Quickly deteriorating tie rod boots ??

[dsmyth]

These lasted only one summer season?? They were the Lemfoerder ones. Anyone else experience this? The rubber is completely deteriorated and falling in pieces if you touch them. I know they are not expensive but I think I will need a realignment after replacement? . Doug

[Mr9146]

I've seen that happen a bunch of times.

Were they Lemfoerder boots?

I know "off brand" stuff falls apart quickly, but the Lemfoerder stuff seems to last much better.

[Wayne 962]

Nope, definitely not the Lemfoerder boots. These are clearly the aftermarket ones that our competitors sell all the time, but that we refuse to carry because they are inferior. It looks like one of our competitors is selling these fakes as the real deal. I checked your order history - I didn't see an order from us for the boots.

I see this all the time. People complain that the competition is selling Genuine Lemfoerder parts at prices that are below what I can buy them for. How do they do that? Easy - it isn't the real stuff. You don't find out until it's a year later and the stuff falls apart. Here at Pelican, I approve all warranty claims and returns on a weekly basis (I like to see what's coming back and why). The parts we sell are very, very high quality (unless specifically marked by our staff), and we get very few returns for quality / warranty issues. It's one of the reasons why we have so many repeat customers keep coming back - they know what they get from Pelican is the real deal, and the good quality stuff!

-Wayne

[dsmyth]

Your right Wayne ! These were sold to me by somebody else who said they were Lamfoerder. I posted the pictures believing they were Lamfoerder and should have made it clear that you did not supply them. Sorry about that. I have been buying more of my parts here recently and its a good reason to keep giving Pelican more of of my business. After looking at the bill it was actually two years ago but they still should not have deteriorated to this extent. They have the consistency of wet paper. Doug

[Wayne 962]

No worries. As I mentioned previously, I see it quite commonly. One of our larger competitors likes to sell parts with no brand names attached, and I know that they are using the cheapo boots coupled with some other higher quality parts to make a "discount kit". Trouble is, they don't tell you that (we ordered a set incognito to compare after people were saying they were very low priced).

Thx,

Wayne

[kuehl]

The 'rubber' can fail for several reasons, excessive fatigue, you are suddenly in a high ozone area (much like the twilight zone), you ran across a puddle containing run off from an American Idol try-out tour. More commonly the failure is due to either an incorrect portion or mix in making the 'rubber' compound, or an incorrect vulcanization process (not) controlled by the manufacturer.

The OEM sources (mentioned in this thread) tend to manage their suppliers better than some aftermarket sources, meaning they use a manufacturer whom has consistent quality practices.

There are some aftermarket products, such as CV and tie rod boots, which have equal or better qualities than the original, example: they use a polymer (think plastic vs. 'rubber') material. Personally I have used and marketed these types of materials with much success however it requires research and effort to monitor.

As the Host pointed out, sometimes you get what you pay for and hindsight prior to making the purchase is forgotten: "it's not worth saving a penny that costs you a dollar in the long run".

I come to Pelican to make purchases from time to time because they have what I need: what they advertise is what you get, and its enjoyable doing business here.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by dsmyth

Your right Wayne ! These were sold to me by somebody else who said they were Lamfoerder. ...

It is called Mail Fraud - I would contact the US DOJ and your state consumer protection agency (often a unit of the Attorney General's office). It is time to put an end to this crap.

- (assuming it was not a private party)

they are no doubt Chinese (not that the Chinese cannot produce quality parts if you ask them to do so)

Yet another reason not to chase the lowest buck seller...

[kuehl]

Lemforder usually places their logo on their components,
typically a triangle, it may even have "ZF" alongside.
Maybe the host has something posted somewhere.

You could look at the part to see if there is a logo,
or name, or part number which might help you
in researching the source.