OEM Axles Only? Maybe not… WorldPac

Conventional wisdom here at MVS Volvo Forums says use OEM/Volvo/”blue box” parts.

But a local indie mechanic here in Denver said he uses axles from CarQuest, and they come from a company called WorldPac. Huh? He said they’re just as good as OEM but 1/3 the price, and have just as long lives. Ok, so I did some investigative work. I called and spoke to a person “off the record” at WorldPac. Literally, he said “you didn’t hear it from me.”

They only sell to shops like CarQuest, note.

So what did he say? He said EMPI and FEQ are WorldPac brands, and they’re very good. “I’d but them on my car. They are not remans, they’re new.”

Here’s some EMPI MVS forum topics that leave me with an overall confident feeling.

I asked if axles bought at Carquest had any markings or distinguishing features to ensure they came from WorldPac (if in generic or CarQuest packaging), and he said no. SO, without doing scientific tests on axles, there’s my $.02. I put a $75 axle from CarQuest on my 850 in December 2011. Putting my money where my mouth is :-).

pg_osborne89 »

Not sure about anything being re-boxed or brands from major retailers but I do know I ordered new EMPi axles from a good website and they are still made in China. So use your best judgement and read alot of reviews on axles before buying them. I will assume most of the axles you will get are made somewhere in Asia (like most anything we get in this country) it’s just a matter of who makes them. I just have put some EMPI on my car and they installed very easily, no snags.

The joints were going back in the other one and another thing to look for that isn’t mentioned often is the carrier bearing. Mine was making noise, hard to describe the noise but open both windows and see if the noise comes in from both windows (because the carrier bearing is towards the middle of the car). But when I compared the two bearings (old vs new) there was a big difference.

Another complaint I’ve heard is the EMPI axle nut is shoddy, but that’s not true. It’s not as good as the Volvo one granted (Volvo has a separate collar that spins independently of the nut, for accurate torque readings and not to scar up your hub I suppose) but it is oblong towards the end as a form of lock nut. I put it on with an impact gun so I know it’s not coming off.

OEM Suspension Only? Maybe not… WorldPac

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Last Updated on November 3, 2025