So my rack and pinion has begun leaking at the passenger side boot and the column on my '05 Dakota and it's time for it to be replaced. I have the 4.7L 2WD SLT. I've managed to find a new Mopar rack on wholesalemoparparts.com along with a few new aftermarket ones on rockauto. I also have a choice of several remans from Mopar, cardone, BBB, etc. My question is do I absolutely have to shell out the money for the brand new Mopar rack? Or can I go with an aftermarket or remanufactured unit? If reman is fine, is there and real difference between a Mopar reman and the others? Is a Mopar reman as good as a new Mopar?

 

Like anything else, less risk of failure with a new part and better warranty. Of course you will pay more. Your choice.

I did mine a year ago. I was more concerned with price. Best deal I found was a cardone from Amazon. It came with new mounting bushings. The ad says they will give you money back for the core, but when you go to the link it says they are not accepting cores.

 

Was the one you bought the remanufactured unit? I've seen those floating around Amazon and have been considering them. Any problems with the unit over the last year? Price is a huge factor for me and I can snag a cardone reman right away if they've got a decent track record.

 

what the price difference? if its not crazy go with oem.

I would consider the difficulty of the part installation and cost of a second alignment. 2wd should be a pretty straightforward install. Something like a new Durango that requires front diff removal...buy the best part out there.

 

The price difference is about 300 dollars between a new cardone and the new mopar. I've found people saying that their cardone units are doing just fine over a year later, but every time I ask if they got the new one or the remanufactured one, they haven't responded.

 

I got the reman cardone 26-2143. It's doing good so far, not quite a year in. It was way cheaper than any other option I could find. Local parts store had the same unit for about double the price lol. I purchased a lifetime alignment just in case I had issues.

 

Thank goodness!! I bit the bullet and grabbed that exact model. At least now I know I'm going to be driving safely.