Timken Bearings from Autozone

[Advancedynamix]

Guess that is where all the Festivas are going

Don't get me started...

[Dragonhealer]

So it may be that all the steel for the bearings now comes from China... but I don't know if that is true or not (I doubt it).

Seems unlikely, their primary source for their designer steels is steel scrap, (1.7 million tons in 2011). Of the 62 plants on the globe, 40 are in the US.
Guess that is where all the Festivas are going

[1990new]

Timken Steel split from Timken corp last year so they are now separate companies. So it may be that all the steel for the bearings now comes from China... but I don't know if that is true or not (I doubt it).
As for Timken locations:
http://www.timken.com/EN-US/about/Pages/Locations.aspx


Did this steel plant get built in Ohio?
http://news.timken.com/index.php?s=12504&item=127229

[Dragonhealer]

For what it's worth, I read, sometime back, Timken had moved it's manufacturing of bearings to China.

Yes and no, Timken does indeed have bearing manufacturing plants (several) in China, but also maintains plants all over the world.
If the cup or cone says TIMKEN it's going to meet spec. regardless of which plant spawned it.

[frogman]

For what it's worth, I read, sometime back, Timken had moved it's manufacturing of bearings to China.

[william]

I've gotten the duralast rear wheel bearings and they were NOT Timken said China on the cone. And the center bore on the inner wouldn't even slide on the axel. I took it back and got an exchange and it fit but lasted only a few thousand miles. Replaced it with national From elsewhere.
I'll be ordering online from now on when I need good bearings.

[TorqueEffect]

Torque, see if you can find out if those AZ front end parts are from TRW. I gave up that brand many years back as they would never hold up on any P/U or van that I had.

I'll check and see. But I have also figured out you can tell what brand the parts are, by looking at the photos provided on Autozone's website, and comparing them to different brand photos on Rockauto. That is how I found the Festiva water pump from Autozone was an Airtex waterpump, so I assume that is the supplier for all the water pumps.

But I am having some difficulty using that method though ever since autozone started taking their own pictures of the parts instead of using the stock photos from their suppliers. But I think they are Quicksteer brand steering parts, based on part number, and looks of the parts. I will look at the Festiva tie-rods for confirmation.

[tooldude]

Torque, see if you can find out if those AZ front end parts are from TRW. I gave up that brand many years back as they would never hold up on any P/U or van that I had.

[TorqueEffect]

I know for a fact all the Duralast Gold hub assemblies are Timken. But I am pretty sure even standard duralast bearings a Timken as well, just with a lesser warrenty, because when I stock the bearings at Autozone the remaining Timken boxed bearings go in the same spot on the shelf as the Duralast. Same thing applies with bearing seals and such.

I've got Duralast bearings on the front of my Monte Carlo, they seem to be doing just fine.

But you are right, you never know when Autozone may switch suppliers again. Granted autozone parts have been getting tons better in recent years. Got a Duralast Alternator on my Monte, with a Duralast Platinum AGM battery, Duralast front hub assemblies, duralast PCV, duralast plug wires, a duralast coil pack, duralast fuel filter.

The only thing duralast, that hasn't lasted is the outer tie-rods which need changed and they haven't been on the car for more than a year or two.

[Axlander9289]

RockAuto has the Timken, in case we start to run out

I did check the AutoZone website, and no Timken to be found! I even typed in the word Timken .. no results found

Bingo. I just ordered all eight wheel bearings plus seals for my Aspire swap on Rockauto, all of them Timken. They are easy to get there and presumably less money than Auto Zone.

[lessersivad]

Many many Duralast branded bearings are reboxes of Timken now. Including a pair I put on dad's '88LX recently. Even their "Duralast" part number is SET11, which is a Timken number. Open them up, they are stamped "Timken" just like the others.

That's fine and dandy, for now. Until they run out of the 'reboxed Timkens'.

Then what'll they have in the boxes?

[htchbck]

Many many Duralast branded bearings are reboxes of Timken now. Including a pair I put on dad's '88LX recently. Even their "Duralast" part number is SET11, which is a Timken number. Open them up, they are stamped "Timken" just like the others.

[Chobobulous]

I wonder how az plans to honor the warranty now that they been discontinued.

[htchbck]

What Brad said... the Duralasts are a rebox.

[lessersivad]

I'm sure the 'bean counters' had something to do with the dropping of Timken.

Reminds me of an auto parts I worked at back in the '90's. They started dropping the name brands and replacing them with crap. Didn't take long and the doors were closed.