Tracking - Best (value) place?

"Kaptain Kremin" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Very likely.

Any halfway competent tyre place or garage.

Not a lot, but considerably more in Central London than rural Cumbria.

if the astra was new then it would cost about 20 quid. trouble is that vauxhalls in particular seem to suffer from the track rod ends rusting on solid, so if that happens it can cost a lot more to get it done. If you are capable, then make sure that the track rods ends can be turned, stripping down and greasing as needed, then when you take it in you won't get turned away or get a fright at the bill.

Cheers Mr. C. Funnily enough have just phone a couple of local independents.

First one said " they're always rusted and seized - 45quid"

Second said "I like to do them properly and always strip down and grease as I go - 20quid"

Both aware of car and age.

KK

"Kaptain Kremin" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Sounds like a bargain.

My thoughts exactly. He came over well enough so I think I'll call in tomorrow and book it in for next week.

KK

Sounds good to me. I normally pay about £30 in london.

Fair price.

To cheap to get the job done properly.

I just had some new tyres on the BMW and asked for tracking - when I picked it up they hadn't done it as it was seized solid and they couldn't shift it. Said they'd run out of time and would have to book it in for a couple of hours slot to make sure they could get them unstuck - it works out cheaper to get a new pair of track rods from GSF and just replace them, *then* get it tracked.

Track rods and tie rods are the same thing, right? GSF lists them as tie rods.

Also, I hear that the MOT now includes checking for 'components subjected to excessive heating' which means that the couple of garages I've asked said they weren't allowed to use a torch to loosen them off any more. Is that true too or did they just not want the hassle?

That's in the regs, & if you have heated the end of the rod to cherry red then that would be excessive heat. But if you're going to change them anyway then you just split them with a nut splitter.

Was having mine tracked the other day (25quid+VAT, at a one-man-in-a-shed place) and the bloke said that the modern track rod ends have nylon nuts in them, so heating them just melts the nylon and means they won't lock properly afterwards. So even if you have new ends on an old car that presumably still applies.

Theo

Fair enough, I'll just let it lie... and get new ones.