Motorcraft parts

[lsmakemecry]

how important is it to use MOTORCRAFT for parts like inner tie rod and thermostat? Was on rockauto.com and the price difference is serious mc - $37.00 other brands starts at $9.00 for tie rods...pretty much the same for the thermostat. Now I do understand original is better but does that apply to all parts?

 

[joegr]

There are a lot of aftermarket brands selling junk suspension parts. There are a few good brands, but they charge more, sometimes as much or more than OEM. The thermostat is not that expensive from Ford. I'd just keep and use the old one rather than buy an aftermarket one. It's an important part.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

You have to remember that most of the Motorcraft parts are other peoples parts branded "Motorcraft".
Same with OEM. The OEM of any part was the company that could supply them in time and the cheapest. That leaves quite a bit of room for improvement.
The parts for any car are sourced from all over the planet and from a multitude of suppliers. My Tbird had the factory non-greaseable tie rod ends fail at 12K and they were replaced with aftermarket auto parts store Moog greaseable ones that have gone 60K without problem.

There are differences out there but some are much more in favor of the aftermarket part as long as you aren't buying the cheapest one on the shelf. They have the invaluable knowledge of being able to look at the the OEM part and it's failure rate and causes and engineer around it. When you buy an aftermarket new water pump it may have an improved design from the original, same with suspension or with ....

 

[Kumba]

When in doubt, go with Motorcraft or blue-box OEM. Motorcraft ARE going to be the cheapest part that could be made in time but they are at least to a specification and tolerance set by Ford. Aftermarkets are made to whatever spec and tolerance the manufacturer wants. Sometimes that spec is better, sometimes it's worse, and sometimes it's the same. It's just a roll of the dice on some things.

Considering you are talking about a $20 difference between a Motorcraft and an aftermarket piece, I would just pay the extra $20 unless you know it's a good part. You'll also notice that the good parts, like a Moog front inner tie rod end, is not drastically cheaper then the Motorcraft part. For instance, $37 for Motorcraft, $32 for AC Delco, or $29 for Moog. Chances are if it's half the price for the same part, there is a reason it's cheaper.

Even if you are doing both sides I would rather spend $40 and not worry about the part potentially being junk. Just depends on how precious $40 is to you at the moment and what it's worth in time (or cost) to replace it again. Plus if you have to replace it again in a year then you saved nothing really.

Also, don't shop by brand name alone. Moog, AC Delco, Raybestos, and others now make an el-cheapo version of parts in order to compete with the bottom dollar vendors. Moog has their normal line and then their "KR" version, which is cheaper then their normal "K" part. Raybestos has the "Premium" and "Economy" version. AC Delco has their "Professional" and "Advantage" line. So you still need to look at what you are getting.

 

[Telco]

And if you order from Rock Auto, make sure the part in the box is the part you ordered. I've had them try and pass their cheapo line off on me in a Moog box before, and they gave me a ration of crap about returning it. They took it back though. Personally I won't use them again not because the sent the wrong part but because of the attitude they gave me when I called them on it. I'm a nice guy when it comes to returns too, I always assume that it was a simple mistake on their part and they'll be willing to make it good when I make a call and don't get belligerent about things. When I start getting pissed, I simply ask for their supervisor, and continue asking for supervisors until I get what I want.