The ball joint represents a removable tie rod end, consisting of wedges, housing, ball pin and protective cover. Such a construction of the ball joint provides exploitation convenience of this part. If the vehicle is operating in normal conditions, and the owner is driving with accuracy, the ball joints can serve for a quite long period of time. Furthermore, the owner should also think about the condition of hinge covers, which often let dirt through, and they must be replaced even if there is only a small crack on them. How do you know that a ball joint is out of order? Very simple – by the sound, as when driving off a clicking sound is heard. Also, an unpleasant sound is heard while turning the front wheels. Broken parts can also be detected by a noticeable noise underneath the car and a strong vibration.

If you follow the rules of the normal operation of the vehicle, ball joints can last up to 60,000 kilometers. However, if you do drive off abruptly, speed up on bad roads or if your car is skidding, for example, in mud or snow, you can be sure that the service life of the drive shaft joints and ball joints is greatly reduced. By the way, improper operation of the car leads to deterioration not only of these parts, but also many other. At the same time every car owner has the right to handle his car as he wants, depending on operating conditions, but in this case he should be prepared for changing auto parts quite often.

To avoid wasting a lot of money on parts for your car, you can use our online store that offers a huge selection of original spare parts at reasonable prices. If you need a strut bearing, a water pump or a working cylinder, you will always find the right part at a reasonable price in our online store.

What you need to know about ball joint replacement: lifetime limits, common defects and their signs, tips and recommendations

Service life of the ball joint can reach 100,000 – 120,000 operational kilometers. But if the car is used in off-road conditions, component service life can significantly reduce.

The front and rear ball joints lose their operability as a result of lifetime ending, abrasive wear, drying of greasing material. Breakage of the ball joint also can take place.

Need of component diagnostics is pointed by knocking in the suspension during driving on the rough road or obstacles overrunning, as well as wheel rocking from side to side. Uneven tyres wear-out, screeching at steering wheel turning can also be signs of ball joints defectiveness.

Component defect diagnostics is performed at a service station with the help of a special stand and lifting equipment. In order to replace the component you should also address to a service station. Specialists will lift the car, demount the wheel, unscrew the fixation nut of the ball joint to the steering knuckle. Sometimes there is a need to unscrew fixations of the stabilizer link and disconnect it from the lower arm. Then, using a special remover tool, the joint is pressed out of the steering knuckle and is removed from the lower arm. Then a new component is installed and assembling is performed. The lower and upper ball joints are replaced together.