# Meyle HD parts quality?



## 419nickd (Sep 21, 2011)

Just wondering what other people have noticed about that brand. I've noticed that compared to Lemforder, everything seems cheaper and lower quality. For example, the original sway bar links were Lemforder and had zinc plated ball joint studs. Those went bad after 10 years. The Meyle HD parts went bad after 2 years. The original control/thrust arms all had zinc plating on the ball joint studs as well and the Meyle HD parts do not. This makes for much more difficult replacement if they ever go bad. 

I replaced the rear subframe bushings in my e39 wagon last year with Meyley HD parts. The originals were shot for sure. But now I have the same "bounce" in the back again, every time I stop after ONE year (and yes, I know they are directional and I've checked and they are installed correctly). I've replaced all the bushings in the front at some point, and many in the back with Meyle HD parts. The handling is as imprecise as ever and I'm quite disappointed.

I've also noticed that although they stamp "GERMANY" on all their packaging, they do not say "Made in Germany". I guess most of their parts are boxed in Germany and appear to be made in Turkey or China. That would be fine if they were at least decent quality. Maybe I've received counterfeit parts or something, but that would seem like horrendously bad luck for that to happen as I've purchased at many different times from different sellers. 

Any thoughts?


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## Wgosma (Sep 28, 2009)

Here is a statement I received from a U.S. parts house when I inquired about thrust arms for my E39:

Gareth Foley (FCP Euro) 

Jan 14, 11:50 AM 


Hello Bill,

Thank you for the inquiry. Lemforder and Meyle HD vary in two significant ways. For one, Lemforder is an OE supplier to BMW and Meyle is an aftermarket parts company. Lemforder uses the original designed as specified by BMW which includes hydrobearing inner bushings and a plastic encapsulated outer ball joint. This design is ideal for comfort but not ideal for longevity or durability. The Meyle HD thrust arm on the other hand uses a solid inner rubber bushing which is significantly more durable than the OE hydrobearing while not sacrificing any type of ride quality. Additionally, the outer ball joint is 100% steel which removes another common failure point on these arms. When I had my E39 it was lowered on coilovers and I had other suspension modifications as well. I chose Meyle HD for the thrust arms for my purposes and was beyond pleased with their durability. I also used Meyle for the other control arms as well without any problems. The lower wishbones in the front had close to 80K miles on them by the time I sold my car earlier this fall. Really, the option comes down to whether you want original equipment or want to go with what has proven to be a more reliable option. I'm sure their is some ride degradation because of the solid rubber bushing but I was never able to tell with the other modifications I already had. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Regards,

Gareth Foley

BMW Catalog Manager

FCP Euro
Quality & Service, Guaranteed for Life
155 Hill Street, Milford, CT 06460


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## fcpeuro (Aug 13, 2009)

Wgosma said:


> Here is a statement I received from a U.S. parts house when I inquired about thrust arms for my E39:
> 
> Gareth Foley (FCP Euro)
> 
> ...


:thumbup:


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## fcpeuro (Aug 13, 2009)

419nickd said:


> Just wondering what other people have noticed about that brand. I've noticed that compared to Lemforder, everything seems cheaper and lower quality. For example, the original sway bar links were Lemforder and had zinc plated ball joint studs. Those went bad after 10 years. The Meyle HD parts went bad after 2 years. The original control/thrust arms all had zinc plating on the ball joint studs as well and the Meyle HD parts do not. This makes for much more difficult replacement if they ever go bad.
> 
> I replaced the rear subframe bushings in my e39 wagon last year with Meyley HD parts. The originals were shot for sure. But now I have the same "bounce" in the back again, every time I stop after ONE year (and yes, I know they are directional and I've checked and they are installed correctly). I've replaced all the bushings in the front at some point, and many in the back with Meyle HD parts. The handling is as imprecise as ever and I'm quite disappointed.
> 
> ...


We do see some Meyle components fail from time to time. But no more or no less than we see Lemforder/TRW parts come back on warranty. It's a little odd that you had thrust arms wore out that quickly. Where did the failure occur (bushing or ball joint). Also, in regards to the subframe mounts that is also odd. Where did you order these parts from?


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## 419nickd (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks for the replies guys! 

It was the swaybar links that went bad so quickly and the control/thrust arms haven't gone bad yet. The ball joint studs and "caps" on the other side are just very rusty after a short time.

Yes, I agree it's strange to see the return of the "e39 bounce" (when stopping) in the car so quickly after replacing the rear subframe bushings last summer. The shocks are Bilsteins and only 2 years old. 

I currently live in the north of Sweden and it's particularly hard to locally get reasonable prices on BMW parts. I end up ordering on online retailers or eBay because you can get them from Germany cheaply. I bought many of the parts from a Danish company called Schmiedmann. They seem reputable. 

I'm particularly annoyed with the subframe bushings. They are expensive and I had to buy that really expensive tool to install them. As far as I can see, I can't imagine what else could cause the "bounce" other those bushings, if shocks/struts are new and there are no other obvious bad bushings. The bounce was gone after they were replaced. But now I see it's back.

It seems like from what everyone here and elsewhere says, the Meyle parts should be good quality. I guess I'm surprised that the original parts have infinitely better anti-corrosion coatings (after just one year, the Meyle tie rods had no rust protection at all and are more rusty than the rust-free 16 year old ones I replaced). Same thing with all the ball joint studs. If those ever have to come off, they will not be easy to remove.


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## rbelton (Aug 25, 2015)

Did you torque down the bolts that go through the bushings when the car was on the ground or suspension under load? If you torque the bolts while the car is hanging in the air, the bushings will tear or get damaged as soon as the car is lowered back down onto the ground. I've seen this so many times even from shops who did repairs on friend's BMW's. This is a common reason the arms go bad again within a year.

As for the Meyle discussion I'm sure they're fine and economical for most short term repairs. I personally don't agree with all of the "Germany" branding and German language text stamped over everything, with very small font "Made in China" on the packaging. But this is a global economy, capitalism is king and I get it.

That being said I've learned my lesson over the years using cheap parts and doing a repair job twice. I use Lemforder for all of my cars now simply to avoid wasting time of doing a job twice.


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## 419nickd (Sep 21, 2011)

Yes, they were torqued down with the weight on the car. But those didn't fail as far as I can see, it's the rear subframe bushings that have the "bounce" again (though I suppose it's possible some other bushings cause that). It's also the rust and corrosion on all the steel components of the Meyle parts that I find really disappointing. 

I figure the Lemforder parts (assuming all the OE parts are from them) lasted 10-15 years, so maybe I should just stick with them. It's just unfortunate the Meyle HD parts are often half the price and it's just impossible to say which ones will last a long time. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. I just hope their quality control is good enough to not cause safety concerns! It's too late for me now, since almost everything is Meyle now.


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## zibawala (May 1, 2006)

I am pulling my hair after my 5K built in Miele coffee maker quitting again after 20 repairs and company giving me run around and not facilitating this lemon replacement as promised. So bad German engineering and lousy unreliable, unsatisfactory customer service.


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