Moog quality seems to have peaked and fallen.

[Kern Dog]

I used to think that Moog was THE brand to use for front end parts.
What happened?
I'm rebuilding the front end in this car:

I ordered a front end rebuild kit from PST but I'm using up some of my NOS stuff from my stash first. I messed up one LCA bushing installation and needed just one.
My local NAPA stores have quit selling Moog parts. They are selling off what they have left in stock and going with a different supplier.
I went to a Car Quest and their clerk directed me to an Advance Auto Parts where they had a LCA bushing, so I bought it.
At home, I opened the box.

Are you seeing what I am?

The damned thing is offset from center.

What kind of crap is this? (Made in India) I am using the offset UPPER control arm bushings, I don't need offset lowers. I returned this for a refund and bought this:

Made in America.

There we go!

It sucks to see an icon fall from grace.

 

[PlymCrazy]

That’s a shame with that experience you had with Moog.
I feel like I’m having to learn some new names in the parts game myself lately too. I try to stay faithful to names like Moog and Timken but find too often their quality either isn't what it used to be OR another less-well-known brand supersedes the bigger name brand in quality.
It can sometimes be a bit of a crap shoot IMO.

I do like to seeing the made in the USA stamp when I do.

 

[moparedtn]

This has been the case for a while now with Moog, sadly. All sorts of stuff out there on the interwebs
about it....
I'll be doing a similar job on Fred this winter and hopefully I'll be able to do with such parts like I
usually do, which is to buy old parts that are new in box still....hopefully, anyways.

 

[twecomm]

You would think that a reputable company that's having stuff manufactured off shore and having a product hat has their name on it would have some sort of quality control of those imported items. The stuff goes from boat to parts vendor with no checking for/of specifications, dimensionally or overall quality of the item. Everybody complained about stuff made in China. India is the new China.
Shame that so little is made here now days..

 

[hunt2elk]

I have been staying away from the new Moog stuff as well after having a couple issues like you. I will use the old USA Moog parts if they can be found, or I really like the Proforged brand. Knock on wood, every one I have had has been great quality.

 

[ykf7b0]

I recently bought and installed Precision suspension parts from Oreillys.

 

[Bighouse]

Moog sold off is and now victim of a holding company. Manufacturing was packed up and shipped overseas a few years back. It’ll ride the wave of a quality name until its demise.

 

[YY1]

It also kinda looks like it was fixed/peened over.

 

[hdwrench]

sad situation. nothing is made with quality in mind ! source it off shore as cheap as you can . inflate the hell out of the price and sell it in america. no quality control at any stage… let the buyer beware….

 

[moparedtn]

Moog sold off is and now victim of a holding company. Manufacturing was packed up and shipped overseas a few years back. It’ll ride the wave of a quality name until its demise.

Federal Mogul owns Moog; they went to global marketing in 2001 and things never were the same after that.
They actually make their stuff in 16 (!) countries now - and the same part number often can come from multiple
countries, too:
https://www.suspension.com/blog/where-are-moog-parts-made/
Damn shame. There was a time Moog was the Mack Daddy in suspension parts...

 

[Don selleck]

thanks for the info, I'm replacing my Cuda's front end this winter

 

[moparedtn]

thanks for the info, I'm replacing my Cuda's front end this winter

Yep, right there with you - and I'm seriously considering just replacing the control arms outright
so as to avoid both subpar component availability (bushings, etc.) as well as the wrasslin' match
of replacing bushings, ball joints and the like.
Given my situation, it might behoove me to just set it up for as much remove and replace as I can
afford - but that depends on whether the complete arm assemblies are worth a crap, too.
(I'd do Hotchkiss, for example - if the budget only allowed for it).

 

[turbine68rt]

Replaced the oem rear upper control arm in the wife's Liberty with a Moog part and the bushings didn't even last 6 months. Tried a different vendor and it's been fine for years. I'll be avoiding their parts in the future.

 

[Don selleck]

Yep, right there with you - and I'm seriously considering just replacing the control arms outright
so as to avoid both subpar component availability (bushings, etc.) as well as the wrasslin' match
of replacing bushings, ball joints and the like.
Given my situation, it might behoove me to just set it up for as much remove and replace as I can
afford - but that depends on whether the complete arm assemblies are worth a crap, too.
(I'd do Hotchkiss, for example - if the budget only allowed for it).

All my main componets are in great shape. planning on removing everything new bushings tie rod ends, ball joints etc. All the rubber greese boots are rotted away. uppper a arms bushing pretty washed, got some slop and a little floating going on. I know my car pretty well, a 1 year younger classman at my school drove this a few times and actually replaced some of the front end probably in 84 at the lenawee vo-tech center in adrian, mi. I bought the car from his dad last summer.

 

[jimkf]

We just rebuilt the front end on my 70 Coronet. It took three tries to get the lower control arm parts to play nicely together. We finally gave up on Moog.

 

[MWbirdLOVER70]

I used to think that Moog was THE brand to use for front end parts.
What happened?
I'm rebuilding the front end in this car:

View attachment 1714396

I ordered a front end rebuild kit from PST but I'm using up some of my NOS stuff from my stash first. I messed up one LCA bushing installation and needed just one.
My local NAPA stores have quit selling Moog parts. They are selling off what they have left in stock and going with a different supplier.
I went to a Car Quest and their clerk directed me to an Advance Auto Parts where they had a LCA bushing, so I bought it.
At home, I opened the box.

View attachment 1714397

Are you seeing what I am?

View attachment 1714398

The damned thing is offset from center.

View attachment 1714399

What kind of crap is this? (Made in India) I am using the offset UPPER control arm bushings, I don't need offset lowers. I returned this for a refund and bought this:

View attachment 1714401

View attachment 1714402
Made in America.

View attachment 1714403

There we go!

View attachment 1714404

It sucks to see an icon fall from grace.

Anymore it’s get out and make money. That overseas stuff totally downhill as terms of caring. Pound it out and sell it

 

[JG71B]

I just went through this. I ended up spending the past several months tracking down old, "NOS", if you will, MOOG parts on Ebay. Ball joints and bushings.... Rebuilt the front end a couple years ago and it felt like **** so, I found these parts and they are night and day to the garbage they put out now. The upper CA bushings no longer squeak and everything is now very smooth, quiet and feels totally different. Had I known this is how it was going to be 25+yrs ago, I would have bought 3 of everything! Sad times

 

[ckessel]

I believe Harris was the primary manufacture of bushings for many brands. Moog, TRW, McQuay Norris, Perfect Circle etc. Seen their logo on some oe stuff too.

 

[XS22J8R]

I worked for a major aftermarket brake company and got laid off there almost 20 years ago, when they started making a push to close down the North American plants, and move production offshore (in order to remain cost competitive in what in my opinion has become a race to the bottom). We had a nice employee discount program which I had taken advantage of often during my tenure there. When it became apparent layoffs and buyouts were coming, I stocked up on some parts, which turned out to be a good move as a few weeks later I found myself getting shown the door. Probably a blessing in disguise.
I have been glad to have some vintage aftermarket parts on hand to use on my old rides. But when I do find myself having to buy a part at the store or online in recent times, I am dismayed to see how the quality has diminished in the years since I was in the business and production was here.

 

[eldubb440]

it's an adjustable bushing, dummy