Conflicting information

[sebhar70]

I had my power steering rack replaced recently the mechanic said that he had to do the tracking after installation of the rack, the car now pulls to the left, I went back to him and he reckons the car will need a full laser 4 wheel alignment at a cost of £140, I have checked with a few other garages and have had qoutes ranging from £27.50 to £85, when I went to one of he garages they stated the back wheels are not touched, the other said that they are not sure if they can do my car because the steering rack may not be adjustable.

Question:
1.Has anyone been through a similar situation?
2.Are there different types of alignments (considering the varying qoutes)


Sebhar70

 

[DavidL]

Seb,

One of the first jobs I had done was the very expensive replacement of the rack and associated hoses. However I didn't have any issues with the alignment or driving properties afterwards. No doubt a 4 wheel alignment wouldn't hurt but it smacks of a slightly iffy job if it isn't close to how it should be in the first place.

I'm not entirely sure how you should proceed - was it a Porsche indie or local garage? Of course this assumes everything was aligned in the first place.
At the very least I might ask him to show you why it pulls and then see if you think it is the car or the job.

 

[steve 944t]

It would be wise to have a proper 4 wheel alignment carried out. The rear is obviously not touched when changing the rack, so you could just get the front tracking checked. But, you could then end up with the front wheels correctly aligned with each other, the rear wheels correctly aligned with each other, but the front and the rear not aligned with each other. The car would then tend to "crab", which could certainly make it pull to one side.
Regarding the different quotes - £27.50 seems too cheap. That is probably how much they charge just to check it. Adjustment will be extra. £85 is a pretty good price if it is all inclusive. £140 is a lot for 4 wheel alignment, assuming he is not also talking about adjusting castor/camber etc.

 

[Riverside]

If it really is just checking the alignment & adjusting the track-rod ends that needs doing your local tyre fitter should be able to do that no problem.

I've spent hundreds on alignment & setting up the geometry on mine over successive visits to my preferred indy (Promax, other indies are available), firstly getting it set up to stock, then further adjustments as my requirements became more specific.

It's something you could get done cheaply just to get the steering rack straight, but to do it thoroughly requires experienced hands & that's not so cheap. 944s are a lot more adjustable than regular cars but the age of the car will probably mean a few siezed bolts & the higher prices probably anticipate that.

 

[peanut]

I believe there is a special screw on the rack body which has to be screwed in to clamp the rack centrally then the tie rods are adjusted for toe-in then the clamp screw is released. I cannot believe the rack specialist let you take the car in that state. []
tracking should be done as part of the rack replacement. If the car pulls then you should take it back andask them to fix it. If they refuse take it elswhere and send the bill to the rack mech