Track rod control arms?

[ihadablackdog]

Disclaimer: I know nothing mechanical so please be kind!

Took car for 4 wheel alignment yesterday and was told the adjustments were seized.

He said the threads in the track rod control arms, inner and outer were corroded. This was on the front, can’t recall which side. The rear on the same side is the same.

He said it’s best to replace both sides at the same time.

Is this something that would be covered on bmw extended warranty? I’m thinking it’s classed as wear and tear so probably not. If it is, I have £250 excess, so would it be worth claiming?

What would be a rough idea of cost, and what about rears?

[lucasxdiniz]

Went to a cheap alignment place (more to get alignment checked than anything else, as I thought it would be fine), they said my tie-rods were seized and they couldn't align my car, then proceeded to give me a ridiculous quote and say I had 5deg of toe on one side

Took it to a proper place, they aligned my car without any problems and found my toe was out by .3deg rather than 4+deg. So maybe get a second opinion if you went to a chain garage.

[andyf1140]

I've had the same experience so would also recommend getting a second opinion.

[ihadablackdog]

Thanks. It’s Kwik Fit BUT before you laugh, my branch have been good to me over the years, not charged me for work in the past and I do trust them. However, I don’t know about this stuff, so who knows.

They do use Hunter systems though.

I’ll get a 2nd opinion from somewhere else

[flybobbie]

Another crap design as they are slotted and that allows the thread to rust.
I warmed them gently with a blow torch with lots of oil to lube.
But don't go mad as you can damage the ball joint.
In fact you could wrap a wet rag around and pour cold water over the ball end, whilst warming the thread end.

[Cees Klumper]

Good quality tie rod ends are about $50 each side, $100 from BMW and $170 including the part they screw onto, if that's also corroded. But sounds like the corrosion issue should normally not be severe enough to require replacement.

[ihadablackdog]

Thanks.

Taking Debs car into BMW on Saturday so will ask if they will have a quick look (for free!) to confirm the rust issue.

If needed I’ll get some quotes from them and other indies, but from the sounds of it, it might not need replacing.