Tie Rod End Replacement, 1998 v70

Post by **MrAl** » 14 Jun 2016, 11:31

Hello,

I got a price from a local garage for 120 dollars (USD) to replace one tie rod end. The alignment wont be done until i bring it back in next month for strut replacement.

It sounds reasonable to me, but does it sound reasonable to you guys ?

The two front struts will be 500 dollars (USD) when i bring it back in.

beigg · Post by **beigg** » 14 Jun 2016, 12:31

Depends on brand and then if they are doing anything else other than JUST the outer tierod?

Post by **abscate** » 14 Jun 2016, 13:36

Thats one hour of labor for the tie rod, plus parts. Not only reasonable, but great price in NJ

Post by **tryingbe** » 14 Jun 2016, 14:21

TRW or Lemforder part only. No Meyle, URO, or any cheap part.

Post by **j-dawg** » 14 Jun 2016, 19:36

How much do you drive the car? Tire wear will be accelerated without the alignment. You're not going to kill a tire driving back home from the shop, but if you're gonna put a couple thousand on the tires before getting it aligned you could chew off some tread.

Post by **MrAl** » 15 Jun 2016, 07:56

Hi,

Thanks for the replies, interesting.

The job was quoted as taking 1/2 hour labor, and the part was $70 USD so that's the whole cost. It's done now

He showed me the front wheel on the lift, the wheel could be moved back and forth about 1/4 inch without moving anything else, which seemed to me to be a lot of play in that tie rod end. Could not tell by turning the steering wheel alone when behind the steering wheel sitting in the drivers seat, but when on the lift it was easy to tell it was loose.

I dont drive more than about 50 miles per month, and hopefully i'll get the alignment done next month.

The two front strut replacement is going to be costly however, quoted $600 plus tax.

Post by **abscate** » 16 Jun 2016, 00:43

1/4 inch of play is a lot, as in dont drive the car. once tie rod ends get that much slack, they are getting slammed back and forth on each turn until they break, and then things go Tango Uniform very quickly.

another good price on struts, be nice to this garage and dont tell Evan where it is orvthey will put their prices up.

Post by **MrAl** » 16 Jun 2016, 07:57

abscate wrote:1/4 inch of play is a lot, as in dont drive the car. once tie rod ends get that much slack, they are getting slammed back and forth on each turn until they break, and then things go Tango Uniform very quickly.

another good price on struts, be nice to this garage and dont tell Evan where it is orvthey will put their prices up.

Hi again,

Yeah i was very surprised to see it was that much play, because it drove quite well with no drift to either side or looseness in the steering wheel. I guess that's not a good test. I had this happen in several cars i had in the past but i always did the work myself, watching the thread count when installing. But i dont remember how i found out it was bad back at those times.

Might not be a bad price for the struts, but i hate paying that much for anything on the car

I dont mind spending 100 dollars or so once in a while, but wow 500 is a lot for me so it's a major thing.
With the repairs so far i am finding it hard to get anything actually 'nice' for the car, like the roof racks. It's been over a year now and i hate to spend anything on 'unnecessary' items for the car.

Does this sort of maintenance seem normal for this car? I probably spent 600 buck or more already on this car and had it for only about one and a half years. Is there any end to the repairs?

Thanks for the reply.

Post by **abscate** » 16 Jun 2016, 10:28

If you are paying for repairs, figure 10 cents per mile to drive a luxury brand sedan wagon. DIY runs about 1/3 of that.

Post by **sleddriver** » 16 Jun 2016, 13:12

MrAl wrote:Might not be a bad price for the struts, but i hate paying that much for anything on the car
I dont mind spending 100 dollars or so once in a while, but wow 500 is a lot for me so it's a major thing.
With the repairs so far i am finding it hard to get anything actually 'nice' for the car, like the roof racks. It's been over a year now and i hate to spend anything on 'unnecessary' items for the car.

Does this sort of maintenance seem normal for this car? I probably spent 600 buck or more already on this car and had it for only about one and a half years. Is there any end to the repairs?

Some things are indeed expensive, particularly when you pay someone else to do them for you. I'm not bashing indy's as they like everyone have to burden their labor rates to cover their expenses, keep the doors open, and eat. Sounds like your indy is a good one. With that said, these are cars that have proven they can go the distance when maintained.

Your one tie rod was shot. What about the other side? At this vehicles age especially, they should always be replaced in pairs.

I get the impression you bought this now 18yr old car on the cheap, expecting no repairs, and for those that do come, for them to be cheap. It won't happen. Not only on an old Volvo, but any old Euro car. Especially in your climate.

There's Nothing More Expensive Than An old Cheap European Car.

Finally, I wouldn't categorize suspension work as "unnecessary". At all. I would a roof rack though.