Lemforder Parts Fail
 

These ball joints were purchased from FCP just over 2 years ago. The vehicle has probably seen 15K miles in that time. This is not normal. Has Lemforder quality slipped?

Attachment 83274

Attachment 83275

AM.

Just yesterday a very reputable source informed me that the quality has declined significantly. :dunno:


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

I decided to try meyle hd (sp) but the a deer killed that car. Spray at-205 on any rubber too greatly extend it's life.

I just replaced a failed Meyle control arm and ball joint with a Lemforder [emoji2369]. Only a few thousand miles on it.

New ≠ fixed

That Lemforder balljoint is made in Malaysia according to FCP...

Malaysia is not China, but its not Germany either.. Looks like whomever Lemforder sourced rubber from is not providing quality materials.

At least you have the FCP warranty.

Holy ….! That’s insane! I’ve had them be the most reliable brand for the x5 ever since I started messing about with them. But my bags do say zf Friedrichshafen. Maybe you guys are right and there are significant differences but I’m actually kinda shocked.
Also doesn’t fcp have this crazy warranty deal?

Lifetime parts warranty, although it’s still a hassle to change the part.

Fair enough but at least it’s something… maybe they can order the original ones? What about the state of the actual ball joint ? Still no play?

It makes you wonder if there isn't different grades of Lemforder or maybe counterfeits?

Lemforder Parts Fail
 

My impression from what I was told is that, the newer parts are not the same quality as the older parts. I would assume this is most likely due to a change in the manufacturer.


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

That's unfortunately true. For example you might get the same part as older stock Made in Germany or newer stock Made in China.

Are we to the point where we have to buy genuine BMW suspension parts to get decent quality? I'll warranty these through FCP, but none of the other aftermarket parts available are likely to be any better. I've had "meh" success with using Meyle years ago. I've never tried any Delphi suspension parts, but I've never run across anyone online raving about them being good. I'll probably just keep warrantying Lemforders through FCP, I guess.

AM.

Before you go and exchange parts. What about play on the bushing and the balljoint? Are they still firm? Cause if it’s only the cover of the balljoint then we can just exchange that for something else!
Could be really valuable info :)

That's a good thought. Much easier to just push on a new boot if you can source one

You're making a big assumption that Genuine BMW is going to be better. BMW may have some back stock of higher quality older parts that lasts longer than the third party supply chain, but when that runs out, they'll frequently just buy aftermarket quality "good enough" parts and slap the Genuine BMW sticker on them.

For esoteric parts, that back stock can go a long time. I bought an E30 M3 gauge a few years ago that had three decades of updated parts stickers on it. Yes, it was "Made in West Germany."

For common parts, though, like major gaskets and suspension items, that inventory doesn't last long at all. Which is why you'll see things like "Genuine BMW Victor Reinz" where they literally have slapped their label on trash.

Eh. I keep a stock of boots from https://www.balljointboots.co.uk

It's handy to keep them around, and when it comes to more rare or expensive balljoints, they've really saved my ass. But I'll always prefer to replace the whole thing if it's not expensive.

All manufacturing has declined in quality since Covid hit. The whole supply chain is garbage. Probably from lack of quality workers.

It hasn't helped, but the parts quality decline started long before COVID.

I had some OEM lower control arms. NOS hilariously 2009 dated.

The rubber failed in short order. We aint winning anymore. :(

Despite my FCP warranty, Lemforder is a shat show, but hey, not my money for the last 50k miles.