Noticed fluid on garage floor just inside the drivers side tire. Mechanic says rack and pinion needs to be replaced. Parts and labor $700. Car has 125000 miles. 2003 G35 Sedan. Still runs great. Is this a part that usually goes around this mileage?

 

They can on some cars. My Audi has had a leaking rack and pinion for a very long time. It's usually the seals behind the inner tie rods that start leaking. You might be able to do it yourself, I know there is a video somewhere of a member here doing one.

 

I'm pretty sure mine is leaking too :/.

 

Mine's leaking too. :/ my shop quoted $600 something just for the part but honestly I plan to leave it as is for awhile. I always check the power steering fluid every 2 weeks or so. I noticed it goes down maybe a millimeter every month or 2.

 

You can buy some remans from rackdocter.net and I've heard they do an awesome job. For the G's they are about 170 bucks not including the core charge. Might have a few hundred bucks in labor, I need to do the r/p on my Audi. I might try rebuilding it for like 50 bucks, but I could get a rebuilt one from that site for about 270.

 

Thank you coffey! This helps so much. Your a life saver

 

Mine leaks too. But the odd thing is the leak has been going on for 4 or 5 years and the fluid level has not gone down.

However, i have to keep wiping up fluid from the steering rack and it comes back. Especially around the boot area.

 

So my rack and pinion has been leaking for awhile now and i started noticing a burning smell and smoke from the burning fluid. I took it to the shop for an oil cooler gasket replacement and the mechanic said there is fluid everywhere underneath the car hence the smoke and burning smell. I'm going to take it tomorrow to get it replaced. They quoted me $659 for a brand new aftermarket rack and pinion including outer and inner tie rods and labor. It's a pretty penny but I think it's a pretty good deal. I'll let you guys now how it goes.

 

If that includes installation and alignment it's a pretty good deal.

 

Thanks cleric. You know they didn't mention a wheel alignment but I'm gonna add it, if it's not included.

 

They should do it standard, you can’t get a perfect alignment with a rack replacement.

 

The shop will provide an old school wheel alignment with the price. They also found oil leaks from the Camshaft Sensor O-rings. it's just leak after leak with this car. Its my fault though since i never got it professuonal checked before i bought it. Hopefully I'll have everything done tomorrow... sigh...

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the cam SENSOR leaking a tad bit of oil, mine does as well but it's not even enough to make a drop, just enough to attract a small amount of dirt in about a 1 inch radius around the sensor.

 

Thank you! I needed this little positivity.

 

Make sure you get an alignment after this procedure. When I had mine done I asked if it was necessary and was told that they were very good at eye-balling it (they don't have an alignment machine). I drove the car and it felt fine. No pulling. One year and 8000 miles later I take it for a tire rotation and the fronts are shot. Really shot. Very uneven wear. Should have gotten an alignment.