I recently bought my truck, and it is in dire need of a front suspension redo. I Googled reviews and got a lot of mixed opinions, but Moog seemed the go to to buy. The prices for Moog components were just too much for a truck that I paid $2k for and has 186k miles, so I went back to the reviews.

I started looking at Mevotech. There were great reviews and horrible reviews. I noticed that most of the good reviews were from people that had used Mevotech, the bad reviews seemed to be from guys that knew this one guy that used Mevotech.

I went ahead and compared prices at Rock Auto. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Rock Auto has a front suspension kit for our trucks. The only kits available are from Mevotech and from Moog. Moog does not have a kit for the coil spring suspension, only a torsion bar suspension, so I bought the Mevotech.

I had a hard time getting a complete review that I could work with, so I am going to try to post one here for anyone that is thinking of Mevotech.

This also may start out as a Rock Auto review. This is the first time that I have purchased from them and man, very impressed. From order to delivery was 1 week, and shipping was with Fed Ex.

 

The list price for the Mevotech Kit154 is $281.79...

But when I got to the invoice, it had changed to $268.99 so I bought a set of stabilzer bar links.

 

 

I will be installing everything by the weekend and will post side by side pics with the OE parts.

If anyone wants specific pictures of the parts, let me know and I will get them posted.

 

Within the last six months I completely rebuilt the front end of my '98 Ranger. With a front end alignment, four new shocks and good tires, it rides like a dream.
You forgot to tell everyone the COO (country of origin) of the parts you installed.....

 

The Stabilizer Bar Links are Made in the USA.

The rest is made in China.

 

Kruse's question sparked my curiosity.

AC Delco is no longer committed to being Made in the USA, and hasnt been for over a decade. They have Offices in 6 different countries and many parts are Made in China.

Raybestos declared Bankruptcy in 1999 and was bought by Brake Parts Inc, who now sells parts that were made in other countries including China.

Moog parts are made in 16 different countries.

So my question is this. If these companies can sell the same part and part number at the same price, whether Made in USA or elsewhere, why can't they just make them all here? When I buy a $10 part from Moog, I dont know what country of origin it is. So do people buy Moog and spend $100 more because they think it is USA made?

So, I see no sense in buying a Chinese made product for $100 more when I can get the same Chinese product for $100 less.

Nice question Kruse, it made me learn something, thank you.

 

You have a very legitimate statement.
When I rebuilt the front end of my Ranger, I used mostly Moog products, but I believe the right, upper control arm was a Mevotech, made in China. It will works fine.
My attitude toward Moog has soured (somewhat) lately. First, they have their "R" economy line that's probably made in China. I know it's to compete with all the other competitor's economy parts coming from China, but they aren't exactly too straightforward with that fact.
They also have their premium "Problem Solver" line that you pay an arm and a leg for, but that line has burned me also.
Several months ago, I ordered two "Problem Solver" lower control arms for my kid's '96 T-bird from RockAuto. The left side was a genuine Problem Solver part. The right side was a TRW part (with no zerk) that was in a Problem Solver box. Thinking somebody has switched parts on me, I ordered a replacement and set the TRW part back. The replacement was also a TRW part. (TRW went out of business almost a decade ago. They may be okay parts, but.......) This time I called the complaint line at Moog and talked to a real human. Not only would they not do anything about it, he got really agitated with me for even thinking that TRW was a lesser-quality part, despite RockAuto selling older TRW parts at a substantial discount at that time. (TRW was bought out by Moog's parent line years ago)
What did I do? I sent the TRW part back again and bought an AcDelco professional part and had no problem with the fact that the part was made in Korea.
Also, buying a Moog Problem Solver part does not guarantee that you get an American-made part either. It could be made anywhere on the planet, especially if it's for an imported car.

 

Heres a link to a review of where Moog is made.

Where are Moog parts made? The answer may surprise you! - Suspension.com

The major problem is government policy. Companies get so heavily taxed for making products in America, at the federal and state levels, so they are "encouraged" to look over seas for manufacturing.

Here in California, it feels like our governing body hates us. We are one of the highest, if not the highest, taxed states in the country. The fees that companies need to pay to stay here, are hidden taxes. It is a shakedown.
I dont know how it is elsewhere, but where I live, we have a 10 cent tax on every grocery bag that you get when you go shopping. So if the bagboy uses 5 bags, they tack on $.50 at the end and send it to the state. It isnt a lot, but it's the principle.

Texas offers tax break incentives to companies with a California address. You move your company there, they will give you a tax break. The US government should give US company tax breaks and perks to bring their satelite manufacturing plants back to the US, it just makes sense.

So, to get back to the Off Topic of "country of origin". Basically there is not much a consumer can do. Sure, be can send back goods until we are shipped a Made in America one, but that isnt sensible, it wont correct anything.

Hopefully with the new wacko president, he will make good on the things that he has said.

 

Well, I swapped out the upper and lower control arms, tie rod end, and stabilizer link bar on the driver's side after work. Everything went in smooth, the holes lined up, was amazing. The only hiccup was the Made in USA stabilizer link bars. The rod was a bit short and I had to grind down the lower most bushing to catch a few threads with the nut.

I decided to throw on some new Monroe shocks. Tomorrow I am going to find out if turning my rotors makes sense or just buy new, get new pads. Since I have it this far, I will repack the bearing too.

So, so far, I am super satisfied with the Mevotech 154 Supreme kit.

 

 

 

I'd venture it safe to say that most people that gave Mevo a great review are people that had a mix qand a blend of noisy, sloppy, wandering, hard on tires vehicle, and worn out front end components (part or much of it), replaced it with the service grade parts and hey, wow, now it feels great, and gave it a good review. And I'd worry if they didn't. However......probably a MUCH better way to evaluate someones review of the product would be to get them to do a review after they've put 30-60K miles on it. FWIW, I'd use Mevo or whatever else was new and cheap.....on a vehicle that I was going to sell, but for anything else I'd stick with what I've been using since 1979......Moog. Tools, appliances, clothing, Lowes VS a good lumber yard building materials, auto parts, etc, you really do get what you pay for....... and nothing more.

 

And that is the kind of blind faith that drives Brand name products since 1979, my friend.

 

Demonstrated quality and reliability drives faith (long before 1979), plus labor is all the same for many parts, service grade or a top notch, quality product from a reputable company. Everyone wants to save buck, but when the discovery (learning experience) of service grade taking out other parts when they fail prematurely is made, reality can hit home in the wallet. People tend to get upset when the tires they paid $1000 for aren't going to go the distance they should, but then again, if it's a vehicle being sold then that's not a seller problem and most buyers would only feel entitled to the good stuff and not be willing to pay if they were informed before the fact. The real proof of quality comes after significant miles are put on parts, not in the first 100 miles.