A, and know where they are manufactured? AC Delco Pro is also available, but appears to be the same as Moog. B/A $32, Moog $42, Lexus OEM ~$80 ea. plus shipping. I usually go OEM, but the originals are totally shot after 135K miles, so I'm not so anxious to go OEM on these. ( To contrast, our 97 Camry, at 255K, has all original front suspension parts, and it is still tight.)
My original Lexus ones were still sealed at 253k miles, they just had some wear and slop. I would still recommend OEM. You will probably run into fitment issues with all those other brands you mentioned. I purchased mine for ~$72 each at Bell Lexus in Scottsdale. They also have an online eBay store too, so be sure to check it out.
I have a pair of Beck Arnleys I'm throwing on this weekend. Just looking at them, they seem to be decent quality. I'll look at the packaging this week to try to tell where they're made.
Front lower ball joints might have been the very first repair I did on my '91. I put on Beck Arnley (101-4588 and 101-4589) about 10 years and 30k miles ago. Still going strong. I'm sure they'll last "forever" at the rate I put miles on this car.
Not necessarily. I bought some Beck Arnley bearings online and they ended up being Japanese made Koyos repackaged with the B/A part number.
Beck Arnley is usually a reseller of OEM grade parts sometimes, they're the actual OE part they're selling under their part number
In general, I have noticed a similar thing too as a recent development in the evolving global economy of aftermarket parts ...
A good brand (B/A in this case) buys another good brand (Koyo) and sells it under their brand. And you don't know what you're getting until you get it. I expect more of this to come.
At Rockauto.com they even have a specific help page to try to ward off complaints about this. For example, at rockauto, you can choose from a variety of brands+prices when you buy something. So if brand A costs more than brand B and you decide you like brand A and buy it ... and then you get a brand A box containing a brand B part, after having wanted and paying a premium for brand A. And rockauto tells you that's how things work now and you should get used to it. In a case like that, since you're buying it as brand A, you get the brand A warranty.
The BA's for my '97 are PN 101-7027 (R) and 101-7028 (L). Made in Taiwan, which I suppose is a step above China. They look well made, the fitment is fine, and they use a cotter pin and castle nut to secure the stud just like the Lexus part. We'll see how they hold up. After removing the originals, my opinion is they are crap. The forgings seem soft, and they are very, very worn out at 135K. I hope the OEM replacements are better made. I noticed that some other Lexus models of this vintage were recalled for defective lower ball joints, but not the LS400.
Lessons learned:
The 27308 ball joint separator loan-a-tool from Autozone will pop the tie rod ends without having to remove the calipers to get to the stud. Clearance is tight, but a combination wrench will reach the stud nut, and you can't remove the nut completely until the stud is popped. Actually this is the first time I've ever needed a tool to pop a tie rod end, but the left side just would not budge without it. The same tool will not fit the ball joints. I used my usual method for that: Loosen the ball joint stud nut. Leave the ball joint assembly attached to the knuckle. Place a floor jack under two adjacent wheel studs, with a chunk of wood to protect them, and jack the suspension up about 1/2-1". This puts tension on the ball joint. Put your air hammer, with a round bit, on the end of the stud, and loosen the nut just enough (never all the way off) to keep the bit from sliding off. Give the air hammer a few taps and the stud should pop.
how about considering moog? I used moog on my Tacoma with good results, some were made in china, some in japan, and most in the US (replaced all ball joints on my front end).
I also used moog ball joints on my IS250 with good results. never used moog on my LS but I would not hesitate.
as for separating the ball joints, I always stay away from pickle forks and use pullers, like so!
Front lower ball joint alternatives
