One of the most common misconceptions people have is an aftermarket greaseable part will outlast an original equipment type factory lubed part. While theoretically this should be true, in most cases it is not. In fact, since I entered this business in the 1970's, I have seen countless examples of factory lubed parts outlasting greaseable components by as much as a 5:1 margin. There are several reasons why this is true. One is quality, very few aftermarket suppliers build components to anywhere close to original equipment standards. Today, the vast majority of the ball joints and u-joints being sold by parts stores are made in Asia with the primary emphasis on price and not quality or durability. These offshore components do not have to meet ANY Federal motor vehicle safety standards.

The other big reason factory lubed parts generally outlast greaseable parts is customer maintenance. The the best quality greaseable component is only as a good as the maintenance it gets. Greaseable parts should be lubed 3000 miles or every 4 months which ever is sooner), or after every submersion. Only top quality, water resistant synthetic NLGI-2 grease should be used. Today, very few people perform maintenance anywhere close to this standard. Even if they do, there is another problem. In most cases, the upper ball joint can not be greased unless the axle shaft is removed due to space restrictions.

In our shop, we always install factory lubed ball joints unless the customer has a solid preventative maintenance program and/or the front axle is regularly submerged in irrigation ditches or creeks. For those of you in this category, we offer first class, American made greaseable ball joints and universal joints for many applications.