1998 Q45 Rack and Pinion, Tie Rod?

[ElvisVincent]

Greetings. New to this forum. I have a 98 Q45 that has 185K on the odo. Today a shop told me the passenger side tie rod is "loose" and the vehicle cannot be aligned without changing that out. He warned that doing so might uncover a rack and pinion that may need to be changed. The AC and Trans. have never been worked on, to my knowledge. I picked the car up with 115K on it. I'm wondering if it is worth putting in whatever the cost of the suspension/steering comes out to be into a car with that many miles. The usual peripherals have been worked on/changed out since I got the car. Starter, Alternator, power steering, one coil, I think the water pump. The engine still runs pretty well.

Opinions? Advice?

Thanx,

Elvis

[OwnerCS]

Welcome to NICO!

Are you the Do It Yourself (DIY) type?

Just for basic price reference purposes, MOOG tie rod ends are about $36 each for the outer and $45 each for the inner. Did the mechanic indicate inner or outer?

You'll most likely want to replace the rack boots at the same time..

So an approximate cost for parts replacing inner and outer joints with rack boots is:

$36 x 2 = $72
$45 x 2 = $90
$23 x 2 = $46
Total $208

Some online sellers have web site coupon discounts that will bring the price down %15 percent..

You will need to add in the cost of an alignment. Rack bushings could also need replacement. Some other members know the best place for rack overhaul or replacement.

If you think you might want to DIY, a thread about replacing the rack boots is listed below. The tie rods are shown in that posting.

The posting is for the 1st generation Q -- though I can't imagine the 2nd generation being too different.

g50-power-steering-gear-boot-bellow-rep ... 34034.html

[ElvisVincent]

Thanx for the info. I am at a different mechanic's shop this AM and guess what; the tie rod is not "loose" enough to prevent alignment. The toe was out, and that is all that needed adjustment. Go figure, a shop telling me I needed to do expensive repair that wasn't called for. I'm sure that's never happened before, right? I'll be keeping an eye on this, but an alignment and a new set of tires will get me down the road nicely. We are only looking for this car to get us through to next January or so, when the wife unit wants her mid-life-crisis-mobile (hard top convertible). Cross fingers and throw the chicken bones for that.

Elvis

[maxnix]

Check the steering rack bushings before you align because if they are shot, it can't be aligned.