# OEM parts vs after market **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** corolla, toyota\ **Created:** [February 18, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500 "2011-02-18T15:29:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don1947](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@Don1947](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Don1947)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/1 "2011-02-18T15:29:50Z")
What is the best brand name for wheel bearings? Some of them are junk. I’ve had 3 sets of front wheel bearings fail after only a few hundred miles. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/2 "2011-02-18T15:33:49Z")
TRW or Moog… ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/3 "2011-02-18T15:41:32Z")
I once had repeated wheel bearing failure that was just due to improper installation. This was when I learned do wheel bearings - I wasn’t the one who kept installing them incorrectly. One part of correct installation involves new seals. Another is following whatever procedure is required to properly seat them and then leave them with the right tension on them (which is almost none). If you’re talking about sealed hub bearings (which the corolla might have, I don’t actually know), then you are looking at bad dust seals and/or bad parts - or some other kind of problem in the front end such a suspension issue that is have a bad impact on the bearings. ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/4 "2011-02-18T16:10:16Z")
Better if you state the brand that is failing on you. ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/5 "2011-02-18T16:31:46Z")
If the bearings are not sealed they must be hand packed in bearing grease or they will fail. It’s a common mistake with DIYers. ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/6 "2011-02-18T16:36:47Z")
Right on. That should have been in my notes about proper bearing installation - took it as too obvious but maybe its not! ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/7 "2011-02-18T16:56:07Z")
Another thing easy to skip is replacing the races, take a bit more work, but is necessary. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/8 "2011-02-18T17:21:39Z")
Repeated failures generally point to an installer problem rather than a parts failure. These bearings should be sealed one-piece units but it would help to know the year model of the car and what brand of bearing was purchased. ---
**Author:** ![Honda-Blackbird](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/honda-blackbird/32/3159_2.png) [@Honda-Blackbird](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Honda-Blackbird)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/9 "2011-02-18T20:34:33Z")
Im betting its installer based failure…You need to know what you are doing when pressing bearings into the hub…and the idiots that press on the center race to install them just ruined a perfectly good bearing during install…happens all the time. The installer needs to use or put force on the outer edge of the bearing carrier to install them…any other method will JUNK your new bearings. I havent seen any bearing failures after installing new…I dont think ever… I have seen other installers have issues and didnt study how they put them in but…I can pretty much guarantee you they didnt do them right. Bearings are made to some pretty tight specs…I doubt that they would get out the door if they had an inherent issue… ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/10 "2011-02-18T21:22:56Z")
Some installers are also of the opinion that a “press” is a 5 pound sledge and a large socket. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/11 "2011-02-18T21:34:06Z")
Absolutely - I was taught that you had to go the 10 lb sledge minimum 😉 ---
**Author:** ![meaneyedcatz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/meaneyedcatz/32/692_2.png) [@meaneyedcatz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/meaneyedcatz)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oem-parts-vs-after-market/61500/12 "2011-02-19T02:01:20Z")
Moog is better than OEM