Hey guys! I have a quick question for you all. My 05 SS supecharged monte is now at 93k miles. The dealership i go to for my oil changes and check ups is claiming its time for new tire rod ends and lower control arms. How can i know for sure that its time? I know these FWD cars cause more ware to these parts but is there any way i can know for sure? The car drives fine, quite, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.

Anyone know how i can check for sure? Anything i should be experiencing if its time for new control arms and tie rod ends?
P.s. How long do they usually last?

Any comments are welcome!

Thanks!

 

Everything should be replaced at a interval, just cause they say so doesnt mean u have to. Why fix it if its not broke or wore out? You would feel it if its wore out. And if u dont have the money for it, dont worry. Im replacing things piece by piece, before i even get to 100k. And if you dont beat on your car, things should be fine. Just my opinion, dont fix it if it aint broke.

 

Thanks for your input! My uncles a real gear head and he said the same thing. He said there would be uneven ware on the tires and if it not broke dont fix it

 

I agree with Hiroska. If it rides good ,is quiet with no wear keep cruising

 

Tie rods worn out you would hear like a faint popping noise and feel it in your steering.

Like above said, if it rides nice and smooth, i wouldn't worry about it.
If it was me, I'd take it to a different place and have em check it out, get a second opinion.

 

The lower control arm bushings on these cars tend to dry and crack. Even though the car may appear to drive smoothly they are probably moving around on you. I just replaced the lower arms on mine with just over 101,000 miles on them. The outer tie rods were replaced at approx. 90,000 miles. Even though the car drove straight as an arrow down the street the alignment would fluctuate because of the worn bushings. After replacing the lower arms the car drives smoother, the ride is more comfortable and the nose feels a lot more stable entering corners. The reason replacement of the entire lower arm is being suggested is because it is cheaper to replace the whole unit versus the cost and labor of pressing the old bushings out and the new ones in.. Not only that, but you get an improved design and a new lower ball joint at the same time.

Tie rods can wear and not make a popping sound. If they pop, they are dry (no grease) and have been for quite a while allowing the pivot arm to wear. If there is any side to side movement within the tie rod it should be replaced.

If you don't have confidence in the diagnosis get a second opinion, but the mileage makes your car a likely candidate for the suggested repairs.

 

I have 212,000 miles on my 06 Monte...never have needed tie rods or control arms on it. Still has a smooth ride, tracks straight, gives even tire wear and handles good. Unless the shop is saying there is a problem with your current tie rods/ control arms, I wouldn't replace it just as a maintenance item.

 

Its pretty obvious...good maintenance is key to our front wheel drive Monte's... Regular lubes at oil change time..Certainly helps...
Admittedly around 95,000 miles I needed a right side out tierod end... which I did have replaced... Me personally.I don't trust dealerships...!!!

I do have a shop I have been regularly taking my Monte to.... and I know I can trust them... I regularly have mine put up on the rack to check things out... Unless I hit a pothole that I feel has changed the geometry..(Which I haven't yet this year) or notice some unusual wear in the tires... (I do rotate mine every 3000 miles) ..... I wouldn't be overly concerned..As mentioned previously... Getting a 2nd opinion would be a great idea....

Mine now has over 167,000 miles on it and its a 1999... which means in the past 14 yrs of owning driving my Monte ... (It was a daily driver til this year) I have had to replace 1 tierod end... struts and cartridges once and had the trans rebuilt... That's it!
So it all boils down to personal preference on how well you maintain it... IMO.

 

I thought my car had a very comfortable ride and handled good. After replacing the lower control arms it's like driving a completely different car. Keep in mind that there was no real indication the parts were worn. It drove straight as an arrow and didn't exhibit any irregular tire wear.

I think a lot of you with 60K or more on your car would be surprised how cracked and dry your control arm bushings and stabilizer bar bushing/end links are.

 

Thanks for all the feedback you guys! Im going to get a second opinion for sure.