I'm about to do a complete front end rebuild of my '96 Bird and I ordered every part in Mevotech Supreme version from RockAuto.
All the correct parts were sent and are as expected, except one: the lower left arm.
What I received was a non-greasable, black boot version, sealed in plastic bag that doesn't have "MS" on the bag and the arm isn't embossed with "MS" like the right arm is.
It arrived in a Supreme box, so I figured somebody pulled a fast one and returned the economy (OEM version) back to RockAuto and kept the Supreme part.
According to both RockAuto and Mevotech's websites, this arm, like the other Supreme parts, is supposed to have the blue/better boot, Zerk fitting and sintered bearing.
I returned the arm and was sent a replacement, from a different warehouse/location, and the part is the same type as the first; black boot, no Zerk.
I emailed Mevotech support with pics of the sealed bag, the Supreme box, the black boot and the non-greasable end cap, letting them know there may be a problem on their end in distribution.
No response, so I forwarded that email to another email address of theirs 4 days later. No response, so I called them after waiting ELEVEN days and finally got an answer, that I can't say surprised me much.
An agent did some research and returned my call. He said they're phasing out this series of parts, due to low sales volume and that they started manufacturing the part differently and have been shipping out this new (read cheap ass) version, and the only reason I received the correct right side arm is because RockAuto had old inventory remaining.
I pointed out that Mevotech's website clearly states both Supreme arms are pre-filled with grease, have the grease fitting, and have sintered bearings, and that I paid the same amount for both arms. He said this is no longer the case with the arm version I received. It has a poly bearing and is, obviously, not greasable.
I said, "So, I paid for a Supreme part and got an economy part." He claimed there's a difference in the casting (I presume referring to corrosion resistance), but admitted pretty much everything else about it is the economy/OEM version. He said their website was their error, somebody in cataloguing dept. didn't change the site page. He made no offer to refund the price difference due to their error (lie). I'm going to pursue that, as they should have to pay for this.
As you know, you can't contact RockAuto outside of their automated system, and Mevotech dragged their heels long enough that the only thing RA allows now is warranty return — and it has not even been 30 days since I received my replacement from RA. Requesting another replacement is obviously pointless, since they would just send me the same fake Supreme arm again, since that's what Mevotech has been supplying to all their distributors, apparently for quite some time.
So, **** Mevotech for not bothering to correct their website (they've been making this different part for a long time), not offering to refund the difference in price paid due to their error, and **** RA for their non-existent support where you can't contact anyone when things go wrong like this.
The only way you're getting a genuine Supreme part anymore, at least the lower front left arm, is if you can find NOS somewhere other than RA, such as on eBay.
I have to assume it's the same for all Mevotech parts that fit our cars, so you might expect to be getting other Supreme parts and will be sent the cheaper parts instead.
Ask sellers before purchase to put eyes on their Mevotech parts to make sure they're actually selling you what you're paying for!
You can't do that with RA, of course, and RA drones don't read return notes, where I clearly explained the WRONG part has black boot and no Zerk fitting. They didn't look in the replacement box to make sure it was blue boot with Zerk before sending it to me.
Why the hell would anyone want two different arms on the same vehicle for a daily driver?? FFS. I wanted the better parts all around, hoping they would last longer.
So now, I'll have to either go ahead and install this wrong part on the car and drive on it while I try to find a REAL Supreme, or try to sell this fake Supreme part, probably for less than I paid, and not go ahead with the repairs until I manage to find the correct part.
It's the first and last time I buy Mevotech ****. RockAuto used to be better, but this aggravating waste of time is causing me to rethink doing business with them as well.
Oh, and the reason I went with Mevotech? I've had some **** Moog/TRW parts that prematurely failed on me, which is why I looked elsewhere, and I had read good reviews on Mevotech.
The quest for decent parts and decent parts companies continues, but we're running out of options for these old cars. I suppose I'll be selling my Bird one of these days anyway, or at least parting it out, but for now it's still a DD, so I gotta fix 'er up.
