I’ve had an ongoing issue with sticky steering since buying my Z4 in 2011, I thought at one point it had been resolved when my post was “Sticky Steering now FIXED” http://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=68292&p=1005249&hilit=steering+fixed#p1005249. Well I should have known better!
Over the course of a few months noticed that while the steering was much better there still was a distinct ‘tightness’ at irregular intervals. It was still spoiling the drive. Had the car checked by both main dealer and an indy. There was an issue. Indy said replace column, dealer said there is play in the rear lower wishbone bushes and that needs fixing first. I had clearly felt a drag on the steering when on a wheel free lift at the Indy’s. So decided to have the column replaced.
Tried fruitlessly to locate a column removed from a later car that could be guaranteed to have been ‘pinned’ before removal and decided to get a new column. Spoke to Rybrook Worcester and got a price of £2347.54 inc vat. This included 20%discount on labour and 15% on parts.
The undiscounted price should have been £2,857 (which includes VAT)
Yes I know OUCH but quite a good price as the Indy would have been in the same ball park and it would have cost me MUCH more to change the car.
Took the car in Friday16 th. Much to my surprise the dealer refused to go ahead and replace the column without checking and double checking there was no other cause. Saying they didn’t want to spend my money only to find the problem still existed. They then stated that they considered the lower steering column to be the culprit. But I told them it was replaced August 2013 so they then disconnected the lower column and there is very clear tightness in the upper column. They then changed the column and I collected the car on the 17th
Its was about 4 hours to physically swap the column and about 2 hours to do the recoding.
THE CAR IS TRANSFORMED SUCH A PLEASURE TO DRIVE.
I am assuming the residual ‘tightness’ was down to the fact that the car has done 120,000 miles. But I might dissect the old column to establish exactly where the issue was. If i do I will provide a photo record on here.
Norman
Over the course of a few months noticed that while the steering was much better there still was a distinct ‘tightness’ at irregular intervals. It was still spoiling the drive. Had the car checked by both main dealer and an indy. There was an issue. Indy said replace column, dealer said there is play in the rear lower wishbone bushes and that needs fixing first. I had clearly felt a drag on the steering when on a wheel free lift at the Indy’s. So decided to have the column replaced.
Tried fruitlessly to locate a column removed from a later car that could be guaranteed to have been ‘pinned’ before removal and decided to get a new column. Spoke to Rybrook Worcester and got a price of £2347.54 inc vat. This included 20%discount on labour and 15% on parts.
The undiscounted price should have been £2,857 (which includes VAT)
Yes I know OUCH but quite a good price as the Indy would have been in the same ball park and it would have cost me MUCH more to change the car.
Took the car in Friday16 th. Much to my surprise the dealer refused to go ahead and replace the column without checking and double checking there was no other cause. Saying they didn’t want to spend my money only to find the problem still existed. They then stated that they considered the lower steering column to be the culprit. But I told them it was replaced August 2013 so they then disconnected the lower column and there is very clear tightness in the upper column. They then changed the column and I collected the car on the 17th
Its was about 4 hours to physically swap the column and about 2 hours to do the recoding.
THE CAR IS TRANSFORMED SUCH A PLEASURE TO DRIVE.
I am assuming the residual ‘tightness’ was down to the fact that the car has done 120,000 miles. But I might dissect the old column to establish exactly where the issue was. If i do I will provide a photo record on here.
Norman
