Hi,
Question to see if anyone else has had this repair. Currently in progress so still waiting on more info.

The dealer last week told me that the driver side tie rod end - outer - has "play" and needs to be replaced. Replacing this would also need alignment.
I went for a 2nd opinion as I only have 29k miles and have had the car since Nov 2019 so it seems early to me to be replacing this. My local mechanic who I trust said on 1st look he thinks it is the inner tie rod and would require replacing the steering rack. He is double checking this as that would be signficant.

Anyone else have a repair like this so early in the car's life?

 

It's possible. A tie rod end is supremely easy to detect/diagnose so I doubt they're yanking your chain. It's also incredibly cheap and incredibly easy part to replace. Such a repair is a non-issue. Have them fix it and go about your day. Should be under warranty. And to top it off you get a free alignment.

 

In fact I could replace it blindfolded by feel only. Super duper child's play.

 

It's not covered under warranty so they quoted $814 to fix. So that's why I took it for a 2nd opinion. 29k miles seems early to be having a tie rod issue. Maybe it's because 2019 was the 1st year of the F Sport suspension in the ES?

 

Isn't warranty 5 years/50k miles or something like that

 

it's like $35. takes a couple of wrenches. get yourself a $100 alignment after. done.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/39440884274...3ABFBMivaJwv9h

 

Maybe timed out on the five years regardless of mileage although seems unlikely as well unless his was the first off the assembly line.

 

Looks like the 2019 warranty was 4 years, unfortunately. So OP is either just inside or just outside the warranty. If he bought the car NEW in November 2019, he should still be covered and shouldn't agree to pay.

 

That's right - power train six years so he likely timed out on the years. Too bad. But failure of that in only 29K miles? Must have been damaged along the way.

 

I think the service tech on Friday must have mistaken it. You are correct. She had said i was powertrain at this point. But basic is 4 years/48 and I got it in Nov 2019. So I called back and they confirmed it is covered under the basic warranty if it was not damaged by an accident or something (which it was not). So i'll be taking it back to the dealer this Friday to be addressed...

thank you!

 

E46 - when my tie rod goes bad and I have you replace it, I'll ask you to remove the blindfold - okay?

 

LOL. my point was to illustrate even worst case scenario how much of a non issue the tie rod is. but i was right its under warranty.

 

Tie rods sometimes are very hard to remove, especially on rust belt.

If the tie rod has play, I would get an aftermarket one (Moog, Febi...) and replace it.

 

Moog ain’t what it used to be. OEM only on a car this new. Would never pay anyone to replace outer. I would pay for inner only because I am too old for that now. I replaced an inner on my 99 Avalon 10 years ago…was not that bad but I could not do it now.

 

A good shop will offer to have the mechanic demonstrate to you when a ball joint / tie rod / bushing is bad. They’ll have you stand under the car and watch them jiggle it to show you it’s loose and worn/broken.

Seems unlikely the rack is bad at this low mileage, but maybe you hit a bad bump or pothole sideways?

Suspension work on a car like this is pretty sinple and any shop can handle the work. I’d look for a second opinion if dealership is putting a big repair quote your way. Edit: I just saw you had two opinions already