Track rod ends - starlet

Toyotafanboi

Ok to keep this short and sweet

i lowered my starlet between 40-50mm last week. this was my second time to lower it, third time to change the suspension setup. as always, this upset the tracking.

the last 2 times i've dropped it to my local garage and they've corrected the tracking and all has been fine.

this time, when i picked it up they said that the nut at the track rod on both sides wasn't tight when he went to adjust them, it was just "in place" so to speak with no weight on it. they recommended i change both track rod ends. that said, i didn't tell the garage i had changed the suspension, just that i wanted it tracked. do i really need to change them?

to be honest i'm a little thrown into doubt by this garage now, even though i've gotten them to do a lot of work in the past and always been very happy with it. they also told me i needed to replace my driver side outer cv boot because it was damaged. but i know when i changed the suspension last week that it was fine. they also said a new boot (not joint) would be €70 for the part plus fitting which i thought a little steep.

just looking for opinions really

sean1141

I got a new genuine boot for my fabia for about 15 quid. Grease and clips included. 70 sounds expensive fitted let alone for the part alone

Toyotafanboi

cheeky bump :P

not so concerned over the cv boot.

just that i thought a nut was a nut and if it's been tightened it should be ok, no need to replace them like. i'd like to act on this asap if they need doing, but don't want to be fleeced either if its un-necessary.

dgt

€70 for parts plus fitting doesn't sound offensive to me, assuming it was fitted and tracked correctly

Toyotafanboi

dgt wrote: »

€70 for parts plus fitting doesn't sound offensive to me, assuming it was fitted and tracked correctly

€70 for the just the cv boot part, plus fitting i thought was rather expensive. not a cv joint, just the boot. anyway that's just what set alarm bells ringing about the garages "opinions" because the boot looks fine.

its the track rod ends that are on my mind. can they work themselves loose? the mechanic said the nut at the end of them was loose when he first got to them, "barely even hand tight" and both should be replaced. i'm wondering would lowering the car have somehow upset those nuts (because i know lowering upsets tracking and that's why it was in in the first place). or are they a part that can become worn and need replacement?

dgt

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

€70 for the just the cv boot part, plus fitting i thought was rather expensive. not a cv joint, just the boot. anyway that's just what set alarm bells ringing about the garages "opinions" because the boot looks fine.

its the track rod ends that are on my mind. can they work themselves loose? the mechanic said the nut at the end of them was loose when he first got to them, "barely even hand tight" and both should be replaced. i'm wondering would lowering the car have somehow upset those nuts (because i know lowering upsets tracking and that's why it was in in the first place). or are they a part that can become worn and need replacement?

Oh wait, I'm an anus for reading that wrong so that's €70 for just a boot with fitting, not track rod ends+ fitting.... Derp

Who last tracked the car? Almost every set of track rod ends I've changed required a lot of brute force to loosen the nut. However considering every time you lower your car you get it tracked it gets loosened anyway so should be relatively free...

As for the boot, how old is it? Showing cracks etc? Could you do it yourself...?

Toyotafanboi

this same garage tracked it the last time, in October last year. i'm wondering did they just not tighten them correctly or something. every time i lower it the steering wheel droops to the left badly, so tracking has been necessary. if they need changing i've no bother getting them done, i'm just kind of second guessing their opinions now.

i'm second guessing them because the boot is fine. its not cracked or split, jubilee clips are tight etc, looks satisfactory. not only the fact that they say it needs changing when it doesn't, but the price of it.

i get most the work done to my car there during the college year when i havn't the time myself. so i kind of think now they know i'm not afraid of pissing money at my 98 starlet banger that they might be taking advantage, but that might be very paranoid of me.

Ded_Zebra

Well if you are happy with the condition of the boot then leave it. As for the track rod ends, they either didn't tighten them very tight the last time or the fact that they are moved fairly regularly meant that they just opened much easer than they expected. Normally they are left to fester for many years between adjustments which means they are very hard to undo.

dgt

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

this same garage tracked it the last time, in October last year. i'm wondering did they just not tighten them correctly or something. every time i lower it the steering wheel droops to the left badly, so tracking has been necessary. if they need changing i've no bother getting them done, i'm just kind of second guessing their opinions now.

i'm second guessing them because the boot is fine. its not cracked or split, jubilee clips are tight etc, looks satisfactory. not only the fact that they say it needs changing when it doesn't, but the price of it.

i get most the work done to my car there during the college year when i havn't the time myself. so i kind of think now they know i'm not afraid of pissing money at my 98 starlet banger that they might be taking advantage, but that might be very paranoid of me.

This is what I'm thinking myself....

Test the rods for lateral play and if they're too easy to move. Did you ever change them since you bought the car?

Just to be sure to be sure, both boots are spot on I takes?

As for the last part I hope that isn't the case, it's nice to hear of someone taking care of their car without getting shafted for it in the process

Toyotafanboi

i am happy with the boot and will be leaving it :P its just calling them being so wrong on that is making me call the rest of their opinions into doubt i am quite handy around the car, but don't know enough to form my own opinion on this. i was however thinking the same, that they have been adjusted approximately once every 4 months since i bought the car so they were probably just more free than the mechanic would be used to.

Toyotafanboi

dgt wrote: »

This is what I'm thinking myself....

Test the rods for lateral play and if they're too easy to move. Did you ever change them since you bought the car?

Just to be sure to be sure, both boots are spot on I takes?

As for the last part I hope that isn't the case, it's nice to hear of someone taking care of their car without getting shafted for it in the process

i'l probably get a look at them next weekend just to be sure going to have to take a chance in the meantime, too busy :P

is there any acceptable amount of play or should they be firm?

yup, both boots are fine just so strange that they would point it out.

dgt

Rods should be relatively firm to twist, very little to no lateral movement. I'd imagine at this stage though they're past their best assuming they were on the car since new...

Well if both boots are fine then you have every right to be suspicious!

sean1141

Make sure to give the boots a good going over. If they had the car on a lift and you are only using a jack it will be harder to see a small cut or crack. They could also be a tiny bit cut where they are strapped on.

nct tester

were the trackrods disconnected recently?? if theres a small hole in the cv boot there will be grease around the calliper, shock, track tod etc so should be easy to confirm this.