[b]If the OEM gets arts are so great, why am I replacing them?[b/]
Sometimes OEM makes sense. Many times it does not.
My wife has 130k on OEM Honda brake pads. An aftermarket set will last her about two oil changes.
An OEM fuel injector for my Tacoma was going to be about $300. The $50 one from eBay squirts fuel just fine.
Somehow I got by without phone support both times.
Indeed. Sometimes OEM is the way to go, sometimes not so much.
Last time I replaced a tie rod on my wife's car, I looked at the dealer's and the local NAPA's offerings. The aftermarket part from NAPA I chose was superior. Thicker steel and a grease zerk. Not even close. Also, it was cheaper than the OEM part from the dealer.
If I wanted to cheap out, I would have gone to Rock Auto and gotten the cheapest replacement. I generally don;t go with the cheapest part for my autos, as we keep them a long time. Wife's car just turned over 200k miles and we have owned it from new.
Last, BRING BACK THE GREASE ZERKS on automobiles.
