Back in July I decided to replace all of the rod ends in the rear of the car, because of the creaking noises as the suspension moved. Also used the FK JMX model and has been quiet ever since with many miles put on them.
I did not do the front rod ends on the upper or lower A-arms when I changed the rears out. I'm going to be doing it soon!
While checking out the front end to come up with a tow hook solution, I noticed some brown dust on the frame at the lower a-arm brackets and saw that the rod ends in the lower A-arms were rusting internally, I did get caught out in one rain event in September but I'm sure the damage was done prior. Both pics below are from the forward rod ends of the low a-arm on both sides of the car. The rear rod end on drivers side lower is also showing some signs of rust. I do not see any rusting on the uppers at this time, but probably a matter of time. The car has about 3700 miles on it now.
If you have the QA1 rods ends, check your front end rod ends and if you have any significant amount of miles on them, they're probably shot. They will be replaced with FK RSMX8-T with 1/2" bore-5/8" thread.
