C5 steering rack

[MattBLancs]

Finally got round to posting a for sale ad in the for sale section if anyone's interested before the scrappie gets it.

Good luck with the sale, hope you find a home for it rather than off for scrap. Looks good in red.

What a shame, let down by ultimately a £2 lip seal (and poor grade of steel)

[Stu-Scotland]

Yes, it's definitely annoying but I need a reliable daily driver at the moment rather than a project.
Hopefully someone can make use of it.
I never thought I'd miss flat ground before I moved to this house.

[wurlycorner]

Well I just returned from the steering specialist in Wakefield and they did a cracking job. Rack refurbed and resealed and in remarkable time. Was a joy to cruise the 4h home this evening. Too bad the engine light came on in the final hour.... I wonder how long I can resist moving the C5 on..

Just curious, which specialist was this? (Have read the whole thread but can't see them named!)

Google brings up a couple of possibles:
PSR Direct/Lion Automotive (which show that they do/stock C5 racks but seem to be a straight forward motor factor/don't fit them) https://www.lionautomotive.co.uk/
SSL Autoparts (who claim they do everything, but when you look at their catalogue they're exclusively VAG!) https://sslautoparts.com/

[bigblackfalco]

Well I just returned from the steering specialist in Wakefield and they did a cracking job. Rack refurbed and resealed and in remarkable time. Was a joy to cruise the 4h home this evening. Too bad the engine light came on in the final hour.... I wonder how long I can resist moving the C5 on..

Just curious, which specialist was this? (Have read the whole thread but can't see them named!)

Google brings up a couple of possibles:
PSR Direct/Lion Automotive (which show that they do/stock C5 racks but seem to be a straight forward motor factor/don't fit them) https://www.lionautomotive.co.uk/
SSL Autoparts (who claim they do everything, but when you look at their catalogue they're exclusively VAG!) https://sslautoparts.com/

I think they're both the same company! Got mine done there too. They are very familiar with the C5 X7 steering racks. Highly recommended drive in service.

[aerodynamica]

Well I just returned from the steering specialist in Wakefield and they did a cracking job. Rack refurbed and resealed and in remarkable time. Was a joy to cruise the 4h home this evening. Too bad the engine light came on in the final hour.... I wonder how long I can resist moving the C5 on..

Just curious, which specialist was this? (Have read the whole thread but can't see them named!)

Google brings up a couple of possibles:
PSR Direct/Lion Automotive (which show that they do/stock C5 racks but seem to be a straight forward motor factor/don't fit them) https://www.lionautomotive.co.uk/
SSL Autoparts (who claim they do everything, but when you look at their catalogue they're exclusively VAG!) https://sslautoparts.com/

Hiya, that SSL place is definitely the place that did my steering rack. Nearly 2 years ago now and apart from me filling the groove on the pinion valve housing with copper grease every 6 months, it has been completely fine. They gave an 18m warranty at the time.

They also replace the return pipe with a modified one from a berlingo to avoid sealing issues at the join of the pinion valve.

Only complaint I had (that I noticed a week or two later) was that this return pipe was routed incorrectly so that the flexible rubber part of it was fouling the nearside steering gaiter quite badly. I managed to alter this myself.

Otherwise they did a great job and the wheel alignment and straightness of the steering wheel were perfect. Made the journey back up to Glasgow pleasant and content.

I hope they're still offering the work for the rapidly thinning herd of X7s. They're pretty much the only recommended garage for it. The local specialist here made a total pig's ear of the job a year before.