How long should track rod ends last?

Hi,

How long should track rod ends last, typically?

The reason that I am asking is that my Audi A6 has just failed its MOT test on excessive play on a track rod end. The car failed its MOT on the very same item only one year ago and the garage replaced it.

Given that the car has only covered about 6000 miles since then and it always driven on roads is this reasonable?

TIA, Mark

Reply to
nospam
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Same garage perchance?

JB

Reply to
JB

70,000 to 100,000 miles is about the norm I would say. Many cars go longer than that.

Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines

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I'm not at all sure why women like men. We're argumentative, childish, unsociable and extremely unappealing naked. I'm quite grateful they do though.

Reply to
Dave Baker

No. I've not had to replace a TRE in 180,000 miles (2 cars). Dunno if this is typical, but I'd expect tens of thousands of miles rather than single figures.

Reply to
Biggles

Is it the same track rod end its failed on? You have more than one.

Reply to
Conor

If it's the same TRE then it would appear that chances are they didn't replace it - or this is just a std scam to add £50 to everyone's bill. Have a look at the TREs on both sides of the car. You should be able to see them by putting the steering on full lock. No need for jacks or anything. If they have the same amount of rust and general appearance then it's unlikely that one side is new.

BTW - are you sure the failure is on the same side of the car and it's not just the other TRE that has now gone?

Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines

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I'm not at all sure why women like men. We're argumentative, childish, unsociable and extremely unappealing naked. I'm quite grateful they do though.

Reply to
Dave Baker

No.

Reply to
nospam

If I get a garage to replace a part I normally ask for the old part to be returned to me. This is usually a good indication that the work has been carried out. I can't remember if I actually looked at the track rod end after the work was done, but the steering was better.

BTW: It's not that old a car, so I hope there's no rust on it :-)

Pretty sure. The first MOT failure sheet says offside track rod end and the new one says driver's side.

Maybe I need to crosspost to uk.legal?

M
Reply to
nospam

That's the *same one* assuming you have a righthand drive car.

JB

Reply to
JB

Yes. Hence my original question :-)

M
Reply to
nospam

Perhaps they put on a cheap and nasty pattern one, rather than genuine?

Reply to
mrcheerful

Maybe they *did* but a new one on, but had problems tracking it afterwards? (if the threads on the steering rack were quite rusty), and used heat to adjust it, causing premature wear? - Hence it failing again one year later....

Matthew

Reply to
Matthew Long

afterwards?

I doubt that, as in order to fit it the threads would have to be workable. Possibly they changed something else but wrote down track rod end when they meant bottom ball joint?

mrcheerful

Reply to
mrcheerful

replying to nospam, Jacqueline greaves wrote: Mine has failed every year on this which is why I've asked on thus forum is that normal or am I being done over

Reply to
Jacqueline greaves

The UK DIY newsgroup is starting to get many articles from home hub that resurrect decades old Usenet articles and promote these articles to a current topic. The users of home hub then reply without quoting any context so the majority of their answers/questions don't make any sense. The lack of quoting seems to be a deliberate attempt by home hub to get Usenet recipients of these posts to visit the web site.

It looks if the same organisation is now masquerading as motors forum and is using the same tactics. The original article that motors forum have used to generate this question was posted in 2005.

In the DIY newsgroup posters from this web site are usually directed to

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Perhaps this newsgroup needs an equivalent page to deal with motors forum users who cannot read dates or fail to include any relevant information in the body if their posts.

Reply to
alan_m

But if a modern question which can be answered, such as this one appears to be) turns up, then it deserves an answer, surely?

If TREnds are actually worn out in a year on a normal, normally used car, then it would indicate the the part is very poor quality, if it happens again then make sure the replacement is a genuine, maker's part, or go to a different garage.

Reply to
MrCheerful

Thing is you rarely get any response from the OP so can't ask for clarification.

Could be one failed one year, and the other the next. This gets translated into every year. ;-) Or, of course, the MOT place making up things. I've had that on several occasions.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Indeed. I don't think these users realise that the forum they're using organise threads by date of *first* message, not most recent. Consequently for them to read any response, the need to search back years to find them.

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

The general point is this newsgroup will soon have a lot of these seemingly random questions and if the DIY group experience is typical the questions/answers with have no sensible reference on which to base any reply

In this case I don't see in this newsgroup any reference to the car type or age or if it was the same garage all the time. The thread on the web site covered a range of cars models and from what I see nothing relevant to this question.

Based on the information the OP has given us then yes it's possibly a rip-off.

Reply to
alan_m

Did a friend's drop links with eBay specials and the rubber boots lasted a matter of weeks. The joint was OK of course but the boot can be the fail so I can imagine cheapy track rod ends going the same way.

Reply to
Scott M

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