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      03-20-2023, 11:40 PM   #1
Leucosticte
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Meyle vs Lemforder tie rods?

So I'm doing a front end refresh on my car and I noticed that there was a pretty price gap between Meyle tie rods and Lemforder ones. Lemforder is double the price of Meyle. Does anyone have any suggestions with which one I should go with? I have to say the Meyle tie rods are tempting due to the much lower price.

Lemforder:
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...er-32106793622
Meyle:
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...32106793622kt1
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      03-20-2023, 11:57 PM   #2
mainbearing
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I would use Lemforder.

Lemforder is a ZF aftermarket brand, and ZF was bought up by TRW. Check out the closeout deals on Rock Auto. Outer TRW tie rods $32/ea, inner $34/ea. Down side is 30 day warranty and still $154+shipping, where as with FCP you get lifetime and free shipping I think?

tie rod ends:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...e+rod+end,7428

Rein bellows $11/ea.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...=11362&jsn=450
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      03-21-2023, 12:27 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mainbearing View Post
I would use Lemforder.

Lemforder is a ZF aftermarket brand, and ZF was bought up by TRW. Check out the closeout deals on Rock Auto. Outer TRW tie rods $32/ea, inner $34/ea. Down side is 30 day warranty and still $154+shipping, where as with FCP you get lifetime and free shipping I think?

tie rod ends:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...e+rod+end,7428

Rein bellows $11/ea.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...=11362&jsn=450
That's good to know, didn't realize that TRW was the same as ZF.

Is there any reason for replacing just the outer tie rod where the ball joint is vs replacing the inner tie rod? Sorry if this is a stupid question, I just haven't done much suspension work on my car.
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      03-21-2023, 12:39 AM   #4
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I was just looking into this exact discussion earlier today as I'm getting ready to replace control arms and want to do tie rods too. Lemforder are only more expensive from FCP. All the other retailers have the Lemforder and Meyle HD priced nearly the same. I read some old posts on this forum that suggested the Meyle don't last as long but those claims don't have much to back them up. Either are well known brands.

As to replacing the outer assembly or both inner and outer, it depends. In my experience on Hondas the outer joints wore out faster because the boots cracked and allowed dirt inside. I haven't seen cracked boots on either of my E90s and even with 200K+ miles on my 325 I didn't notice any significant difference after replacing tie rods. I'm about to do the 330 tie rods because I'm finally getting around to installing the M3 arms that I've had for over a year and I'll need an alignment, so I'm going to replace the complete tie rod assemblies too.
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      03-21-2023, 02:58 AM   #5
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^yup about cheaper brands and rubber quality, the oe outer are pretty robust, the inner tend to develop a tiny bit of play over time . i would use lem oe inner tie rods and reuse everything else depending on budget and mileage
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      03-21-2023, 05:25 AM   #6
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IMO; TRW (OE on my car, and had the M logo ground off from the M3 arms I bought) > Lemforder (OE for many things) > Febi (a brand I generally trust, and OE for some parts) > Meyle > etc...
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      03-21-2023, 10:44 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 335i54n View Post
^yup about cheaper brands and rubber quality, the oe outer are pretty robust, the inner tend to develop a tiny bit of play over time . i would use lem oe inner tie rods and reuse everything else depending on budget and mileage
I'm surprised the outer tie rod holds up compared to the inner one, considering that's where the ball joint is... Unless I have something mixed up? Lol.
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      03-21-2023, 11:14 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Leucosticte View Post
I'm surprised the outer tie rod holds up compared to the inner one, considering that's where the ball joint is... Unless I have something mixed up? Lol.
I’ve got some brand-new inners that I don’t need LOL

I would go Lem bellows from FCP. They may be same as Rein (which is often OE sold under Rein name, in my experience) but they are cheaper and LRG
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      03-21-2023, 11:19 AM   #9
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Lemforder all day. Meyle stuff is all made in China and they only make aftermarket stuff.

Rockauto is a great source if you aren't wanting the lifetime warranty, like the above poster mentioned.
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      03-21-2023, 12:55 PM   #10
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Be careful with some Lemforder parts now. They moved a lot of production to China and Taiwan with a corresponding decrease in quality. Unfortunately a common trend with aging platforms.
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      03-21-2023, 04:21 PM   #11
mainbearing
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What was the reason for replacing them in the first place?

