I have an 01 i30t and am looking to overhaul my front suspension. It makes quite a racket on the bumps and I know at least one tie rod end is shot. When I bought the car, I thought the alignment was off but it checked out, and it turned out the tires were so severely worn that they were the culprit for my hard pull to the right. New rubbers last fall proved to "fix" the problem at the time, but after a year, I can tell it is again unevenly wearing and starting to pull again.
I am planning on replacing the struts and outer tie rod ends, but if I really wanted to dive into this and do a complete overhaul, what else should I consider replacing? I am not looking to enhance the suspension system in any way, simply refurbish it.
Also, am I mistaken, or does the complete transverse link assembly need to be replaced if the lower ball joints are shot? I looked at the FSM for the front suspension and it doesn't show the BJ as being replaceable, and it states the following, "Check ball joint for play. Replace transverse link assembly if any of the following cases occur. Ball stud is worn, play in axial direction is excessive or joint is hard to swing."
Alas, any recommendations on sites for cheap replacement parts for this sort of job? Need to keep it on the cheap, but don't want to go so cheap as to sacrifice quality and reliability.
Thanks!!
