Front tie rod ends?

[pudbrother]

Alright well i got my tires swapped yesterday at city tire and the guy said that my front tie rod ends need replacing. now my car does drift slightly to the right when the wheel is straight, there is no shimmy. my cars booked into get fixed friday at 10am but i need to drive it to and from school tomorrow(about 30 miles round trip) and to the the shop(15miles) should i worry, and whats the worst that could happen. thanks in advance

[pudbrother]

i think something like 2.5-3 hours...never made the journey so im not positive

[pudbrother]

if its just a minor pull right now do i need to worry, or will it gradually get worse than just go, the way to school resembles an f1 track(a few good corners) i just want to know what im in for

[pudbrother]

oh and before i forget they said worst case secenerio(both sides need replacing, plus labor and alignment) it will be about 200 dollars. is that reasonable

[nogard]

Sounds just a little high, but that all depends on the price of the parts. I would think having the alignment will help with the pull.

[MIC0417]

Dude, needs replacing but isn't going to fall off any time soon. Also it might be mis-aligned which the worn tie rod ends doesn't help but don't freak out. It'll be fine for that period. Plus if it was really "broken" your front tires would've gone pigeon toed right away.

[Heat]

As a rule of thumb, whenever somebody from the muffler shop, the exhaust place, the tire place, the oil change place etc etc tells you that something needs to be done, always have your normal mechanic give you a second opinion. If this tire guy just happens to fix tie rod ends he may be telling you that your tie rods are bad just to drum up business. Now, if he doesn't do tie rod ends then there most likely really is a problem.

Places like muffler shops, oil changes places, some tire shops etc are notorious for telling people that work needs to be done so that they can do it (and get paid for it of course), when the work either doesn’t need to be done at all or the problem isn’t nearly as serious as they claim it is.

But again, if the tire guy was not saying “let me fix it for you” then there most likely really is a problem.

Speaking of tie-rod ends, my ’95 Camry has a certain “washiness” in the wheel. It’s hard to explain, but the steering isn’t “tight” – driving down the road it seems that I’m always moving the steering wheel a little to keep the car going straight. I just got the Camry this past Monday (it was my mom’s) – when I go from my Honda Accord or Volvo 940 to the Camry the washiness is obvious, but after driving the Camry for a few days I’ve gotten used to it so that it’s not obvious anymore. Does that make sense? Well, my question is this – is this something that sounds like it is related to the tie-rod ends?

In the past four months or so my mom had the four struts replaced (the Camry doesn’t have shocks?), the cv boots changed, and an alignment. I think it was just a front-end alignment and not both front / back.

[Mike Gerber]

pudbrother,

I agree with Heat, get a second opinion before doing anything but don't wait to do it. If a tie rod does break completely, you will loose steering control.

$200 for both tie rods and an alignment sounds about right to me. The alignment will most likely fix your pulling problem.


Heat,

The generation 3 Camrys do have a relativley soft ride and steering feel when compared to an Accord. Some of what you feel may be caused by wear (you don't say how many miles are on the car) and some of what you feel may be the natural feel of the car. If I were you I would try to drive another generation 3 Camry to compare it to your car. If you don't know of anyone who owns one, you could try a used car lot and tell the salesperson there you are interested in (that Camry) as an excuse to drive one. Just don't show up driving your current Camry.

Mike

[hooRAH]

As Heat said, often times tie rods are quick and easy business for any tire/alignment shop.

Alignments are one of the most profitable services a shop can do. Tie rod replacements require an alignment afterwards. I try not to be the curmudgeon that says "They're out to get me" at repair shops, but a shop saying I need an alignment is the biggest red flag in my book.

You may very well need a tie rod or tie rod end replaced, but before I replace mine, I can feel the play in the link with my hands and see it with my eyes, but thats just me.

Tie rods are easy to test for. Lift the wheel, and tug from side to side (as if you were turning). If theres any play, the tie rod is bad. If not, and theyre lyin.