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Moog vs GM OEM Upper Control Arms

Lauren

Well-Known Member
Messages
127
Location
English in Dubai, UAE
Hey everyone! :)

I need to replace my upper control arms and I don't know if I should order Moog or GM?

What do you guys think? Which is stronger in your experience?

I went with Ac Delco and they lasted like a year so I'm not doing that again haha!

Thank you for any help and advice!
 

amrg

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,317
Location
Qatar
I have moogs on my second strictly street H3, the bushings started breaking within a year. The ac delco would last 3 years though on my main street/offroad H3. I have the custom MMW arms sitting in a box waiting to be installed at the moment.

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Lauren

Well-Known Member
Messages
127
Location
English in Dubai, UAE
Aw shoot... so basically Moogs suck then haha!
I'm mostly street driving.. a little rocky terrain every now and then.. but when the winter comes I'll start going into the sand

Hmm.. did you order your Ac Delco ones from RockAuto?

I hope your MMW arms do you proud once you get them on!
 

amrg

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,317
Location
Qatar
Yea offcourse rockauto. We have a super crappy dealer here, they barely keep stock, order everything from the UAE dealer whwn you want something (after outting a down payment) and sell at a 300% markeup of the list price on Rockauto.
Even after paying the big shipping cost from thr USA, im still at 40% of whatever they charge here, takes a week to reach (as opposed to the dealers 3 weeks minimum) and I honestly prefer to not give the dealership my money anymote

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Alpha X

Well-Known Member
Messages
409
Location
The Motor City
I recently replaced mine and always try to use GM / OE / AC Delco parts when possible. I find that they are worth the extra money in most cases. Got mine from Rock Auto.
 

Jeepwalker

Well-Known Member
Messages
857
Location
WI
AC Delco UCA here too. Two yrs ...so far so good. I'm convinced if a guy removed the upper ball joint from the knuckle and rotated it in a circle, while pressing on the boot (once a year), it would work grease into the ball and extend the life. I did that last year before I did an alignment. Part of what seems to occur is the ball eventually gets dry and grease becomes 'cakey' ...or the ball gets rusty, and 'catches on' and tears the nylon seat, or the ball becomes rough and abraids the nylon seat. So the key is to keep things lubed at the point of the ball and nylon seat.

It's easy to remove the upper ball joint from the knuckle and rotate it (simultaniously squeezing the boot to press new grease into the nylon), but the trick is to get the b/j re-installed at the 'exact' same point as before. If ya don't, it goofs up the steering tow a little. Resetting your tow is easy but it's another step.

Of course, 'real' quality ball joints would have prevented the problem in the first place!

Has anyone tried to machine out the aluminum UCA to receive a traditional press-in ball joint? (the press-in style)

https://www.carid.com/mazda-3-ball-joints/
 
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alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,442
Location
Scottsdale
I've had good luck with AC Delco upper control arms. Plus when we put them in, Reloader likes to tap them and insert a zerk fitting in the top to be able to lube them up. I've not had a ball joint fail (even before the zerk trick) but it's always the bushings. I tend to get 3-5 years out of the bushings.
 

atvspeed4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,173
Location
massachusetts
We used to have good luck with Moog UCA but something changed a couple years ago and they have been junk since. We stopped using them on our fleet entirely. For us its always the nylon socket that the ball sits in that wears out or gets dented from potholes impact. I would go OEM for sure.
 

Lauren

Well-Known Member
Messages
127
Location
English in Dubai, UAE
First, I just want to thank all of you for your opinions and advice, I appreciate it so much!

So I've recently discovered that if I buy AC Delco here in Dubai, I will be receiving parts that are manufactured in Jebel Ali or Saudi which are not as strong as AC Delco which is manufactured in Mexico, Spain etc which is what I would receive when ordering from RockAuto!
That explains why my AC Delco arms lasted a year with literally one 10 min trip into the desert .... and let's face it, not much on the road either due to the pandemic! :(

I guess I'm going to spend a little more and go with GM OEM this time as I've got a 5% discount code for Rockauto hahaha! Need to get a new AC Compressor too as mine is knocking on Death's door
 

Lauren

Well-Known Member
Messages
127
Location
English in Dubai, UAE
Yea offcourse rockauto. We have a super crappy dealer here, they barely keep stock, order everything from the UAE dealer whwn you want something (after outting a down payment) and sell at a 300% markeup of the list price on Rockauto.
Even after paying the big shipping cost from thr USA, im still at 40% of whatever they charge here, takes a week to reach (as opposed to the dealers 3 weeks minimum) and I honestly prefer to not give the dealership my money anymote

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Same here! There's a place here who are supposed to be suppliers of GM & AC Delco.. and they suck! they never have anything in stock.. and if you ask them to order they say no :/
But if I do manage to find the part here, I have the same experience as you, the part costs waaaay more than if I ordered from RockAuto and paid the shipping cost.

RockAuto has pretty much been my go to place now ever since you introduced it to me, which by the way, I will be forever grateful for!! Thank you!
 

Jeepwalker

Well-Known Member
Messages
857
Location
WI
If I had to take a guess, (again it's just a hunch), is the lower-priced control arms skip some steps to save money (or don't have as good of equipment) and aren't able to polish the ball (on the stud) as well. It needs to be mirror-smooth with virtually no imperfections to last. Thats how the Delco's are -- mirror polished. Otherwise a rough stud ball will tear up the nylon seat prematurely. Delco probably demands better machining and quality control. Higher standards and people who (actually) perform quality control make a big difference.

[Edited for clarification]
 
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amrg

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,317
Location
Qatar
Thats terrible news. Third party remanufactured ac delcos or is there an ac delco facility there?

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