I looked at the pics and I don't see really any rust issues and furthermore that tie-rod is made of some sort of alloy I believe

 

You need glasses or something? lol

 

Living in California you don't have a clue what rust is or what normal aging is like. Most suspension components are not heavily rust proofed, coated or protected and will develop a light layer of surface rust/oxidation. This does not affect the integrity of the components whatsoever and is quite normal

His failure of the tie rod is caused by a crack or abnormal failure of the component as it is quite hardy and not a stamped piece of steel but rather a solid component that is casted.

 

Thank you! These fair weather types just have no clue.

 

A few people have made mention of the "cheap components" used on the suspension of the W203. I have just replace most of my suspension and did not find the parts cheap by any means. I replaced the upper and lower control arms, tie rod ends, and brakes. I was run off the road, over a curb which messed up the lower control arm on one side. I figured while I was working on the car, I might as well replace the tie rod ends and upper arms. Cheap insurance as the parts were not too expensive.

Everything seemed fairly well made and the arms were no worse than any other car I have worked on.

 

Yes - It depends what you are comparing with. It's only valid vs. a Benz of 15 years ago.

 

I think that the general parts are well made or the engineering intent is there as they are solid cast parts and not the typical stamped steel parts. I think the problem lies in the fittings on the ends are not durable or well made as I have had to replace (under warranty) almost every part on the front as the the bushings, ball joints and attachments wear much quicker than any car I have had (except my TR6 where I have had to change bushings and trunions on a regular basis) and resulted in a clunky and noisy front suspension. The sway bar (anti-roll bar) linkages wear out just by looking at them.

When the front end is tight, the precision of the steering and control of the car is second to none and you don't have to correct and re-correct your steering to keep the car straight

 

I"m getting a lot of suspension squeaking from the left rear. Sounds like an old car squeaking when the left rear suspension moves up and down. Has anyone else experienced this symptom/fixed this squeaking noise? I've noticed it is intermittent. It's rather loud when the window is down, less noticeable with the window up. Can't hear it at all when the stereo is playing. Thanks in advance for any help. FYI this California '02 C230 hatch/coupe has 239,000 miles and I'm the original owner.