Yeah i took my car to the dealership after replacing every rubber part on the front and rear end also springs and shocks (everything was oem) They had the balls to tell me my ride hight is 3" (the wheels were about 3 away from the bottom of the wheel well) to high and they cannot do the alignment. The ride hight was on the money because i checked it like 10 times and the. Any way long story short the dealer does not know old cars the service new cars Old cars go to people that specialize in them not a dealership.

Tangofox,

Chances are very good that one side is worn out and the other is good. This is because one of the boots failed and only that tie rod end wore out.

P E H

FRANKENBENZ,

Who does this 120 point inspection? WHo is responsible for paying for the inspection and the repairs, buyer or seller?

Seems like this inspection would be a good thing to do before buying a used car.

P E H

A person wishing to get MD plates on a used car must submit the vehicle to a licensed MD inspection station: usually an indie garage or one associated with a gas station (rarely stealerships), for the inspection. As with all things these clearly spelled out points might be just as clearly misinterpreted, not applied to an older vehicle, bribed, might vary in quality from inspection station to inspection station, etc. Whatever, passing the inspection preceeds registration, plates, etc. Should the car fail, the submitting owner has 30 days or 1,000 miles to fix...and usually does so at the inspection station. (Might be a link there).

Three points:

1. I bought the 94 E320 Wagon at a VA stealership - which took it in trade. Solid, clean, low miles. One additional selling point: it had just passed VA inspection. Even so, I negotiated the sales contract with the proviso that this vehicle had to pass the MD tech inspection or no deal or the stealership would work off the gigs. Car flunked MD; gigs fixed; 60K miles later it is still Sweetness.

2. The inspection points/checklist itself should be a matter of public record. I've never found it on line, however here's the relative MVA link:
http://www.marylandmva.com/AboutMVA/INFO/58000-01T.htm
In Appendix A is a list of stuff checked. Note only 66 bulleted items. The inspection form itself has more, usually with additional tech details, limits, L/R or F/R, etc. The form is an element of my vehicle records binders, with tabs for projected maintenance schedule, parts invoices, workorders, my notes on location of probable rust throughs, welding done, etc.

3. When I look at a prospective 85 300D to add to the fleet, I use a more extensive checklist created in-house: a) the MVA form; b) stuff done to the various cars in my life; c) great stuff learned perusing this forum.

Works for me.

Good luck.

__________________
FRANKNBENZ

1985 300D "Old Blue" 265,000 (parts car )
1985 300D "Gray Ghost" 245,000
1985 300D "Silver Bullet" 160,000
1975 914 VW/Porsche "BC Car" 125,000
2010 Prius "Shocking!" 60,000
Text Message only: 301-728-1115

Why replace the ENTIRE rod if just the bushings are dead? It's far more reasonable to just swap the ends.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

If "reasonable" means that it's a good idea to pay more and get less, you are right.

Fact is, you can buy the entire tie rod assembly for less than what the two rod ends cost if purchased separately.

Also the ends often just won't come off without pulling the threads out of the sleeve.

I have tried to change just the ends before and if the car is not pretty new they just don't come out worth a hoot!

Tom W

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Not on my end. I can get each end for far less than the entire unit.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]