Steering Column Wear??

Theta

Has Anyone any ideas what would cause steering column wear on a car to the point where it was pulling left(On a 4 year old car?)? The only thing I could think of was an accident?

Dirty_Diesel

If you let go the wheel while driving in a straight line will the car pull to the left? If so then it's a simple case of getting the tracking done, €30-€50.

Theta

Well its for a friend. He was buying a second hand car froma garage and they were servicing it before they gave it to him and they said they are going to replace the column (they say for safety). Car is in perfect condition with a full history and it makes no mention of any large repairs. Also it only ever had one lady owner

Henry Ford III

irlmarc wrote: »

Well its for a friend. He was buying a second hand car froma garage and they were servicing it before they gave it to him and they said they are going to replace the column (they say for safety). Car is in perfect condition with a full history and it makes no mention of any large repairs. Also it only ever had one lady owner

That just doesn't add up I'm afraid.

cashmni1

Walk away, corck of sh1t. Steering colum should never wear out unless the car was clocked, crashed or driven into many large pot holes and kerbs on one side.
That stinks to me. (my 2 cents worth)

Theta

To be honest i think he should talk to the mechanic. sales man prob got a miscommunication

Dirty_Diesel

The main items that wear in the steering would be the outer ball joint on the track rod, the tie bar (rack end of track rod) and the rack itself. So is he actually replacing the rack. If you have the engine off and you turn the wheel slightly left and right the road wheels should move a small amount. If they dont and you can hear a small tapping noise then there is wear in the rack or tie bar.

Theta

He got more info. Turns out it is a defect with that particular model that a bearing is weak and can crack leading to a noisy column. Nothing serious as it turns out.

DublinDilbert

cashmni1 wrote: »

Walk away, corck of sh1t. Steering colum should never wear out unless the car was clocked, crashed or driven into many large pot holes and kerbs on one side.
That stinks to me. (my 2 cents worth)

Thats simply not true.... :eek:

For example all BMW's are primarily designed as LHD, when designing the RHD variants they need to make compromises. For example on the E36/E46 this involves squeezing the steering column between the wheel arch and the exhaust manifold.

The heat from the exhaust can over time damage the steering column (Rubber coupling in it) and cause the rust prevention to fail. BMW has had several recalls for this...

crosstownk

irlmarc wrote: »

He got more info. Turns out it is a defect with that particular model that a bearing is weak and can crack leading to a noisy column. Nothing serious as it turns out.

Sounds like a safety recall that was issued but the vehicle has not yet had the modifications.

What make/model/year is the that car your friend is considering?

Green Hornet

All cars have a drift to the left on our roads as a result of the camber. The wider the tyre, the more noticeable the drift. I guess it depends on whether you are talking about drift or a pull. If its a pull it could just be out of track.