As others said, the outer dust boots can tear and cause the joint to wear and fail. The inner has a ball joint as well, that is how it articulates the suspension movements. That inner joint can become loose from age and use.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Leucosticte View Post
That's good to know, didn't realize that TRW was the same as ZF.

Is there any reason for replacing just the outer tie rod where the ball joint is vs replacing the inner tie rod? Sorry if this is a stupid question, I just haven't done much suspension work on my car.
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      03-21-2023, 05:38 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mainbearing View Post
What was the reason for replacing them in the first place?

As others said, the outer dust boots can tear and cause the joint to wear and fail. The inner has a ball joint as well, that is how it articulates the suspension movements. That inner joint can become loose from age and use.

There's no particular reason. But my front struts are making horrible noises and I need to replace them. I need an alignment afterwards so I figured I might as well replace everything while I'm in there so I don't have to worry about it ever again.
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      03-21-2023, 06:50 PM   #13
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Lemforder then.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Leucosticte View Post
There's no particular reason. But my front struts are making horrible noises and I need to replace them. I need an alignment afterwards so I figured I might as well replace everything while I'm in there so I don't have to worry about it ever again.
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      03-21-2023, 06:57 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mainbearing View Post
I would use Lemforder.

Lemforder is a ZF aftermarket brand, and ZF was bought up by TRW. Check out the closeout deals on Rock Auto. Outer TRW tie rods $32/ea, inner $34/ea. Down side is 30 day warranty and still $154+shipping, where as with FCP you get lifetime and free shipping I think?

tie rod ends:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...e+rod+end,7428

Rein bellows $11/ea.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...=11362&jsn=450
Actually is the other way around, ZF bought TRW.
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      03-21-2023, 07:27 PM   #15
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Slightly OT, but another data point: I just re-did the front end on our GL, and used a mixture of Lemforder and Delphi parts. I noticed that all the different were made in Turkey, and I very much suspect from the same production facility. Just trying to confuse everything for everyone, all the time!

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      03-22-2023, 08:49 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StradaRedlands View Post
Slightly OT, but another data point: I just re-did the front end on our GL, and used a mixture of Lemforder and Delphi parts. I noticed that all the different were made in Turkey, and I very much suspect from the same production facility. Just trying to confuse everything for everyone, all the time!

Yeah I also noticed that there's quite a bit of stuff being made in Turkey. FCPs site says that the Lemforder components I'm looking at are made in Germany which is reassuring.

I guess I'll go with TRW tie rod ends then, and then try to pick up e90yyc's inner tie rods. The price on RockAuto is pretty decent.
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      03-23-2023, 03:02 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Leucosticte View Post
Yeah I also noticed that there's quite a bit of stuff being made in Turkey. FCPs site says that the Lemforder components I'm looking at are made in Germany which is reassuring.

I guess I'll go with TRW tie rod ends then, and then try to pick up e90yyc's inner tie rods. The price on RockAuto is pretty decent.
I may try the TRW tie rods if they're still on closeout, though I'm wary of Rock Auto wholesale closeout items. I ordered an accessory belt tensioner for one of my other cars that was a wholesale closeout and it was a used part that someone had returned. On second thought I may just go with Lemforder. The only Lemforder part I didn't like were the strut mounts with cracked bearing races which they claim are "normal."

The M3 arms from TRW look excellent. When I ordered the tie rods, I ordered TRW parts and FCP sent me one TRW arm and one OE BMW arm with the M logo intact (also had the TRW logo) however it looks like the BMW part was from a much older casting as the seams and the text was much smoother. Either that or BMW polished them after casting, but it just looks like they used a newer mold.

Speaking of Delphi, I installed Delphi thrust arms on my 325i because they were cheap and nearly 4 years and 45K miles later they are holding up great.
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      03-24-2023, 01:58 AM   #18
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+1 be aware of the Rock closeout deals, as some of the boxes I received were old looking. But that was what Rock said they might be. That said I have not gotten returned old parts, fingers crossed.

As far as the risk of getting less than perfect "closeout" parts, given the little price difference, maybe just get Lemforder from other sellers, such as RM European if not FCP.

The less than perfect boxes reminded me of some that FCP sent. Made me wonder where FCP sourced their stuff. If FCP worked out for you by all means, I just buy from others.
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