Parts Poll

[amcdonal86]

Please take the poll!

A lot of people seem to use only genuine Toyota parts on their Lexus cars. What say you?

[killerFatty]

I generaly only use OEM parts when I absolutly have to, or if the price diffrence is not substantial. If you get quality aftermarket parts that you can trust you will be fine, but if you want the worry free garentee you should go oem. I generally cant afford oem, so I try hard to find the best deals on quality after market parts. I haven't had any problems yet with aftermarket and I am about to put in an after market rack and pinion. I did however buy OE tie rod ends and PS return hose because the tie rod ends where the same price both ways and the high pressure hose is both unique and criticle. I don't want it failing in the middle of the road.

[jcrome04]

OEM! :D

[lsrxlex]

I have a 1990 LS400, and ordered 1 new brake master cylinder and I got an exact the same new OEM master cylinder. I was so happy.

Then I ordered 2 front remanufactured calipers (thru the same company Cardone) and I got the worst stuffs. They looked like being sand-blasted many times then covered with cheap paint. The bleeding nuts are new but fit loosely in the sand-blasted threads. The bushings of the sliding pins are of low quality by the look and it desintegrated after 6 months of installation. I had to reused the oringinal bleeding nuts and other rubber parts.

At the same installation time, I also bought 4 new drilled, slotted rotors (on e-Bay, from a company in Los Angeles, CA). Then the steering wheel vibrated when braking. The mechanic said that it will "smooth out over 1 month. Don't worry!". And it did, but only slightly.

Now I have to change with 2 new OEM rotors and OEM pads. I spent so much time and money to try to save some money!!!! (As for the front calipers, I plan to replace them when I upgrade to the '94-'00 brake system when I save enough money).

Then I bought a remanufactured steering rack and pinion, of course, to try to save some money!!! After installing it, I sent back my old OEM to get back the "core" deposit. But the shipping charge I have to pay was 5 times the charge the seller paid when I ordered the item. UPS told me that I'm not the business clients... thus, no discount rate.

My mechanic told me the rack and pinion I bought was "not exactly the same, although it looked almost the same, and it was short at connections at both ends" but he'd try to get it fit in my car. Later, I got problems with weird noise and shaking at steering, so I have Lexus check it out. They have to replace the rack again, but they have to charge me extra because the rack on my car was not the old OEM one! Luckily, after all that bad experiences, spending so much time and money, plus the frustration...., I have a working car now.

So, to me, never after-market or remanufactured parts on: brake system, rack and pinion, power steering system, suspension, engine/transmission mounts.

Sorry, remanufactured/rebuilt parts are meant to save the environment/planet... but.... , maybe I'm not so lucky. Or if I had the time, tools and knowledge, I would rebuild the parts (calipers, power steering pump,....) myself, using OEM rebuild kits.

Just my 2 cents.

[JimsGX]

I agree with LSRxLex... I've had similar experiences with aftermarket parts for both my front end and exhaust system. In the end, it has cost me just as much if not more, plus the aggravation, to have the job done right a second time with OEM replacement parts. Both my upper and lower control arm bushings and the exhaust Y pipe had to be done twice because of inferior aftermarket parts.

Tomorrow I'm having a new driveshaft installed in my 91 (with 82k miles) at the Lexus dealer. Based on my last two experiences above, I ran through some scenarios in my head as to the possible outcome if I; 1.) went with a rebuilt driveshaft and had my local mechanic install it; 2.) Went with a new driveshaft and had my local mechanic install it; 3.) went with a new driveshaft purchased through my local Lexus dealer and had the dealer install it...

Option 1, had the highest probability for problems based on the quality of the rebuild by an aftermarket supplier and the skill of my local mechanic.

Option 2, which is a brand new OEM shaft installed by my local mechanic, had a better chance of success, but I also know that my local mechanic, as good as he is, doesn't have the Lexus alignment tool to check for proper alignment of the shaft, or a supply of the differently weighted bolts that Lexus has available to fine tune the install. I envisioned in my head, him trying and trying to get the shaft to run true, then telling me he can't get it just right and that I should bring it to Lexus.

Option 3, a new shaft installed by my local dealer, has the best chance of success and is also the most expensive option. My Lexus dealer is estimating 3-4 hours labor to install the shaft @ $120 per hour as opposed to my local mechanic at $80 per hour. I got my local dealer to match the price of the shaft to that of another Lexus dealer that has a large presence online at a reduced price. Initially they were $300 more than the online Lexus dealer's price for the shaft. I would have had to pay the shipping costs of the online dealer as well, so I actually saved a little more with the local dealer purchase.

So assuming everything goes as planned, it will end up costing about $120 to $200 more for my Lexus dealer to install the new OEM shaft, but if there's a problem with the install I think they'll be able to get it straightened out.

So in general, my new philosophy is to use original OEM parts as long as the price isn't rediculously expensive, and depending on the level of difficulty, use either my local mechanic or the dealer for the install. I know there are a lot of us on this board that are DIYers and most can probably do as good a job as their local mechanic for many of their repairs. If I had a lift in my garage with adequate ceiling height I'd probably be all over it, but since I dont, I stick primarily to doing the cosmetic type fixes on this car (pulling the climate control this weekend and soldering in a new LED display) and leave most of the mechanical stuff to the (semi) professionals.

[SKperformance]

OEM as much as possible, only upgraded parts are not.

Most aftermarket parts are from china or mexico where the uality control is low as is the reliability . It like redesigning the LS to be a ford tempo .

[dcfish]

OEM only ;)

[blake918]

It depends on the part, but I generally use OEM. No way would I ever use a timing belt and idler pulleys from Auto Zone, but I don't have a problem with a respected brand from Auto Zone if I need a part quickly like an O2 sensor, drive belt, or something like that.

Most aftermarket parts are from china or mexico where the quality control is low as is the reliability . It like redesigning the LS to be a ford tempo .

I was surprised to see that some Toyota parts I got the other day were made in Mexico...