Cheap suspension parts - advice please
Discussion
Hi, does anyone have any experience with the cheap suspension kits you can usually get from eBay or Amazon for around £170 or so. I'm talking about the ones that include all suspension arms, drop links, tie rods, etc all comprised in one package. No doubt they are of the finest Chinese quality, and I am not kidding myself that they are even close to OEM quality. But, as my car is a 20 years old shed and I am hoping to keep it for another couple of years, the price of those suspension sets seems pretty tempting. The reason I need to replace the parts is that the bushes has seen better days. The car is in daily use, but I only cover about 6,000 miles per year. My question is this: is it a good idea to get one of those sets hoping that the parts will last about 2 years, or am I being too optimistic and it will be all worn out after 6 months or so? Anyone tried one of these before?
Marcin1984 said:
Hi, does anyone have any experience with the cheap suspension kits you can usually get from eBay or Amazon for around £170 or so. I'm talking about the ones that include all suspension arms, drop links, tie rods, etc all comprised in one package. No doubt they are of the finest Chinese quality, and I am not kidding myself that they are even close to OEM quality. But, as my car is a 20 years old shed and I am hoping to keep it for another couple of years, the price of those suspension sets seems pretty tempting. The reason I need to replace the parts is that the bushes has seen better days. The car is in daily use, but I only cover about 6,000 miles per year. My question is this: is it a good idea to get one of those sets hoping that the parts will last about 2 years, or am I being too optimistic and it will be all worn out after 6 months or so? Anyone tried one of these before?
My experience of cheap suspension components is that they don't last long. Maybe they will last 12K miles but definitely not worth the risk if paying someone else to fit or you value your time. OP, what car is it? That might help people offer suggestions.
Also, will you be doing the work yourself, or paying a garage to do it as this can make a big difference too.
And finally, do you know which bushes are worn out? If it only needs to last another 12k miles it might be better just replacing those?
Also, will you be doing the work yourself, or paying a garage to do it as this can make a big difference too.
And finally, do you know which bushes are worn out? If it only needs to last another 12k miles it might be better just replacing those?
Personally I would avoid them for two reasons.
The first relates to the metal bits. It's not difficult to expensive to make decent quality metal suspension links, but it's cheaper to make poor quality ones and if they fail, you'll end up in a hedge or a wall.
The second relates to the bushes. Whilst cheap bushes aren't really dangerous they are often overly hard which can make the car unbearably crashy and loud.
That's not to say there's anything wrong with aftermarket suspension components, they're often better and cheaper than OEM, but I'm be suspicious of the stuff which is almost unbelievably cheap. I'd expect a "full link and bush kit" such as you describe to have a four-figure price tag not a three-figure one if it's worth using. At £170 for a whole set, you're probably better off sticking with your worn out original components.
The first relates to the metal bits. It's not difficult to expensive to make decent quality metal suspension links, but it's cheaper to make poor quality ones and if they fail, you'll end up in a hedge or a wall.
The second relates to the bushes. Whilst cheap bushes aren't really dangerous they are often overly hard which can make the car unbearably crashy and loud.
That's not to say there's anything wrong with aftermarket suspension components, they're often better and cheaper than OEM, but I'm be suspicious of the stuff which is almost unbelievably cheap. I'd expect a "full link and bush kit" such as you describe to have a four-figure price tag not a three-figure one if it's worth using. At £170 for a whole set, you're probably better off sticking with your worn out original components.
Edited by kambites on Friday 1st August 14:53
Thanks for your replies. The car in question is a 2005 Audi A6 (C6). I want to keep it for another couple of years or so. Just to clarify the suspension kit I was referring to was for front suspension only. The Audi set up is made of four control arms per corner. The two top ones definitely have worn out bushes, as do the drop links. The bottom arms bushes are also not in the best condition, although perhaps not as bad as the top ones. The plan was to do the work myself.
On my old E39 I had to replace from arms at around 110k. I bought cheap no name arms rather than the expensive OEM spec Lemforder items and within a year or so had to replace them again
I will never buy cheap suspension parts again, it's false economy. Brands such as Lemforder, TRW, Meyle etc should be fine IF bought from a trustworthy source
For something like an Audi I'd look at OEM brands from Autodoc
The old adage of 'you get what you pay for' is as true as ever
I will never buy cheap suspension parts again, it's false economy. Brands such as Lemforder, TRW, Meyle etc should be fine IF bought from a trustworthy source
For something like an Audi I'd look at OEM brands from Autodoc
The old adage of 'you get what you pay for' is as true as ever
When you look on ebay & see kits for £180 then the same kit from Febi at over double that, I think you know the answer to that.
If price is such an issue for you why not just do it by replacing the worst parts this year, then do the same again next year using decent parts?
ETA
This kit from Parts in Motion is currently £347 & an additional 20% off making it pretty good value if this is the right one.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/317084914442?fits=Car+M...
If price is such an issue for you why not just do it by replacing the worst parts this year, then do the same again next year using decent parts?
ETA
This kit from Parts in Motion is currently £347 & an additional 20% off making it pretty good value if this is the right one.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/317084914442?fits=Car+M...
Edited by E-bmw on Saturday 2nd August 08:08
E-bmw said:
When you look on ebay & see kits for £180 then the same kit from Febi at over double that, I think you know the answer to that.
If price is such an issue for you why not just do it by replacing the worst parts this year, then do the same again next year using decent parts?
ETA
This kit from Parts in Motion is currently £347 & an additional 20% off making it pretty good value if this is the right one.
Thanks, it looks good. This particular kit you found is for a 2.0 and mine has a different engine, so will need to check if the parts are actually the same (visually they seem very similar). If price is such an issue for you why not just do it by replacing the worst parts this year, then do the same again next year using decent parts?
ETA
This kit from Parts in Motion is currently £347 & an additional 20% off making it pretty good value if this is the right one.
Edited by E-bmw on Saturday 2nd August 08:08
I could just do the bushes, but there are also ball joints on some of the arms which are also not in the best condition which is why I was thinking of replacing the whole part rather than just bushes.
I'll think about it some more, but it sounds like maybe spending a little bit more money may be a good idea.
Thank you all for your responses.
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