Tire rod movement?

[Jehu]

The guy who checked my 540 yesterday showed me with squeezing adjustable pliers on the tie rod sockets that they appeared to compress slightly and he claimed this indicates they all need to be replaced.They seem to feel very snug when i turned the rods and weren't lose at all but he said the balls had been smashed in the sockets from harsh driving conditions and they're not supposed to have any room to move that way when squeezed together. I really only notice occasionally some slight vibrations from time to time but 90% of the time driving feels smooth. Is this an accurate claim and is it an urgent repair?

http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/jpg/slipjoint1.jpg

[Tiger]

He is right. It is a safety item but you can have some play as almost all cars on the road does have plays... However, that is only one part of the entire steering system that need to be replaced at due time.

So if he is saying only that one need to be replaced to tighten up the steering system, no... it is wrong. Does he have valid reason? Yes he does... When you get a new one, you can't squeeze it like he did.

Looking at your mileage, I suspect you got entire stock steering still in place... I would change them all and it will be good for another 166,000 miles.

[Jehu]

Thanks. I had the tie rod ends replaced when i bought it, 40,000 miles ago and shortly after that had the upper control arms and 750i bushings installed.He indicated 40,000 miles of punishing driving was not too soon to see the tie rod joints failing.Well, good enough then.

[Ross]

If the movement is clearly noticeable then the joints are worn. 40 is a bit premature but they are cheap so WTF.

[Jehu]

Yah, they compressed slightly but it was noticeable.Seemed like a couple of centimeters at most.