Tie Rod, Alignment, Bearing

[SaintDanmic]

So I was way too busy last week and way overdue, so I got my oil changed by someone else. Afterwards he comes in and tells me my alignment is off (No sh*t Sherlock) and that is most likely caused because I have a broken tie rod and a bad bearing. (How did he find out about the bearing if he didn't take the wheel off?) I looked today at lunch and couldn't see anything broken. I do hear a rattling coming from my front right, and notice a little wobbling in my steering.

My car knowledge doesn't go beyond general maintenance. Is this something I can fix on my own? If so, will fixing this fix my alignment in the process? He said that with new tires and all the other stuff it's going to cost over $700. So I'd really like to do it myself if I can.

P.S. If i do have a bad bearing, is that what's causing the rattling sound? I notice it mostly when on bumpy roads.

Any input would be appreciated.

[GrkBallaG]

Originally Posted by SaintDanmic

So I was way too busy last week and way overdue, so I got my oil changed by someone else. Afterwards he comes in and tells me my alignment is off (No sh*t Sherlock) and that is most likely caused because I have a broken tie rod and a bad bearing. (How did he find out about the bearing if he didn't take the wheel off?) I looked today at lunch and couldn't see anything broken. I do hear a rattling coming from my front right, and notice a little wobbling in my steering.

My car knowledge doesn't go beyond general maintenance. Is this something I can fix on my own? If so, will fixing this fix my alignment in the process? He said that with new tires and all the other stuff it's going to cost over $700. So I'd really like to do it myself if I can.

P.S. If i do have a bad bearing, is that what's causing the rattling sound? I notice it mostly when on bumpy roads.

Any input would be appreciated.

Its pretty easy to check the wheel bearing. You jack the car up ( not on the wheel or any suspension parts) , Grab the tire at 12 o clock and 6 o clock and move it up and down. It should not move up and down or in other words there should be no play, if you got alot of play the wheel bearing is bad. If your car is a front wheel drive the bearings gotta be pressed out, if its rear wheel drive you can do it yourself pretty easily.

About the tie rod, its the same test as the wheel bearing but your hands are going to be at 9 0 clock and 3 o clock, and again there should be no play. I highly doubt you can do the tie rod on your own, better leave that to them.... and that should get fixed asap.

After thats all done tires and an alignment should get you riding pretty good.
hope this helps for ya.

[SaintDanmic]

Thanks for the input. I just got it checked out by my normal tire guy. The front passenger inner has some play and the front driver inner has a little bit but not as much. As for the bearing, the front driver side just needed to be tightened which he did while he was checking it out.

So the new quote I got was around $400. That's going through CQ for $95 per tie rod end. Oriely has them for around $60. So I'll save a little more money that way. Still not fun to have to shell out $300+ in one day. Damn gravel roads with their damn potholes!!! Oh well.