How do you know if you joint is bad?

You can run a quick diagnostic test on it as follows:

1)Get in your car

2) Make sure you have a lot of room

3) Put your car in Reverse

4) Accelerate Slowly

5)Crank the wheel to the right

6)Listen for "CLICKS"

7)Crank wheel to left

8) Listen for "CLICKS"

If you heard clicks you should have been able to tell which side of the car it came from but if you heard clicks while cranked right you should have heard it come from the left side, and vice versa. If you hear clicks you should think about getting it replaced soon, if it goes unchecked you could have some more severe consequences. They tend to run $75-150 and if you are mechanically inclined at all it is rather easy to replace it yourself!