Seized tie rod replacement: How much is reasonable?

[SketchMaster]

I will not lie, I drove so little in the past four years that I completely neglected getting a yearly alignment. Recently found out the tie rods on my 2012 Ford Focus sized up so hard that it took the dealer most of the morning just to get them taken off. They're quoting me $635 for all the parts and labor.

The breakdown is:

• $100 alignment
• $20 tire rotation (Yes, I could do this myself)
• $150 for the labor of getting the tie rods off.
• $365 for OEM inner/outer tie rods and install labor.

This seems a bit high, even for dealer work...

I've never had this type of work down before, so I'm not sure how little lube I'm getting here. Some advice online says it should be no more than $300 OTD, other info seems to point to this being not far from unreasonable.

 

[Rifter]

labor seem reasonable parts are expensive, IMO.

 

[DaTT]

The labour appears to only be 1.5 hours. If they told you it took them all morning for removal alone, you're getting a deal right there.

 

[boomerang]

Why would you need a yearly alignment?

 

[crashtech]

The parts are really expensive, I bet that is over OEM list because you are their hostage.
You could always call another dealership's parts dept. and get a price quote on the parts.

 

[SketchMaster]

After talking with them a bit we were able to work out a better deal. $496.43 out the door. I'm happy with the final breakdown:

• $99.95 alignment
• $19.95 tire rotation
• $156.06 for parts.
• $209.93 labor.
• $10.54 Tax

It was my first time at that dealer, so either they wanted to keep my money coming back or they realized I knew just enough to call BS. Didn't throw a fit, just asked the service rep to break down the cost better and we talked through each item. It may have helped that I asked them how much It would be to put the car back together so I could drive it to another shop.

Why would you need a yearly alignment?

Eh... Maybe you don't need it done yearly, but going four years without one is probably a bit ambitious...

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Why would you need a yearly alignment?

You don't. It's a good idea to get it done or checked once in a while, but if you don't aim at curbs and potholes, you shouldn't need it checked too often. And when you do get it checked, if the car isn't pulling left/right at highway speeds, the steering wheel is centered, and there's no shimmy or wobble at speed, you'll very likely get it back with "no adjustment needed" written on the form.

$365 for two tie rods and installation (which includes a labor charge, then) doesn't seem crazy to me, especially with dealership labor rates, but I would question why the work had to be done in the first place: this is the first time I've ever heard of a tie rod "seizing." Maybe they mean the adjustment nuts were rusted solid or the ball joints were stuck or something, and they had to be cut off?

The "whole morning" may have been a failed attempt at waiting for penetrating oil to work. Aren't those nuts usually under some rubber boots or something? I've never had that happen, and I've put a lot of miles on a lot of cars that lived outside through many Minnesota winters.

 

[pcgeek11]

2012 should not have an issue with tie rods yet at all. If you drove it at all over the past year. It isn't like fruit it doesn't go by age. I think the dealer is scamming you.

I never heard of getting a yearly alignment, but I don't live in pothole city.

 

[SketchMaster]

$365 for two tie rods and installation (which includes a labor charge, then) doesn't seem crazy to me, especially with dealership labor rates, but I would question why the work had to be done in the first place: this is the first time I've ever heard of a tie rod "seizing." Maybe they mean the adjustment nuts were rusted solid or the ball joints were stuck or something, and they had to be cut off?

Correct. I found out about them during my last visit at another dealer I was a regular at. I was getting new tires mounted during an oil change and so they offered to do an alignment, but found the bolts were frozen. I didn't have time to fix them because it was right before a move to Colorado from Austin and they didn't have the parts on hand. I it was safe to drive with the current alignment, just not too great for brand new tires about to go 800+ miles in two days.

I think the dealer is scamming you.

A healthy stance to have, but I trusted my last dealer and I'd hope this dealer would have told me if the rods were fine and the other place was crooks.

 

[jlee]

You don't. It's a good idea to get it done or checked once in a while, but if you don't aim at curbs and potholes, you shouldn't need it checked too often. And when you do get it checked, if the car isn't pulling left/right at highway speeds, the steering wheel is centered, and there's no shimmy or wobble at speed, you'll very likely get it back with "no adjustment needed" written on the form.

$365 for two tie rods and installation (which includes a labor charge, then) doesn't seem crazy to me, especially with dealership labor rates, but I would question why the work had to be done in the first place: this is the first time I've ever heard of a tie rod "seizing." Maybe they mean the adjustment nuts were rusted solid or the ball joints were stuck or something, and they had to be cut off?

The "whole morning" may have been a failed attempt at waiting for penetrating oil to work. Aren't those nuts usually under some rubber boots or something? I've never had that happen, and I've put a lot of miles on a lot of cars that lived outside through many Minnesota winters.

