This video shows how, and why, you should check tie rod ends & drag link ends with pliers. There was no side-to-side play, but there was substantial vertical play. Credit to Jonathan Hodgman of BlueRidge MB in Atlanta for sharing this tip! NOTE: This applies to the 124, 129, and 201 chassis and may also work on other chassis. However, compare the vertical play to a brand-new OE/OEM joint to confirm that the new joint also has zero play. It's possible that the joint design on the 126 chassis, and possibly others, may have a spring-loaded joint design where some vertical play is normal.
I checked several of my cars that I thought had tight steering joints, and found two bad drag links and one bad tie rod end, all failed the plier test and had vertical play as shown here. I also compared to brand new OE (Genuine Mercedes) and OEM (Lemforder aftermarket) tie rods AND drag link assemblies for the 124 chassis, all the new joints had zero vertical play.
Photos of new steering links are posted here:
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