I watched a youtube video and it looks pretty easy to replace the outside and inside tie rods on the ML320. However my experience is that in reality it is usually quite a bit more difficult than it looks online.

The inside tie rod requires rental of a special tool from Pep Boys. For the outside tie rod on youtube the guy just pounded it from the bottom - he hit the crown nut - with a rubber mallet and it came out easily. Do I need a pickel fork tool (is that what it is called) to separate the outside tie rod from whatever it is attached to?

What I did not like was the fact that he used a zip tie to secure the rubber boot on the inside tie rod. He called the inside metal clamp a sacrificial clamp which could not be reused and he actually used a zip tie instead of a metal clamp. He said that some of the tie rod kits included a new metal clamp but he did not have one.

On the other hand the labor is only $150 so I am questioning whether it is worth my time and effort or should I go to Pep Boys?

What do you guys think? I see that Peachparts has the tie rods for about $20-30 each compared to $100 at Pep Boys.