Hello friends ;
I have a 2008 Vibe 183K miles, Auto Trans, non-ABS brakes.
I'm looking to swap out/in a complete steering knuckle/bearing/hub assembly on my front drivers side (this is a one-vehicle household, getting a ride from a neighbor to and back to the closest shop which could press bearings & hubs is not so easy). So swapping out/in the complete assembly with a new bearing is easiest).
I'm trying to ascertain just what is the difference between the Moog LK-071 which is the proper assembly for the 03-08 Vibe vs the Moog LK-063 which is the specified assembly for a 03-08 Matrix (and probably certain year Corollas, etc) I've examined pictures you can find online side by side, I don't see a difference. I got on the phone and spoke with a Moog product specialist in St Louis, he didn't see any difference in the specs either. He said the only difference was in 'casting'.... I asked, "what do you mean, metallurgy...?".... he had no answer, other than to repeat 'casting.'
So... I'm still trying to determine just what is the difference is betw LK-071 for our Vibes vs LK-063 specified for Matrix ... because if you buy they direct from Moog/FedMogul they are about the same two and a half bills, or you can find them w/ Amazon sellers for about a buck 50 or 60, and also you can find them from Ebay sellers., From E-bay sellers you can get them -- the entire knuckle/bearing/hub assembly -- as little as about 80 bucks for the ones specified for a 03-08 Matrix (yes I acknowledge these are probably manuf'd in China and 'quality' is pretty much a crap-shoot, but I'm also not going to be taking the car road-racing either).
Have any of you Vibe owners replaced a steering knuckle using one specified for a Matrix?.... Or gone to a junk yard yourself looking to pull one but you couldn't find a 03 -08 Vibe but you DID find a 03-08 Matrix (or Corolla, etc) and pulled and used that knuckle and it mated up just fine?.... Thanks a lot in advance, Mike