eBay upper control arms?

[98civex]

Hi guys I'm wondering if the eBay suspension parts (no name that are sold as "kits") are any good?

My car is all stock only dropped on tien springs and my passenger side upper ball joint boot is ripped. Would putting on one of these control arms be a waste? Seeing them selling for $40 for both sides

 

[nd4sped]

Just remember you get what you pay for.

 

[98civex]

Just remember you get what you pay for.

True. What are some good brands to look for?

 

[mc360]

I have had no issues with my buddy club camber kit.

Hardrace
Buddy club
Skunk 2

 

[nd4sped]

True. What are some good brands to look for?

Look to the right in the "Popular Store Items". You will find known brands.

 

[HeX]

Hi guys I'm wondering if the eBay suspension parts (no name that are sold as "kits") are any good?

The general consensus is that their quality is not trusted. If they were' you would easily find plenty of threads indicating so and not against them.

My car is all stock only dropped on tien springs

Keep in mind that stock type struts are not supposed to be lowered and generally wont last longer than 2 or so years. Plan to install some quality struts.

Would putting on one of these control arms be a waste?

Yes. There is no need for changing them unless you're going all out with your suspension upgrading.

 

[98civex]

Thanks Hex but I wasn't looking to upgrade my control arms but more so replace damaged ones to equivalent oem quality

 

[HeX]

Thanks Hex but I wasn't looking to upgrade my control arms but more so replace damaged ones to equivalent oem quality

Ah. Well, I still don't trust them and rather spend a little more for a quality part if your drop is significant, or if its a decent drop then just go OEM and not have to worry about them for another 15 years.

 

[Intertwined]

i wouldnt go with the ebay ones unless you need a quick fix. Bare minimum would be Autozone/Advanced Auto parts.....And only reason for those is the lifetime warranty. Buy once and just get new when they go bad lol. Once youve got the job down pat it takes like 20 minutes per side max.

 

[buzzbombtom]

Look for struts made in Germany Japan USA. springs same deal, worlds of difference in quality.

 

[98civex]

i wouldnt go with the ebay ones unless you need a quick fix. Bare minimum would be Autozone/Advanced Auto parts.....And only reason for those is the lifetime warranty. Buy once and just get new when they go bad lol. Once youve got the job down pat it takes like 20 minutes per side max.

How often do suspension parts from those stores go bad? Even for stock set up replacements they don't hold up well?

 

[Intertwined]

the only part ive actually had to ever take back and replace were axles. shortest time was about 3 months before a replacement. longest was 5 years. (autozone & advanced auto both) but it didnt bother me because the damage was my fault for being hard on the car and its a 20 minute job to replace one.

 

[buzzbombtom]

most factory struts are 50-80k life span. aftermarket "race" parts typically have a shorter shelf life.

 

[XpL0d3r]

Side note, I had "dropzone" eBay coilovers, and they lasted longer than my Tein coilovers.... I'm a special case though.

As for eBay, just because it's on eBay, does not mean it's "eBay quality". eBay is place to sell parts, good or bad. As you can imagine, this is where the Chinese / 3rd party cheap parts companies have found their niche. As such, many parts sold on eBay are cheaply made, and eBay has a reputation within the parts world as being cheap because of this.

Before you buy something on eBay, determine the brand. If it has no brand name listed, my advice is to stay away. If you can find the brand of part, do your research on the brand/company. Do your research on that brand in correspondence to the part you need, in this case upper control arms. Chances are, you're not the first person to do this research, so you should be able to find out at least something.