Wife’s SL500 had a really sloppy inner tie rod end that was discovered last week during a routine alignment. Shop quoted me $220 to do the tie rod including parts. Ouch.
Got a Lemförder tie rod from the Amazonians for $50 that’s on UPS for delivery this afternoon. In an effort to be efficient, I got under the car as soon as I got home in order to remove the offending tie rod. Got my HF ball joint popper tool out, put it on the outer tie rod end and had at it. Didn’t budge. Tap-tap-tap-tap. TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-BOOM! Wow. I knew it was going to pop, but I don’t think you’re ever completely prepared for one of these things to let go. Darned near soiled myself. The inner is a lot tougher, since it’s buried in the undercarriage with minimal clearance. I could barely turn the wrench 10-15 degrees at a time. Got it good and tight, then beat the crap out of it. POP! Done. The HF tool has paid for itself already. Car is ready for the new tie rod, which the UPS guy is just now pulling up with. Back to the garage… -D _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
