Quality of napa lbj's

WHORERUNNER

WHORERUNNER

New member
These lbj failures have me really concerned, my rig is a 99 sport with 115k the odo. I did inspect them, I saw no play. But I'm thinking of replacing due to being 12 yrs old and having 115k. I'm thinking of oem lbj or napa premium lbj. Napa website claims that it MEETS or EXCEEDS oem quality. Anyone have any experience with aftermarket lbj's.
 
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With something as important as LBJ's I'd stick with OEM. I haven't heard anything bad about the Napa ones, but have heard a few bad things about the Moog brand. I paid about $107 per side for OEM Toyota LBJ's from the dealer when I did mine.
 
I replaced my left LBJ with a Napa Premium a year ago when I noticed cracks in the boot of my original one. So far no issues. It's made in Japan, looks the exact same. Outwardly it would appear just as good and half the price. Only time will truly tell though.

I'm pretty sure Brian2sun replaced his with NAPA's and his rig is pretty serious. Definitely see's harder work than mine.
 
Avarice said:
I replaced my left LBJ with a Napa Premium a year ago when I noticed cracks in the boot of my original one. So far no issues. It's made in Japan, looks the exact same. Outwardly it would appear just as good and half the price. Only time will truly tell though.

I'm pretty sure Brian2sun replaced his with NAPA's and his rig is pretty serious. Definitely see's harder work than mine.
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napa's are $88.00 each but I get a 10% discount with my aaa card, do about $80.00 each. Dlr wants $123.00. I dont mind spending a little more if I have to, but with napa's MEET or EXCEED claim it makes spending more at the dlr unjustifiable. Hope brian2sun chimes in.
 
If you got 115K with no problem on the OEM, that seems tried and true to me. I'd stick with the OEM, if the NAPAs fail, you still have to get them replaced whether it's free or not. I am sure the warranty is on parts and not labor, and labor is extensive with lbjs.
 
I replaced LBJ's on a 94 pickup. I had read that Altrom (Japanese company) was the ones which made the LBJ's as OEM Toyota parts, obviously labeled over with Toyota.

When I bought hte LBJ's from Napa, I was suprised to see that they were made my Altrom... So technically you are buying the exact OEM replacement, but rather paying the extra $$ to have it say Toyota on it.

Not sure if this is the case for the 3rd gens.
 
when purchasing new lbjs, is there anything else that needs to be purchased, or do i just get the lbj's for each side and call it a day?
 
I too have the premium Napa brand...but damn surface..they just rust out so easily. Next Napa LBJ buyer please, please sugar a coat of paint on them?
 
My two cents: if the Napa LBJs were $50 cheaper a piece, I'd be tempted to use them. But they are not, and while the OEMs do fail, it seems to take at least a decade for them to do such.

Beware when aftermarket parts claim to be "better than OEM". Boat parts are notorious for such false claims.
 
Avarice said:
I replaced my left LBJ with a Napa Premium a year ago when I noticed cracks in the boot of my original one. So far no issues. It's made in Japan, looks the exact same. Outwardly it would appear just as good and half the price. Only time will truly tell though.

I'm pretty sure Brian2sun replaced his with NAPA's and his rig is pretty serious. Definitely see's harder work than mine.
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WHORERUNNER said:
napa's are $88.00 each but I get a 10% discount with my aaa card, do about $80.00 each. Dlr wants $123.00. I dont mind spending a little more if I have to, but with napa's MEET or EXCEED claim it makes spending more at the dlr unjustifiable. Hope brian2sun chimes in.
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:) I do have the Napas. I think they're about a year old now and holding up well. Since they are lifetime warranty and I wheel a lot, I plan on just trading them in for a new free set every 2 years or so. Same with my outer TREs. The lifetime warranty was the whole reason that I went with the Napas (and IMO, Napa generally has better quality parts than Autozone).

blcktpgsr said:
I too have the premium Napa brand...but damn surface..they just rust out so easily. Next Napa LBJ buyer please, please sugar a coat of paint on them?
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Yes! mine are rusty too (and that's saying something since I'm in CA and have virtually no rust anywhere else on my truck)! I will definitely be painting my next set.

PitbullRescuer said:
Should I/is it mandatory to do the outer tie rid ends at the same time as the LBJ's?
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It wouldn't be a bad idea if they are just as old.
 
I also checked out rockauto.com and looked at the raybestos, I'm using my cell and can't copy and paste, they supposedlly have a better designed lbj design. The price is very resonable.
 
I just checked out the rockauto raybestos ball joint video. It's interesting. Maybe someone could take an old one off the runner apart to see if the design is different.
 
I have the NAPA ones. Anyone else notice that they have a place to insert a zerk fitting? It looks like it was built to be a greasable ball joint. I just bought a couple zerks to install, but was wondering if others had as well.
 
econhonda said:
I have the NAPA ones. Anyone else notice that they have a place to insert a zerk fitting? It looks like it was built to be a greasable ball joint. I just bought a couple zerks to install, but was wondering if others had as well.
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How is the quality of the napa's to the oem. Are you satisfied with the napa's?
 
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