All the correct parts were sent and are as expected, except one: the lower left arm.
What I received was a non-greasable, black boot version, sealed in plastic bag that doesn't have "MS" on the bag and the arm isn't embossed with "MS" like the right arm is.
It arrived in a Supreme box, so I figured somebody pulled a fast one and returned the economy (OEM version) back to RockAuto and kept the Supreme part.
According to both RockAuto and Mevotech's websites, this arm, like the other Supreme parts, is supposed to have the blue/better boot, Zerk fitting and sintered bearing.
I returned the arm and was sent a replacement, from a different warehouse/location, and the part is the same type as the first; black boot, no Zerk.
I emailed Mevotech support with pics of the sealed bag, the Supreme box, the black boot and the non-greasable end cap, letting them know there may be a problem on their end in distribution.
No response, so I forwarded that email to another email address of theirs 4 days later. No response, so I called them after waiting ELEVEN days and finally got an answer, that I can't say surprised me much.
An agent did some research and returned my call. He said they're phasing out this series of parts, due to low sales volume and that they started manufacturing the part differently and have been shipping out this new (read cheap ass) version, and the only reason I received the correct right side arm is because RockAuto had old inventory remaining.
I pointed out that Mevotech's website clearly states both Supreme arms are pre-filled with grease, have the grease fitting, and have sintered bearings, and that I paid the same amount for both arms. He said this is no longer the case with the arm version I received. It has a poly bearing and is, obviously, not greasable.
I said, "So, I paid for a Supreme part and got an economy part." He claimed there's a difference in the casting (I presume referring to corrosion resistance), but admitted pretty much everything else about it is the economy/OEM version. He said their website was their error, somebody in cataloguing dept. didn't change the site page. He made no offer to refund the price difference due to their error (lie). I'm going to pursue that, as they should have to pay for this.
As you know, you can't contact RockAuto outside of their automated system, and Mevotech dragged their heels long enough that the only thing RA allows now is warranty return — and it has not even been 30 days since I received my replacement from RA. Requesting another replacement is obviously pointless, since they would just send me the same fake Supreme arm again, since that's what Mevotech has been supplying to all their distributors, apparently for quite some time.
So, **** Mevotech for not bothering to correct their website (they've been making this different part for a long time), not offering to refund the difference in price paid due to their error, and **** RA for their non-existent support where you can't contact anyone when things go wrong like this.
The only way you're getting a genuine Supreme part anymore, at least the lower front left arm, is if you can find NOS somewhere other than RA, such as on eBay.
I have to assume it's the same for all Mevotech parts that fit our cars, so you might expect to be getting other Supreme parts and will be sent the cheaper parts instead.
Ask sellers before purchase to put eyes on their Mevotech parts to make sure they're actually selling you what you're paying for!
You can't do that with RA, of course, and RA drones don't read return notes, where I clearly explained the WRONG part has black boot and no Zerk fitting. They didn't look in the replacement box to make sure it was blue boot with Zerk before sending it to me.
Why the hell would anyone want two different arms on the same vehicle for a daily driver?? FFS. I wanted the better parts all around, hoping they would last longer.
So now, I'll have to either go ahead and install this wrong part on the car and drive on it while I try to find a REAL Supreme, or try to sell this fake Supreme part, probably for less than I paid, and not go ahead with the repairs until I manage to find the correct part.
It's the first and last time I buy Mevotech ****. RockAuto used to be better, but this aggravating waste of time is causing me to rethink doing business with them as well.
Oh, and the reason I went with Mevotech? I've had some **** Moog/TRW parts that prematurely failed on me, which is why I looked elsewhere, and I had read good reviews on Mevotech.
The quest for decent parts and decent parts companies continues, but we're running out of options for these old cars. I suppose I'll be selling my Bird one of these days anyway, or at least parting it out, but for now it's still a DD, so I gotta fix 'er up.
