Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest parts?

[alwayscode390]

I was told (and shown) that my rear inner toe link , and front steering gear need to be replaced. (tie rods)

They also said that you cant just replace the fronts, you need to get an entire new rack and pinion setup too?

My car only has 23k miles on it ('01 GTS) , is this typical?

The estimate they provided was $183 per rear (x2), and $937 for the front + alignment.

Total was $1800 with labor / parts.

Who sells these parts for cheaper than the dealer?

Please link me to an online place ... I would love to save some money on the parts before I get her back into the shop.

THANKS!!! ---

 

[Blainne]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

I remember communist MO... I failed an inspection due to water vapor dripping on my headers and making a little steam they said was smoke. Funny how the workers there have little vehicle knowledge, but know everything about the cars they inspect. I changed my plates to IL and stayed on the free side of the Mississippi River.

Good luck on passing inspection. Some states or certain counties at least are not car friendly. They won't be happy til everyone is behind the wheel of a Prius.

 

[hiss highness]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

vpa or other vca hosts and surprisingly ebay has some good prices

 

[alwayscode390]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

Yeah they are pretty ********. Seems like the cars have to be PERFECT , yet I see beaters on the roads all the time, lol.

I am always jumping through hoops when its time for new plates.

Personal Property Tax every year is a sad day too ... THANKS ! ---

 

[alwayscode390]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

vpa or other vca hosts and surprisingly ebay has some good prices

I will check Ebay , is there any inferior brand I need to watch for out there ... or are all the parts pretty much the same?

I wasn't sure if it was just best to stick with MOPAR stuff.


Thanks! ---

 

[hiss highness]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

complete rack assemblies on ebay starting from about 280 lots of options, dealer screws u, buy urself then pay someone the hourly,

 

[Blainne]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

Personal Property Tax every year is a sad day too ... THANKS ! ---

Oh yeah.. forgot about that fun bill. But in comparison other states charge more in other areas. (Higher registration or Sales tax...)

 

[alwayscode390]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

WHEW, thanks for letting me know that Hiss ... I already feel better , that's a $650 difference!!!

I haven't had a chance to search around yet. ---

 

[hiss highness]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

same with any parts, 18" bfg on tire rack are about 1200 bucks all around, from a tire shop up her it is 2600, ac hose on vpa 88, at the dealer they wanted 480, I either buy stuff on ebay or from a vca affiliate like vpa/etc. if someone is gonna screw me at least take my pants off first, ups is evil as well

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

I would go somewhere else for the inspection

 

[VIPER PIT]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

I had my rack and pinion set up rebuilt for 250.00 including the freight back to my house. They put better seals in it. Paid somebody to R & R it and saved money. Google Indianapolis Rack and Axle. They have done many OEM rack rebuilds for Vipers. Moisture is probably what got yours if is leaking. Get the Sean Roe vent tube for your power steering cap to keep water out of the reservoir.

 

[CEJ]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

What exactly did the shop show you that indicated those parts were bad? Torn boots or worn components with a lot of slop in them?

 

[Blainne]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

What exactly did the shop show you that indicated those parts were bad? Torn boots or worn components with a lot of slop in them?

Get a 2nd opinion from a shop that knows Vipers. The guys at the inspection place in MO are used to looking at 10 dollar beaters all day long and see a viper once in a blue moon. But he could be right.

 

[Coloviper]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

Sounds like your car plates need to be a resident of Montana. There are some members on here that do just that as no emissions, etc.. If the state screws with me one more time. My cars will be registered to my business in Montana.

 

[Blainne]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

Sounds like your car plates need to be a resident of Montana. There are some members on here that do just that as no emissions, etc.. If the state screws with me one more time. My cars will be registered to my business in Montana.

The trick is finding the states with No Emissions, No Inspections, No Front Plates, and NO PROPERTY TAX on your vehicles. I previously registered with IL, but they still have Front Plates. At the moment I'm using KY plates, but they still have inspections which are not in depth.

 

[EllowViper]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

My 2001 GTS's rear toe link boots are torn and split...but it sure doesn't affect functionality. They might be able to recommend that they be replaced, but sure shouldn't fail an inspection per se. Worst case, take them off for the inspection (the goober's wouldn't even know they were missing), and then reinstall. If I recall, Dodge Dakota rack-n-pinion is the same but the tie rod ends need more threads cut on the shaft to reach the Viper knuckle...

 

[KNG SNKE]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

PM was sent. I have one sitting in the garage but it needs an inner tie rod. I am not positive this portion of the assembly is replaceable and I haven't looked close at it.

 

[alwayscode390]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

The wheels had some slop in them from side to side on all 4 corners ... the rears were a lot worse than the fronts somehow.

The ebay stuff is Remanufactured ... is there anything wrong with going that route? I will check the vendors for the prices on new stuff from them.

I am not even positive on what parts need to be replaced, I haven't messed with the suspension stuff much.

Is this what I need for the front:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321131523494?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

and this for the rear? :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DODGE-VIPER...&fits=Model:Viper&hash=item5888bae1cb&vxp=mtr

I don't want to put used parts on , but I am figuring out exactly what I am dealing with here.

When they are talking alignment ... does this require front AND rear , or just a front alignment?

THANKS EVERYONE!!! ---

 

[Dan Cragin]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

These are some common issues, good they found them. The steering rack an be rebuilt or the inner rods replaced. The rear inner toe link are found at VPA or your dealer.

 

[Red Snake]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

Go to Dad's Auto in St Peters for the alignment. Hes an autocross guy with lots of Viper experience. He does Treesnakes cars and he did mine last summer. He'll take good care of your ride and his prices are good.

 

[alwayscode390]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

Thanks Red Snake.

Dan, I haven't done business with VPA before ... thanks for the heads up , I will check them out.

I will probably go rebuilt on the front end , and new with the rear stuff ---

 

[boman]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

There are shims where the steering rack attaches to the frame. It is very important that they should be replaced the same way when re-assembling. If they are missing there will be problems with bump steer, no matter how well the static alignment is done.

 

[alwayscode390]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

Thanks so much , that's awesome advice. ---

 

[99 R/T 10]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

Did you find a steering rack?

 

[alwayscode390]

Re: Failed State Inspection ... rear and front tie rods/ rack and pinion; cheapest pa

Im going to go with a rebuilt unit ... that's all the mechanics would have done if they could have LOL ... and the price is less than 1/3 of a new one ---