Knocking wheels and wobbly steering wheel - 'driveshaft mate' or something else?

[cwathen]

Sax failed the MOT in October on steering rack gaiter, outer CV boot, and suspension arm ball joint (all offside). Also the anti rollbar bracket broke when dismantled and had to be welded back together. Prior to the MOT it never demonstrated any hint of steering/handling/suspension problems at all, and I was daily driving it 200/300 miles a week, mainly motorway.

Almost as soon as the MOT work was done, I started getting knocking on hard right lock, and a feeling hard left lock was 'soft' as if the rack hadn't quite gone all the way over. Should have taken it back to the garage but didn't as apart form hard locks it was fine and wasn't planning on keeping the car that much longer anyway.

Did about 3000 more miles in it but then one day starting getting both a constant knock from the nearside whilst driving home one evening. It was enough to make me come off the motorway and continue on local roads. Now when turning at slow speeds the steering felt uncertain with sort of 'lurches' through the steering wheel, but not at any constant replicable point.

The next morning I jacked it up and took the front wheels off. Thought I'd found it - the offside wheel arch liner wasn't refitted properly and the bottom of it was fouling the CV joint on full right lock, and the 'soft' full left was literally the tyre pressing the liner back. It had now buckled into that position so I cut a section away and thought I'd solved it as the car now seemed fine.

This was a red herring - the nearside issues came back again.

Seems that the car will drive sweet as a nut from cold until it's been going for about 15 miles or so, then the problems (may) start. But they're not replicable, sometimes nothing happens, sometimes it feels like it's about to fall apart. I've had no choice but to carry on using it for my work commute (although now all on local roads in case it breaks) and it's not even the same across the same stretch of roads on different days.

So is this just another knackered Sax driveshaft, something else gone, or it wasn't put back together properly after the MOT work?

[Manu]

It's a possibility. I had my ex-garage (getting there in a minute) failing my MOT on a steering dust ball joint.

Son of owner changed half the steering rack, and I get the car a 4:59 PM. I notice immediately the car drives like a crab, full on sideways. Back the next day to tell the guy, he says ''meh ye hit a po'ole innit'' . My car was spot on before I took it in for the MOT.

''No I didn't, what have you done, the car drives sideways'' I says.
''Nah I know me job innit'' He says
''Can I have a word with your dad then?''
''He ain't here 'e's in the 'ospital with a stiff leg''

I went across the road to see my friends at ATS, they gave me a free computer print of where the wheels are pointing at and of course it's way off, like full 2.5 degrees off on each wheel. I go back to the garage and of course Daddy is here, I give him the printout and tell him what happened.

They then put the wheel kind of straight still not straight. I come back to collect, brand new 12 inch screwdriver scratch on the roof, and paint dust still around it.

''What happened there!?!?!?'' I says
''Dunno'' he shrugs

Went back to the ATS, got the wheels lined up paid for it. Then I went trading standards, threat of small claims court, got my money back.

They lost custom on my car(s), my mum's car, my brother's car, my mates cars. I left a scathing review on google for everyone to look at, never went back.

(cool story bro) The moral is, don't trust anyone, take pictures of car and mileage before leaving the keys. Again on a personal level, I have front and back dashcam, I caught yet another dodgy mechanic for not doing the work he billed me for. You should have looked at it from the first moment you heard the noise. Driving 3000 miles on top, nobody will know the answer to your question.

I would hazard a guess and say they may have fitted the wrong size of CV boot, and I have seen that one on another of my cars ( I went to audi, they checked and videoed at audi garage as evidence of claim), also had a major go at the (National Autocare) garage until money back.


Check that you've got grease inside the CV boot.

[cwathen]

Originally Posted by Manu

Check that you've got grease inside the CV boot.

Had another look, the clamp on the nearside CV boot had broken, guess it lost a lot of grease. Pumped it back up again with new grease and stuck a couple of cable ties on, the nearside driveshaft is now silent and all the wobbly stearing has gone.

On the offside (the one with the replaced boot), the clip was intact. Took it off, still managed to get a fair bit of grease into it and reclamped it. Still a small amount of knocking on hard right turns but now only under acceleration and much quieter. It's about 90% better.

No longer feels like it's about to break and have been taking it on the motorway for a few days with no probs. As long as it holds up until June when I'll need to change it (I commute into Bristol and it doesn't comply with Marvin Rees' bloody CAZ despite having lower emissions than some newer cars which do comply) I'll be happy.

[Manu]

Yeah that's what I thought. Make sure you put a proper clamp back around it, cable ties won't hold it for long. It may pop off again if you try going anywhere near full lock...

[jeroendo]

Hi all,

My Saxo 2000 1.1 failed MOT for play in steering rack. I am assuming the nylon ring in the rack. Question is; do I need to take the rack out to change that or can it be done whilst in the car?

Many thanks
Jeroen