Hello Bricksters,

I just finished paying (hanging my head in shame for not being brave enough to try this at home) for two new tie rods and a lower ball joint for Inga (1986 245DL 150K+).

The drivers side tie rod was pretty worn, and the Passenger side lower ball joint was very loose. The ball joint on the drivers side was good. The tie rod on the passengers side was worn, but nothing like it's evil twin on the other side.

The question is, is there are way to control the wear on the tie rods? It happened slowly, the steering wheel got a little play in it over time. The it started shaking going over bumps, and towards the end it would jar you hard during left hand turns on the road at speeds over 50mph. The ball joint was my fault for not changing the tie rods sooner (I think).

Is there some sort of preventative maintance to extend the tie rod life, or do you just change them when the wheel gets too much play?

Just wondering.....