My 99 Camry-LE 4cyl was driving perfectly until a recent mechanic visit. The mechanic said that in order to pass inspection I needed to replace both L & R tie rods. He made the repairs including an alignment. This is a new mechanic for me as I recently moved, however a different mechanic also warned me about one of the tie-rods last year.
Now (after the repair) at highway speeds > 60MPH there is a shudder in the steering wheel (which was not there before). There is also an intermittent squeak or chirp sound whose period is proportional to speed. When the squeak is present the period ranges from about 1 second to many times a second (as speed increases). The squeak goes away for minutes at a time, and when it is sqeaking, pressing the brake (even just barely) makes it stop. There may also be a very slight (almost unnoticeable) drift to the right (which may be within spec).
I took the car back to same mechanic once already and he balanced the tires (and of course charged me for this). He claimed to have test drove the car and said that there was no shudder or squeak (after the balance). However when I drove the car (unforunately after the garage was closed for the weekend) the shudder was still there and so is the squeak.
the squeak. My two questions are: 1) what are some likely causes of the problem(s)? 2) What should I say to the mechanic (with appropriate technical evidence) that will convince him that his recent work is the cause of these problems?