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Have a question regarding Outer Tie Rod Ends...I picked up a set off of Ebay from Detroit Axle for a reasonable price ($49 and change for inners and outers) but I am having some issues with customer service and the parts they send out....
When I went to install the passenger side outer tie rod end, it went pretty smoothly...no real complaints...when I went to grab the drivers side, I found a major foul up...they sent me (what appears to be) a RWD tie rod with the same number as the passenger side...so I hopped on the phone and after jumping though customer service hoops of hell, I thought everything was straightened out...they sent me a pair of replacement tie rod ends and thats when the trouble started again...
Here is what I bought: Web page from Detroit Axle Old tie rod end along side first shipped rt side tie rod end... What they sent...part 1 What they sent part 2 Size difference between what I originally ordered and what they re-sent...
It really looks to me like the tie rod ends with the castle nut are perhaps a RWD applicaton...has anyone else experienced with tie rod ends? Could it possibly be the correct type that they sent? I'll be getting on the phone tomorrow morning and seeing what I can get out of them as way of explanation...I already sent these pics along with a long write up to customer support...wish me luck...
the different angles are a problem. the different stud height isn't. the one with the locking nut needs the hex head so you can hold the stud from spinning when you tighten it. the castle nut will spin on easily without the stud turning as the lock is the cotter pin not the plastic in the nut. if you get one with the correct angle...the stud height doesn't matter as long as you have enough to fit the cotter pin in the castle nut.
If they won't help either start a dispute with paypal or your credit card company. It's funny how yanking the money back from them usually gets results.
If they won't help either start a dispute with paypal or your credit card company. It's funny how yanking the money back from them usually gets results.
Well, after spending almost 2.5 hrs on the phone with "customer service" with Detroit Axle...THEY threw in the towel and refunded my money for the outer tie rod ends. Not the result I really wanted...oh well life will go on. So, next step, full blown research mode activated...I first went back to Detroit Axle's Ebay ad and website to verify the part numbers were correct. Check part numbers match what I was informed and expected:
Parts numbers from the Detroit Axle Ebay ad.
I then hit Rock Auto and checked for part numbers there....
Rock Auto...Check out the part numbers circled in red...
And finally I called Summit Racing here in Sparks, NV. They confirmed the part numbers as being ES3572 as the Right tie rod end and ES3573 as the Left tie rod end.
Could it be just that easy? Did Detroit Axle really screw up the part numbering? I am going to find the tie rod end that I took off the right and measure and compare to the ones I was sent...Hopefully they are the correct size and I can just use what I have...Has anyone else run into something this strange with part numbers???
I think detroit axle goofed on the info on their page. Web designers are not mechanics.
I would like to hope so, however, each time I talked to "support" they kept confirming the part numbers from the website...going to find out in the morning...had to do a dump run for my father in law.