Mark42
Fleet Admiral
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2003
- Messages
- 9,334
Car was not handling well and I jacked up the drivers side tire and there was a lot of side play. Looking under the car I could see the inside ball joint/tie rod was moving and looked to be worn out. I bring the car to a front end/frame shop. He called me and said that the ball joint was OK, the problem was it came loose and the only thing keeping the nut from falling off and tie rod connected was the cotter pin! Yikes! Thank goodness for cotter pins.<br /><br />So he tightens it up, new cotter pin and does an alignment. He did say the other tie rod threaded piece was bent and needed replacement. This I knew from watching some idiot try to align the car last year and bent the heck out of the tie rod. I should have made the idiot replace it then but I didnt. Now it cost 1 hr labor and $28 for the part, over 100 total with tax, PLUS the alignment I walk out the door with a $150 bill. <br /><br />Man, that cotter pin sure got expensive! <br /><br />Now the car drives like it should. The extreme over steer is gone, no more hopping over the rough pavement, and what I thought might be shocks going bad was really the front end shimmy from the loose ball joint. I love this shop, they always do just outstanding work.
