I had the front suspension bushings replaced recently and the mechanic said that the ball joints needed attention soon, as well as new struts. The front end feels rather loose. I was looking into doing the ball joints and struts myself, so as not to spend 1000 bucks or so at the mechanics. My question is: if I'm replacing the ball joints that attach to the strut towers, is it likely that I'll need to replace the ball joints on the tie-rod ends as well? Do these things tend to wear out at the time, or are they totally separate? The parts themselves seem cheap enough, and if I'm going to be under there anyway and then paying for an alignment when I'm done, should I replace all of them? thanks. I've read the FAQ but I didn't see an answer to this...