zippy320 said:
A bit off topic , I apologies for this , but what effect does this part have on the car when worn or if the boot is torn?
How would one know if it needs replacement?
If the ball joint is worn you will get a knocking sound when going over surfaces that are uneven left to right (relative to the car). From my experience I found it particularly noticeable when entering of exiting a driveway.
The easiest thing to check is simply to inspect the boots, if they are torn, there is a good change the ball joints will be worn and if not they will soon be worn. If the boots are torn, you can remove them and check the ball joints, if they move freely and easily, they will need to be replaced, either the whole end link or the ball joints. If however they move with some resistance there is probably still some life left in them and you could probably get away with cleaning and regreasing the ball joint and then sealing it with a new boot.
