Used or refurbished steering rack?

Posted by Smart_History4444@reddit | Autos | View on Reddit | 14 comments

Buying used or refurbished steering rack? Kind of in a predicament right now. I can buy a used steering rack that was removed from a working car. On eBay and it says seller does accept returns. It’s very cheap. Or should I buy a refurbished rack by some refurbishing company Or should I get my current rack rebuilt? Just want some advice thanks

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14 Comments

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Blaizefed@reddit

What make and model are we talking about here? Unless it’s a car that is known for steering rack failures, I’d happily buy a used one. Outside of a few models that seem to go thru them, it’s actually pretty rare for a modern car to have a steering rack go bad. So it’s very likely that you just got unlucky, and a used one will last until you are otherwise done with the car. All of this assumes that both your car and the car the rack is coming out of are less than 10-15 years old.

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Smart_History4444@reddit (OP)

Yes it’s an 1997 bmw 528i only has about 105k km on it so very low mileage. It was left abandoned and one side of the rack always leaks fluid after use. The rack I found on eBay has about 220k km on roughly (150k mile) is that a lot for a rack?

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Blaizefed@reddit

Ah, as it happens, I am a BMW mechanic. And at that age, forget everything I said. Buy a rebuilt one. If you are installing this yourself and you want to risk doing it twice, then perhaps take a chance, but if you are paying to have this done, and then paying to have it aligned, I’d spend the money on a rebuilt one. At 25 years old even a low mileage used one is still pretty bloody old. Those models are not known to blow out steering racks, but ANY car at that age is suspect. Spend the money on a rebuilt one and never think about it again.

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Smart_History4444@reddit (OP)

Thank you. Any suggestions on what companies are good at rebuilding racks? Is it worth pulling the old one out and getting that rebuilt? Or too much room for error?

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Blaizefed@reddit

They are all pretty much the same. As long as it comes with a warranty for 2-3 years you should be fine. Frankly if it lasts 2-3 months, it’s going to last a decade. I wouldn’t pay for a new Bosch one, that’s not worth it. They are simple to rebuild, it’s all just o rings. Nothing inside of them actually “wears out” but the o rings (and that’s why a used one at 25-30 years old probably isn’t worth the risk, as any o ring that age is going to have gone hard by now). I’ve rebuilt them myself (though I am a professional mechanic and I’m old so I’ve been doing this a while) and it’s pretty simple stuff. Damn near difficult to screw up. I’m afraid I don’t know off hand who to buy from north of the border, but whatever rebuilt brands places like FCP Euro or pelican parts stateside sell, should be reliable. So see who they are selling, and find a Canadian place that sells the same thing?

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Smart_History4444@reddit (OP)

I see ok, the one I found was from a company called MAVAL not Dorval lol. They do have a two year warranty so I think I will go with them and take my chances. There is someone local here that does do rebuilds on steering racks. I don’t think I will have the patience to learn I watched some YouTube on it and still even after fitting new hardware some were leaking. I rather not do that. I guess I’ll order this up if it fails I either will get a warranty done on it, or get my previous rack rebuilt and if all fails well I still have the Bosch rack to fall back on. Thanks for your help!

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shiab23@reddit

Did you end up buying this maval rack? Im considering one for my clk but concerned about quality...

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Smart_History4444@reddit (OP)

I ended up buying the used rack. Still seems fine a year later

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Holiday_Sign467@reddit

Can I put an old steering rack from one Mercedes onto another?

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Hairy_Sky4593@reddit

How about getting a new steering rack in aftermarket stores? It's not as expensive as OEMs' and has a quality guarantee. I bought a steering knuckle from A-Premium five years ago and it still works well. Thanks to my friends who told me. You can specify the make and model in their online store, then find the suitable steering rack. I went to the website and checked, this one could help you. [https://a-premium.com/power-steering-rack](https://a-premium.com/power-steering-rack) . you can take a look, and their customer service is quick and helpful, too.

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Daily_Carry@reddit

If I have a leaky rack I get it rebuilt. It's a couple hundred dollars and it's ready to rock. Part of the cost of the entire rack is the rack core. If you buy a used one then you will A) have an extra leaky rack at the end of the day and B) have no real guarantee that your new-to-you used rack will hold up for any appreciable amount of time. Also > It's very cheap. Look me in the eye and tell me you think that's a good idea. I think you're looking for permission to cheap out. You shouldn't. Doing the job twice and fronting extra time & money to return the rack would be a huge PITA too. Just get it rebuilt and be done with it.

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Smart_History4444@reddit (OP)

I read online that sometimes even if you get it send to a shop to rebuild it it can sometimes leaks is that true?

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Daily_Carry@reddit

I guess but that's the case with anything. Just like buying your used one comes with guarantees, a good shop that rebuilds will guarantee no leaks for a short time, at least. And if you need to have a local shop repair their work then at least you don't have to box it up and ship it back like you would with ebay. Return shipping on a steering rack has gotta be upwards of 50 bucks at _least_. Just look up places in your area and read reviews. If people seem happy with the work then you're probably in good hands.

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Smart_History4444@reddit (OP)

That’s true, thank you for your help!