The steering on my E320 4Matic is heavy at a stand still (I can turn it with medium effort with one hand). Once you roll as little as an inch it loosens up quite well and it is easy to steer. The car tracks quite well on the highway and holds the line well. I took it to a certified MB mechanic to get this checked out and he told me I need a new steering rack. He claims they some times "bind" and this one needs replacing. What floored me was his quote for replacing the rack. He actually wants over $3K to do the work. Looking around here, it seems liike a rack can be had (remanufactured) for under $400.00. How many hrs of labor should one expect to pay for this job? I think this guy saw me coming. What do you guys think?
In summary, what would indicate that the steering rack needs replacing? What is a fair price to pay for someone to do this work?

 

Hi,

So its heavy at standstill! Why do you think that there is something wrong. Has the degree of assistance changed?The steering should be heavier at standstill than with the car just rolling.

The assistance at standstill will be different to when the car is "just" moving since there is a lot of "fight" generated in the steering mechanism which cannot be resolved without the road wheel being able to turn (roll) or alternatively the friction between tyre and ground has to be overcome by the PAS system. If you can turn with one hand this doesn't sound a problem to me. MB (and other Euro design) cars do not have the same level of assist as some local US models. Euro drivers like more feel (less assist) than some US drivers are used to and even have the speed sensitive feature to basically remove or reduce to a minimum all assist at highway speed.

Is you car on standard wheels and tyres or has somebody fitted after market low profiles or altered suspension height etc? Have you just had new tyres fitted?

No idea what a gargae charges in the US but I would GUESS labour to change a rack would be about 1 hr plus a tracking charge. MB only recommend 4 wheel tracking (many models have adjustable rear toe suspension) which is expensive but since we are only talking a rack change I would consider a full 4 wheel track over the top.

Your rack MAYBE faulty but I'm not so sure.

MB parts are VERY expensive but although I also complain about the cost of genuine parts they work without hassle unlike many remanufactured / alternative supplier parts.

Stuart.