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Tie Rod Ends Replacement on a 99 Toyota Corolla?

Howdy all,

I have a question that I figured would probably be best answered here before taking my 99 Toyota Corolla in for an inspection.

A real quick background:

99 Toyota Corolla (obviously) ~ 105,600 miles I've had the car for about a year and a half. Tires: Pirelli P3000 with about 7,000 miles on 'em.

Lately I've been noticing a little bit erratic wandering with the car. It also feels like I could have a tire or wheel out of round, so I took the car over to Discount Tire to have them do my rotation and balancing that came with the tires when I bought 'em. They couldn't find any wheel or tire issues, and since they don't do any mechanical work, when I told them about what I'm experiencing, they recommended I take it in for a front end inspection and see if the tie rod ends are causing the problem. The symptoms that Betty (my car's name) is experiencing are as follows:

- Feels bumpy on the front left when I'm driving.

- Once in a while when I'm increasing speed, going over a bump in the road, or braking I'll hear a click on the front left end of the car. Not always, but sometimes. (I had my brakes checked before the winter and they said they were in great shape, and since I experience it when I'm going over bumps and the like, I figure it's probably not a brake issue like a caliper or something).

- When I'm backing up and turning, say pulling out of a parking space, and turning my steering wheel to the left so that the back of the car will go to the left, (fun explaining this in writing!) it has a bumpy, almost rhythmic feel depending on how sharp the turn is.

- The car's alignment is off and veers off to the left. I've tried it on several different roads, so I don't think it's the crown of the road.

I took the car in when I first got it as it seemed to have vibration/ bump and alignment issues. The dealership said that it had a wheel that was out of round and replaced it, as well as aligned the car. Even though they replaced it, the issue didn't seem to disappear

100% Now, since then I've gone over many a pothole and a few weeks ago, being the sensitive female I am, I swerved while going 55mph to avoid hitting a squirrel. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but my conscience is clear as I didn't hit the squirrel. :)

So, I guess my question is this:

Does it sound like it could be the tie rod ends? If it were to be just a matter of an alignment, would there be a possible clicking?

How much does a repair like this end up costing? I'm not in the best financial shape and I wanted to know what I should expect before even driving the car to a shop.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this message. Your answers are appreciated. :)

Samantha

So, Discount

Reply to
toyota owner
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Sounds to me more like a CV joint, indicating the axle need replacement. This would cause most of the problems you're describing.

Also, when you discern what the problem is, and want to get it aligned, DON'T go back to the place you just told us about! A *GOOD* alignment guy would have told you right then and there that the tie rod end is bad, because that's one of the things he has to adjust! Find a more qualified shop.

A more qualified shop would have also been able to tell you if it was a tie rod end, a CV joint, a bad shock/strut, or strut mount. Any one of these will cause problems/noises like you're describing.

Reply to
hachiroku

Thanks for the input. If it's the CV joint, then the entire axle needs replacement? Wow. I have a warranty with the car, but not sure if that would be covered. I'll have to take it to my dealership where I bought it.

As far as the place I told you about, I took it to Discount Tire, they don't do alignments. So, when the guy told me that, he was just speculating. I figured the cheapest thing to do first to rule out issues, would be having the tires rotated and balanced. For all I knew, I had a wheel out of round. I didn't, so now I have to troubleshoot and take it into a shop...

How much do CV Joints cost to replace? How much do Tie Rods or Tie Rod Ends cost to replace if that's it?

Thanks so much, Samantha

Reply to
toyota owner

The part is probably $65-85 aftermarket (rebuilt) and about 40 minutes to replace.

Reply to
Hachiroku

Thanks. It's making noise when I drive it now, so I'm going to see if I can take it into the dealership tomorrow after work. I have a 60 mile round trip commute, but no other options. Hopefully it holds up. :)

Samantha

Reply to
toyota owner

Just a quick update - I took the car into the dealership. My warranty would've covered the tie rod ends, possibly the CV joint, but they did a full chassis front end inspection and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They said it's just in dire need of an alignment and the tire wear was bad. (Mind you, I bought the tires in November - Pirelli P3000's, brand new, and only have about 8,000 miles on 'em - they were just rotated last weekend.) The mechanic told me that when the tires were put on it really should have had an alignment.

So, my question is this:

1) Should one always get an alignment when getting new tires? 2) Could having a car completely out of alignment make it feel all bizarre when backing up and turning?

Thanks so much for the feedback.

Samantha

Reply to
toyota owner

It's a good idea to have the alignment checked. A lot of places will at least check the alignment with 4 new tires!

2) Could

Oh, yeah...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Well, hopefully the $200 alignment I'm paying for (overpriced dealership from what I understand, but took it there cuz of the warranty) corrects the problem.

And, as far as the 4 new tires, next time, I guess I don't know if I'll be going to Discount Tire for my tires then. They don't touch or do anything mechanical.

Thanks again, Samantha

Reply to
toyota owner

Well, hopefully the $200 alignment I'm paying for (overpriced dealership from what I understand, but took it there cuz of the warranty) corrects the problem.

And, as far as the 4 new tires, next time, I guess I don't know if I'll be going to Discount Tire for my tires then. They don't touch or do anything mechanical.

Thanks again, Samantha

Reply to
toyota owner

Well, hopefully the $200 alignment I'm paying for (overpriced dealership from what I understand, but took it there cuz of the warranty) corrects the problem.

And, as far as the 4 new tires, next time, I guess I don't know if I'll be going to Discount Tire for my tires then. They don't touch or do anything mechanical.

Thanks again, Samantha

Reply to
toyota owner

Well, hopefully the $200 alignment I'm paying for (overpriced dealership from what I understand, but took it there cuz of the warranty) corrects the problem.

And, as far as the 4 new tires, next time, I guess I don't know if I'll be going to Discount Tire for my tires then. They don't touch or do anything mechanical.

Thanks again, Samantha

Reply to
toyota owner

Well, hopefully the $200 alignment I'm paying for (overpriced dealership from what I understand, but took it there cuz of the warranty) corrects the problem.

And, as far as the 4 new tires, next time, I guess I don't know if I'll be going to Discount Tire for my tires then. They don't touch or do anything mechanical.

Thanks again, Samantha

Reply to
toyota owner

I always recommend getting a 4 wheel alignment when getting new tires, especially if the old tires show signs of mis-alignment.

Yes.

Reply to
Ray O

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