Just had my oil change done yesterday and the Tech told me my tie rod ends were bad and need to have them replaced. The Max has 114K on the odo and seems odd to replace them this soon. Anybody had theirs replaced?

 

Seems to be a good idea for people(incl. me), who have higher mileage on the ODO :

"After not really being able to find anything amiss on the car, out of frustration I bit the bullet and had the tie-rod ends replaced. Result? Steering feel is MUCH tighter. Most of the slop that I felt had crept in is now gone. Feels much more solid, and less noise and "clunking" over uneven road surfaces. Feels more like it did the first day I drove it off the dealer lot."
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=407480

 

Mine are due to be done in the spring. One side was a bit loose when I changed over to my winter tires. 200K KM. I am expecting that there will be other stuff under there that will need changing, like bushings (sway bar, control arms, etc.)

 

You could change them yourself. Remove the nut that holds it in place twist off the old one and put the new one on. If you are replacing the entire rod then you'll see where it connects. Save yourself the loot, get under there and do your own work.

You can buy your parts from Auto Zone for around 30.00 bones. **** has a lifetime warranty on their parts. Gotta love it!

http://www.autozone.com/N,14600194//...eResultSet.htm

 

How do the boots look? If your wheel doesn't shake at highway speeds I wouldn't worry about it.

 

at that mileage, replacement is a MUST. Personally, I replace mine every 50k miles or so on all my cars.

It's an easy job to replace them. Once you're done, make sure you go directly to the alignment shop though!

 

I have a friend of mine who is going to do the install. All I have to do is buy the parts. Which are the better brands, Nissan oem? autozone?

 

I did an oil change the other day at the dealership. They told me the tie rod ends are split and need to be replaced (2nd dealership to tell me this). The boots are fine its just the front suspension seems loose and I feel every imperfection in the road.

 

my suggestions are that you use oem parts made by nissan. call daveb and order them

 

I figured as much. I sent Dave an email yesterday. He might be on the 4 day weekend pass. I didn't know if there was a performance brand for around the same price that could be better than oem.

 

So even without going to a mechanic, can anyone tell me if the following problems = bad tie rods?

Clunking whenever going over any sized bump, rattle noise as well, when turning at slow speeds, I hear a rubbing/groaning sound. (sounds like whoooomp lol)

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=540023

Set of racing tie rods in the box, can't tell if he has sold them or not.

 

something like a tie rod end I would stick with oem...

 

whats the difference between racing tie rods and oem?

 

Probably just heavier duty, maybe stiffer too.

 

agreed. There is no need for a "racing" setup. It's just a balljoint, basically....adn they're cheap.

sounds more like a bad strut.....doesn't soundd like a tie rod. they don't really make noise when they go bad, they just get loose as hell and steeringg is sloppy.

 

Just remember, when replaceing them yourself it is highly recomended to have a wheel alignment, you can get them close but to get it exact you need a alignment.