After about 40,000 km my front suspension developed a severe and constant squeak. 4Wheel Parts Burlington Ontario easily diagnosed as the hemispherical bearing seized in the OME shock. I do off-road occasionally, and these have been immersed in mud and water, and lots of salt on Canadian winter roads. Apparently the O-rings just are not very good at keeping them clean, and no way to service or lubricate. Total repair about $1000. 4 hours labour, $200 parts, then an alignment. Fantastic video of a fellow who fixed it himself here: https://youtu.be/CJte-44HPfI
Question: Others had the same problem? Was it a mistake to use OME? Is there a better alternative for my next ride?

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"Was it a mistake to use OME? Is there a better alternative for my next ride?"

Better alternative to Toyota? I don't think so. It blows my mind what mine has done for 50k and the bushings are still fine!

As for OME, lets be realistic:

--higher-end Bilstein, Fox, King, Icon, Radflo are designed for the Southwest/Baja.
--OME and Dobinsons are designed for Australia.

So things like salt and snow...are not really part of the conversation.

Mud and water crossings are a big deal in Australia (not here in the Southwest/Baja) so it stands to reason that the OZ suspensions are engineered with that in mind.

But salt...I don't know what can be done other than using OEM like everything.

For example, what does the OME BP 51 offer over what I have up front right now? I am not talking theory, I am talking practice. I will believe it that anybody with BP 51 drives faster on trail than me when I see it.

The rear does require a pricier setup if the vehicle takes more punishment, but I guess anything with OEM like end points and bushings will do better than a more race-style suspension.

mbmellis, thank you for your help! Looks like we were on a similar thread talking about the same thing last April. You posted that YT video which has helped me greatly in working towards a fix for mine.

Did you get new hemi joints from OME directly? Did you talk to OME or ARB's customer service? Did you do this work yourself or did that shop replace them? I'm pretty handy but lack a lift and a press for the bearings. I would love to get this fixed as it drives me NUTS. I've been using some Tri-Flow Lubricant with PTFE and that will hold off the squeak for a few days until its time to reapply. Been over a year and I already spent time and money chasing the squeak as I thought it was the bushings in the UCA.

I'm about ready to just switch the whole suspension out but I don't really want to spend the cash. Plus it handles well with the OME but I daily this thing and squeak is embarrassingly loud.

Originally bought from ARB USA. I approached ARB with my receipts etc. looking for some kind of warranty support and they have acknowledged the message but never responded. I am in Canada and 4Wheel Parts (Canada) were pretty good. They ordered from ARB USA and also did the work. I also spent too much time lubing everything else. Just praying it stays quiet until I can get a 2024 6th Gen.

I’m in a similar situation. I live in WA state and it’s super wet here. I go in the mountains and drive trails but am mostly on road driving. My Pro came with Kibbetec UCAs and King suspension. The whole thing is squeaking and I’m using TriFlo to keep it quiet. Definitely switching to a bushing style UCA and looking for suspension recommendations because I don’t want to deal with rebuilding every 20000 miles. I can’t not have my car for days at a time because I’m rebuilding suspension. Anyone have any insight?


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