Where to get good quality tie rod ends

I put new struts, ball joints and control arm bushings in the B4V this weekend. The only thing I forgot was do get tie rod ends, so I didn't have everything done to get the alignment done. I was kicking myself for failing to get all needed components, but then I saw this morning that the reason I had not ordered the tie rod ends was because all of the online vendors I use for TDI parts carried either no ends or cheap ones such as Meyle.

Where can I get better quality tie rod ends?


As far as I know, the tie rods are original with 250K miles on them. No play in the ends, but the boots don't look good, although they are not broken. I'd rather leave them on than put on poor quality parts. What is the longest you have had original tie rods last?

Revkev bought some B4 tie rod ends (inner/outer) from NAPA that are made it Italy and not the Meyle junk. I don't remember the brand offhand, but I was impressed with them so much I'm ordering a set.

I can get part numbers if you need them.

Part numbers would be great. I have a NAPA locally. thanks

I'll get them from revkev tonight and will post back. There are 3 listed on NAPA's website and one is Meyle, so that leaves two possibles, but I don't remember which one it is.

Good call avoiding the Meyle, even if it is sold by reputable vendors.

The last set I put on the Passat was TRW. ~7k miles and no issues. Of course, they were installed as a set, with the inner tie rod.

FYI...Check your right inner tie rod. I bought Meyle back in 2008, when I first rebuild the front suspension. It lasted for ~60k miles. The ball-socket joint on the inner tie rod had about 0.025" gap in it.

Tony

TonyJetta said:

FYI...Check your right inner tie rod. I bought Meyle back in 2008, when I first rebuild the front suspension. It lasted for ~60k miles. The ball-socket joint on the inner tie rod had about 0.025" gap in it.

Tony

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I checked the inner on the left side and noticed no play. Other than looking like it had some age on it, it was in good condition. I am just doing a general replacement of old items regarding steering & suspension and these were on the list. The only items that were known to be worn out were the struts and LCA bushings, both of which were replaced this weekend.

I am leaning toward leaving the current tie rods in until there is an actual problem with them. They obviously are quality components. It is only the boots that show their age - none have broken yet and may not for another year or two.

I was going to replace the boots over the inner this weekend but couldn't find a good way to get in to cut the strap holding the old boot on, so didn't do it. I did this on my previous B4 and don't recall it being a real PITA, but apparently I have forgotten what tool I used, because it sure looks like a PITA now.

Revkev said the NAPA part number for the inner is 2695527, but he would have to look for the outers. It is an Ocap product, #0600216.

I see one of the good vendors has some Febi/Bilstein or Lemförder, not sure if you can choose or not. Are these good?

Be aware that many Febi/Bilstein parts are now made in China. I'm not saying they are poor quality, but just warning you that many are no longer European made.

I just took a look at Riverside VW and saw they have complete units for about $66 each. These are OE VW parts. My OE lasted about 146K miles. Would I be smart to replace them with OE?

79TA7.6 said:

I just took a look at Riverside VW and saw they have complete units for about $66 each. These are OE VW parts. My OE lasted about 146K miles. Would I be smart to replace them with OE?

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That is pretty cheap. If you are confident of the quality, I would get them.

timsch said:

That is pretty cheap. If you are confident of the quality, I would get them.

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The only reason I say they are OE is because of the originator in this thread.

79TA7.6 said:

I see one of the good vendors has some Febi/Bilstein or Lemförder, not sure if you can choose or not. Are these good?

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which vendor is that?

It is BoraParts. Why do you ask? If these are good quality I would rather give him my money. He has saved my bacon more times than I can count. There is a $20 difference from Aaron's to the dealer I posted.

They may be OEM, but that doesn't mean they are the same quality as what came on your car. Febi, as mentioned, is now making parts in china. I believe many other 'OEM' parts suppliers are doing the same. These *may* be of the same quality as the original parts, or they may not- I'm not qualified to say one way or the other.

But what I am saying, is that 'OEM' doesn't always mean what it used to. If company A made a part for your car originally in Europe, USA, or South America, and now makes it in China or elsewhere, it is still considered OEM.

Lastly, $66 bucks is only a good price if you need the whole assembly, and it is actually of decent quality. My guess is at that price, for a whole assembly, it is chinese. Most people only need the ends, though, which are a lot less expensive.

Well, I need the inner for sure. I figure that since I have to remove the outer in order to get the inner off I might as well replace it. My luck is that if I did not it would fail within miles of having it off.

As for the OEM, this is direct from a dealer and still is stamped VW. Are you saying that it could still be made in china? Not being a smartass, just asking for clarification.

I can't say where a part direct from a VW dealer, stamped VW may have been made. It could still be made in china, or anywhere else in the world, really. You can't know until you see what the box says. I have little doubt VW is sourcing parts from china now, possibly even for new car production.

I've recently bought parts from reputable sellers/sponsors, listed as OEM-Febi/bilstein. They were made in china. I've heard the same about other suppliers. If these are "OEM", then the dealers are almost definitely getting the same chinese parts. VW isn't typically making their own parts just for dealer distribution- they usually outsource production and relabel the product as VW. All of the parts I mention had VW part numbers on them, but not the VW logo.