Hey guys hey.

not a fan of posting new thread however this is a unique question on an old subject.

10k miles ago I had a very reputable Mini/bmw indy replace both sides of the inner and outer tie rods.

at my inspection the mechanic came and got me. With the driver side wheel in the air he grabbed the wheel at 2 and 7, told me to put my hand at 11 o’clock, and pulled/pushed the wheel (not spin). There was play and I could feel a damped bump.

He said it was the ball joint or tie rods (I kept it to myself that I recently had them done).

Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to do this work myself.
How can I tell which one is the culprit so I don’t get taken? Or is it something else- wheel bearing, other?

 

Seems like the mechanic should tell you what he thinks it is.

Normally to check for play in the tie rods, one would have hands at 3 and 9 while trying to shake the wheel.

Play felt in the wheel with hands at 2 and 7 would most likely indicate something besides the tie rods - perhaps the ball joint. Could also be wheel bearing but wheel bearing generally would be noisy while driving (grinding noise) long before being worn enough to have that much play in it.

Could you get a second opinion from a different shop?

 

Since it’s a really common problem with these cars could it possibly be worn front control arm bushings, or at least part of the problem?

Not sure how much force it would take to move with no load on the suspension, or what kind of movement there was, but the stock bushings are known to disintegrate over time and would cause sloppiness in the suspension.

Have yours ever been replaced? If so, did you use stock/oem or urethane bushings?