Tie rods are generally adjusted by loosening a lock nut and then rotating the entire (threaded) shaft. The rubber boots generally cover where the inner tie rod connects to the steering rack (and also ball joint style boots where the outer tie rod end connects to the hub assembly).

 

[boomerang]

These are the circumstances under which I would get a wheel alignment done.

• My tires are wearing in a manner that is not normal.
• I am getting new tires and the set I am replacing are wearing in a manner that is not normal.

Barring the car being involved in an accident, or strut replacement, that's pretty much it. The point I'm trying to make is that wheel alignment is not a maintenance item that needs to be done on a schedule. Nor is rebalancing of tires which is something I see brought up here quite a bit.

 

[SketchMaster]

These are the circumstances under which I would get a wheel alignment done.

• My tires are wearing in a manner that is not normal.
• I am getting new tires and the set I am replacing are wearing in a manner that is not normal.

Barring the car being involved in an accident, or strut replacement, that's pretty much it. The point I'm trying to make is that wheel alignment is not a maintenance item that needs to be done on a schedule. Nor is rebalancing of tires which is something I see brought up here quite a bit.

I always get it done when I have my headlight fluid topped off. Way more convenient to do it at the same time.

 

[crashtech]

In my opinion it's prudent to do an alignment when changing tires, since normal suspension component wear does change alignment angles a little, and tires aren't cheap these days, well, at least not the ones I buy. It's a way to maximize tire life, and also to catch any wear item that might compromise tire life moving forward.

But I can't blame anyone for not aligning a vehicle until after symptoms are exhibited. Part of that decision might have to do with how rigorously the tires are inspected, how much they cost, who is driving, etc. Once when I wasn't paying enough attention, most of the tread got scrubbed off my wife's minivan front tires. Pretty sure in that instance at least, a timely alignment would have saved some money.

 

[mindless1]

Correct. I found out about them during my last visit at another dealer I was a regular at. I was getting new tires mounted during an oil change and so they offered to do an alignment, but found the bolts were frozen.

A healthy stance to have, but I trusted my last dealer and I'd hope this dealer would have told me if the rods were fine and the other place was crooks.

You might be placing too much trust in them. Their primary objective is to extract money, not be honest about a fair rate. OEM Motorcraft tie rods for that vehicle are about $20 each. Even if both inner and outer were replaced (why?) that's $80 in parts. If both inner and outer were replaced, I don't buy for a second that it took them over an hour to do so.

The fact that they budged so much on price when you questioned it, tells you there was something fishy going on. Frankly I wouldn't have taken it to a dealership at all for this. I've had worse experiences at them and would only go to one to get an OEM part that nobody else had, then install it myself if at all possible, try to get the alignment (tie rod adjustment) right by eyeball just enough to drive it to get a pro to do that.

If your vehicle really was that hard to do tie rods on, it must be massively rusted underneath and I would contemplate selling it before it gets worse. Usually, even here where they salt roads in winter, tie rods haven't rusted to the point where they're a problem after only 6 years. I am wondering if you told the 2nd shop what the first one stated so they saw an opportunity to do work that wasn't needed, that the scam was initiated by the first shop.

One thing I always advise people to do if they have any question about what parts need replaced, is ask for the old parts back. A shop can physically damage something to make it look like it needed replaced but adding years of corrosion on a moment's notice, is something that would require a vat of acid, technical skill (or else the acid eats OFF the rust) and more fscks than they give.

 

[C1]

If the parts of the auto that were being messed with are so messed up, then the question is, "what other undercarriage things are messed up also."

The whole undercarriage suspension system including struts, steering (arm & ball joints), brakes, etc. should be inspected for issues.

Pending the outcome report, you might want to dump the vehicle.

 

[Torn Mind]

Look at the parts here for prices. OEM is Motorcraft. Outer tie rods are held by a nut and friction. Inner tie rods are usually protected by the elements by a boot.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,2012,focus,2.0l+l4,1501060,steering,tie+rod+end,7428
That is some crappy metal right there and/or you live in Canada or New England.

Outer tie rods come off via sledgehammer, pickle fork, or puller.

Inner tie rods are covered in a boot.

In fact, since you say you drive so little, you should not be getting much corrosion at all since no salt is getting all over the metal and thus the nuts should adjust like a dream.

Premium tie rods cost maybe 30 bucks after shipping on Rockauto.

 

[Torn Mind]

I always get it done when I have my headlight fluid topped off. Way more convenient to do it at the same time.

July is not the time for April Fools. Anyway, ChrisFix made a joke vid alread about headlight fluid. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E6GsXhBb10k