Replacing Tie Rod Ends

While doing suspension maintenance, I decided to replace the tie rod ends. When placing the order, I bought complete tie rods, but after later verification, it turned out that my current ones, after 76K mileage, were still in relatively good condition. When replacing tie rod ends, it must be done skillfully to avoid damaging the steering rack – I recommend reviewing various tutorials from YouTube, etc.

Removing Tie Rod Ends

Unfastening tie rod ends from the steering knuckle

To change the tie rod ends, they need to be unfastened from the steering knuckle. Several photos of this process can be found in my earlier post about removing the steering knuckle.

We start by unscrewing the M12 N90942902 nuts at the steering knuckle:

To avoid scratching the cradle (powertrain support), I secured the tie rod using an elastic puller.

Marking the current position*

Before unscrewing the ends from the rods, it’s good to roughly mark their current position. If we’re replacing them with identical ones, this should help maintain approximately the correct toe alignment. There are different approaches here – from what I’ve seen on YouTube, some people simply mark the tightening degree with a marker, others measure the remaining thread with a caliper, and others count the turns. With aftermarket parts, this doesn’t make much sense, as the forging shape will be slightly different 99% of the time.

In my case, the left side looked like this:

and the right side as shown in the following photos:

Either way, after the whole process, you’ll need to set the toe alignment, so there’s no need to worry if you attach them “by eye” – the only downside will be the steering wheel position – probably, to drive straight, the steering wheel will be slightly turned to one side. Just remember not to drive like this for too long, as the tires will wear unevenly.

* – If you’re going straight to alignment after replacement, there’s no point in marking the position.

Unscrewing the Tie Rod End

Required Tools

To unscrew the tie rod end in the Polo 6R, you’ll need 13mm, 19mm, and 21mm open-end wrenches. If the ends haven’t been unscrewed for a long time, a hammer will also come in handy.

Removing the Tie Rod Ends

If you have access to a lift, everything can be unscrewed more conveniently while the end is attached to the steering knuckle. In my case, I was only using a regular jack, so to create more working space, I unscrewed the end from the steering knuckle and tilted it to the side to freely operate the wrenches.

If you haven’t changed them before, unscrewing the end won’t be easy. In my case, the original TRW ends were still installed. Over 10 years, the connection had thoroughly corroded… From what I’ve seen on the internet, seized ends are a common phenomenon, and many people choose the simpler way – replacing them together with the tie rods.

When there was no chance of moving the left rod end, I started trying with more leverage using a wheel wrench:

However, greater leverage didn’t help, hammering didn’t help either, and the seized tie rod ends stayed as if they were welded together…

I changed the 300-gram hammer for a 3-kilogram one. Only after several hits with the bigger hammer on the rod end was I finally able to unscrew it:

The right side was less problematic and came off without major issues.

After removing the ends, I cleaned the thread on the tie rods using regular car oil and a wire brush.

Detailed information about tightening torques can be found here.

New Tie Rod Ends

When buying new tie rod ends, I did some research and noticed that currently, Lemforder produces OE rods.

Part Numbers

Compared to the previous version, the rubber boot has been changed and the bottom is different. Apart from that, the forging angles are the same. It looks exactly the same with OE parts from the dealer.
Additionally, Lemforder includes the M12 N90942902 nut in the set.

Here’s a comparison of the old end to the new one:

Photos of new Lemforder tie rod ends:

Price: 160.93 PLN