206 Gti Track Rod End

[simonpow]

can anyone help i have just been told my car failed an mot due to a track rod end and problems with the handbrake. what causes the rod end to go is it just pot hole and bumps etc and how long should they last as someone replaced the same one about 10 months ago cheers


Also anyidea what the cost should be????????

[john_h]

just went onto eurocarparts myself and had a look...most i can see them going for is £25.

quoted from ECP:
"Track Rods are fitted to each end of the steering rack, and are adjusted to set the tracking. A critical component of your steering system, they consist of an inner and outer track rod. The outer track rod is connected to the steering knuckle on the wheel and the inner to the steering rack and pinion.
Loose track rods will cause excessive play, bad wheel alignment and poor control. If you start to notice the car 'shimmying', it is time to get your track rods replaced. Always use quality track rods and be sure to check on line to find a wide range of track rodsfor any car.

A track rod end is the end of your steering track. It's a flexible steering link in the form of a small ball joint that connects the tie rods to the steering knuckles. Whilst some are sealed other may require greasing every 6000 miles.
Wear in the track rod end ball joints will result in a feathered wear pattern on tyres and is, according to many experts, the leading cause of quick tyre wear. It is recommended that track rod endson either side of the vehicle should be replaced simultaneously."

so say £25-£30 plus labour your looking at around £60 maybe?

[simonpow]

cheers

thats ok i got told to fix it and the handbrake would be £60 + VAT so sound good to me