you reminded me i've got a couple of clio 1.2,1.4,etc tie rods in the shed that are new. on those i can't even move the ball joint.
i've been playing with the new one again and it feels uneven when you move the joint around, the level of resistance changes as you move it around.
it's special order so they won't have another one, although no reason why they can't compare it with other tie rods. just gotta hope they haven't got more crap ones.