Tie Rod End Right-Hand Thread | M12 | 6/68 on

Tie rod end with right-hand thread.
Diameter: 12 mm.
VW Beetle 1200 | 1300 | 1500 - left inner - from 6/68.

A worn steering ball joint or tie rod ball joint is recognized by excessive play, which on most vehicles is only noticed at the inspection. With a worn protective rubber it may be enough to replace the rubber, but it is not advisable to do so. In the time the rubber was damaged, dirt has entered, which mixes with the grease in the ball joint and leads to wear. You will probably have to replace the ball joint at the next inspection, but bear in mind that you have already driven for some time with a worn ball joint, which does not increase safety. A new tie rod end is not a big investment. On some joints you can choose between an A-quality, matching the original, and a B-quality. The B-quality is certainly not a bad choice, but you have to compromise on service life.

To make identification of the ball joint easier, the text states whether it has a left- or right-hand thread and how large the thread on the ball pin is. The tie rods are supplied with a self-locking nut or a castle nut with split pin (see picture). A castle nut can be replaced by a self-locking nut; the reverse is not possible.

Types of steering boxes:

On the old models of the Volkswagen Beetle and Karmann Ghia there is the worm-and-peg (spindle) steering, later replaced by a worm-and-roller steering. On the Beetle 1303 and T25/T3 Bus a rack-and-pinion steering was used. It is important to know what is fitted under your car; here is the full explanation.

Volkswagen used the spindle steering on the Beetle up to 1965 and on the Karmann Ghia up to 1961. From 1974 the Beetle 1303, like the third-generation buses (Vanagon T25/T3), was fitted with rack-and-pinion steering. Volkswagen did not implement this change for all models at the same time, so the list below shows when and on which VW model the system was used.

Spindle steering:
Beetle export model up to 1961 (chassis no. 3 933 184)
Beetle convertible up to 1961
Beetle domestic market (standard) up to 7/1965
Karmann Ghia up to 1961

Roller steering:
Beetle export model from 1961 onwards
Beetle convertible from 1961 to 7/1974
Beetle 1200, 1300, 1500 from 8/1965 onwards
Beetle 1302 and 1303 up to 7/1974
Karmann Ghia from 1961 onwards
VW Bus up to 7/1979
Type 3 all models and years
VW Type 181 (Thing) all models and years

Rack and pinion:
Beetle 1303 from 8/1974 onwards