New member '01 Monty XLS

[datsun72]

Hello all, new member to this great forum. My family has owned our 01 XLS since 2005. It's such a great vehicle. I am considering putting more time into the truck and looking into offroading. Currently it needs all ball joints up front and inner and outer tie rods. Has anyone considered using aftermarket parts? Pretty much all I found were Sankei 555's rebranded under moog, beck/arnley and raybestos. Currently I have KYb's which are still holding strong.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

[MonteroLTD]

Try rockauto.com. Plenty of options and the prices are great. Theirs nothing wrong with aftermarket parts.

 

[dookie]

Curious about your mileage. With over 200k I have yet to do any of this work and have no symptoms. What did you notice? Or is this just preventative before 'wheeling it.

 

[SoCalMonty]

Shop around...rockauto is not always the cheapest! I was just shopping for some front end parts and for comparable aftermarket parts, rockauto would have been nearly 20% more expensive than locally sourced Duralast parts...plus I'd have to wait for shipping.

But anyway...with basic parts like that, I pretty much always go aftermarket. Very seldom have I ever found it necessary to buy an OEM part, for any vehicle. I avoid stealerships whenever possible.

 

[off-roader]

Shop around...rockauto is not always the cheapest! I was just shopping for some front end parts and for comparable aftermarket parts, rockauto would have been nearly 20% more expensive than locally sourced Duralast parts...plus I'd have to wait for shipping.

But anyway...with basic parts like that, I pretty much always go aftermarket. Very seldom have I ever found it necessary to buy an OEM part, for any vehicle. I avoid stealerships whenever possible.

True that RA isn't always the cheapest. As for front end parts, based on my reading, Tie Rod ends are better left OEM as aftermarket options seem to break more readily off road with a built rig. On road built or off road stock setup then aftermarket seems to be fine.

Mitsu dealer's are a mixed bag so I wouldn't write them off either. Also some parts (in the past anyway) were only available from a dealer.

 

[MonteroLTD]

Unfortunately for me and every other Canadian Montero owner, our options are limited in regards to what we can source locally. Quite often I find myself ordering parts online. After comparing pricing, shipping, and availability between several suppliers, Rock Auto continues to be my main source. Living in America, your experience will be different.

 

[datsun72]

Curious about your mileage. With over 200k I have yet to do any of this work and have no symptoms. What did you notice? Or is this just preventative before 'wheeling it.

Lol funny you ask that, I had to change the cluster because the original cluster's temp gauge was faulty. I believe I am around 125k. I have to change these due to NYC roads, so many potholes its unbelievable.

Shop around...rockauto is not always the cheapest! I was just shopping for some front end parts and for comparable aftermarket parts, rockauto would have been nearly 20% more expensive than locally sourced Duralast parts...plus I'd have to wait for shipping.

But anyway...with basic parts like that, I pretty much always go aftermarket. Very seldom have I ever found it necessary to buy an OEM part, for any vehicle. I avoid stealerships whenever possible.

I went aftermarket a fear years ago on the lower ball joints, they are ok but I prefer something stronger as I will now start offroading.

True that RA isn't always the cheapest. As for front end parts, based on my reading, Tie Rod ends are better left OEM as aftermarket options seem to break more readily off road with a built rig. On road built or off road stock setup then aftermarket seems to be fine.

Mitsu dealer's are a mixed bag so I wouldn't write them off either. Also some parts (in the past anyway) were only available from a dealer.

Some parts were almost the same with aftermarket and the dealer, the biggest price difference was the inner tie rods I believe.

Unfortunately for me and every other Canadian Montero owner, our options are limited in regards to what we can source locally. Quite often I find myself ordering parts online. After comparing pricing, shipping, and availability between several suppliers, Rock Auto continues to be my main source. Living in America, your experience will be different.

Rockauto's prices aren't too bad. Believe it or not Amazon and ebay has some good prices too!

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I will run nothing but Moog as far as wear and tear suspension parts are concerned, learned the hard way running cheaper parts on my Jeeps over the years.