MK5 Golf GTI

All Things Mk5 => How to Guides / Troubleshooting => Topic started by: sean.smithy94 on March 28, 2017, 10:14:55 pm

Title: Steering rack?
Post by: sean.smithy94 on March 28, 2017, 10:14:55 pm
Hi,

Well the noise I've been getting has been diagnosed as the steering rack  :scared: he's going to price up a second hand and a reconditioned one tomorrow and give me a price, for those that have replaced there's for a second hand or a recon, what price all in did you pay?

Not ideally what I wanted to go wrong but I'm fretting a fair bit as I know it can be costly  :sad1:
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: rich83 on March 28, 2017, 11:41:28 pm
Hmm... cant remember exactly but I think i paid about 800 for a recon 3rd gen one at AKS.
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: Zipupurmickey on March 28, 2017, 11:51:17 pm
Have one here with 100k km for 150 if you don't get sorted.


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Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: pudding on March 29, 2017, 02:22:27 pm
Hmm... cant remember exactly but I think i paid about 800 for a recon 3rd gen one at AKS.

MK5s have 3 rack revisions, or is gen 3 from a MK6 or something?

I've heard a rack is about £1500 from VW.  Not surprised they bite the dust.  Over tyred German cars have always chewed through steering racks.
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: Dan_FR on March 29, 2017, 03:13:40 pm
I paid £90 for a 38k mile rack from a GTI. Spent ages looking in to part numbers as there are 3 generations and multiple steering weight profiles. Recon racks can be had as cheap as 300ish notes for a gen2. New genuine is silly money
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: sean.smithy94 on March 29, 2017, 06:18:12 pm
I've got it booked in at another garage on Friday, just for a second opinion really, there's no way I'm paying for a brand new one! Seems as though finding a second hand one isn't very easy and recon ones seems it can be expensive, it's looking likely to be the rack but I'm really hoping it's not!
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: g4fus on March 29, 2017, 08:55:42 pm
hi i had a problem with my rack turned out the rack was not central count the turns from center to the right and then center to left i had to remove the steering wheel and move it a 1/4 turn to center the rack as when i turned to the right i had 1 and a 1/4 turns and i had 1and 3/4 turns to the left once i moved the steering wheel and had the tracking done i drove the car for about 10 miles switched it off and then switched it on and then turned the steering all the way to the left held it there for about 2seconds then center and then to the right for 2 seconds then back to the center and the light went off and steering worked fine hope this helps
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: 99hagued on March 30, 2017, 12:08:24 am
http://www.acspowersteering.co.uk

I paid £400 for new gen 3 rack from these guys  :happy2:
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: SI-R32 on March 30, 2017, 12:27:46 am
Couple of things to remember buying any rack gen 2 or 3 you'll probably need VW to install the steering curve into the unit to work with your car I.E to weight the steering correctly.

if you get a gen 3 rack it only has 3 fixing points not 4 like gen 2 so don't think something is missing.

plus if also getting a gen 3 when you previously had gen 2 you'll need to buy a wiring loom from VW 100+ as the gen 2 wiring will not fit gen 3 rack, part number 1K2971111AJ
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: Dan_FR on March 30, 2017, 07:26:12 am
Steering weight profile only applies to a 'new' rack.... A used rack will still have the steering weight profile present, which is why if you go for a used GTI rack then you don't need  a dealer flash.

Upgrading to Gen3 isn't just the £100+ loom, in some cases a new subframe is needed too which is definitely a 'second hand' jobbie as they're pretty steep from VW
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: pudding on March 30, 2017, 09:58:40 am
What is the benefit(s) of a Gen 3 to justify that extra expense and spannering?

Seems more sensible to just replace like for like to me.
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: Dan_FR on March 30, 2017, 10:04:38 am
Can't buy a new Gen2, the Gen3 supersedes this. Supposedly a better, stronger rack. The steering angle sensor is in the rack on the Gen3 rather than the column on the Gen2 hence why the newer loom is needed. That's about all I found out, other than it's an expensive 'upgrade'.

I changed my rack with a low mileage 'like for like' and didn't get so much as a fault code or warning light. No calibrations or resets needed, it just..... worked  :signLOL:
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: pudding on March 30, 2017, 11:19:53 am
Ah OK, so no choice then if one was to buy it all new from VW!

I'm all for upgrades, but I don't like the sound of one less mounting lug and possibly a new subframe required!

Touch wood mine is OK still at 110K, but it's one of those inevitable 'round the corner' jobs I'm preparing for!
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: SI-R32 on March 30, 2017, 11:40:55 am
Steering weight profile only applies to a 'new' rack.... A used rack will still have the steering weight profile present, which is why if you go for a used GTI rack then you don't need  a dealer flash.

Upgrading to Gen3 isn't just the £100+ loom, in some cases a new subframe is needed too which is definitely a 'second hand' jobbie as they're pretty steep from VW
Agree buying like for like is better, but  steering curve does not only apply to new rack, if a decent 2nd hand gen 2 or 3 comes from a 1.4 golf and you put it in your car then you'll still need to get it done, ideally I'm just letting people know there options, which no one sadly did until I posted last night :)

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Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: sean.smithy94 on March 30, 2017, 12:50:18 pm
Some good advice here, thanks folks! My gti is a 56 plate, are you able to tell what gen the rack is from the age or part number?  As I don't want to accidentally buy the wrong gen that the car had
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: pudding on March 30, 2017, 01:55:54 pm
Does it not give you the part number if you go into the steering controller with VCDS?

As for the steering weight, I thought you could adjust it yourself with VCDS?  I may have read that wrong though!
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: Dan_FR on March 30, 2017, 01:59:25 pm
Part number from the steering controller is the part number of the steering controller, not the same as the rack part number, which can only be found after removing the rack from the car as it's under the heatshield. Short of this, visual inspection of the rack is your only option.

Gen 2 has a U shaped clamp on the passenger side of the rack that attaches it to the subframe, the Gen 1 rack has the fixing as part of the rack. Gen 3 only has the one bolt/fitting as already mentioned above. Once you look at pictures of a few on eBay you will see what I mean

Gen1 has user selectable steering weight, Gen 2 onwards is a fixed single profile that requires dealer flash to change
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: sean.smithy94 on March 31, 2017, 10:24:23 pm
Well the garage I took it to today also think its the steering rack, might sound like a silly question but are the edition 30s the same steering weight profile as gti?  Theres also a remanufactured gen 2 rack on eBay for £200, would this need the gti steering profile also flashed onto my car? Does anybody know how much of a top it is cost wise at the dealers to get the profile flashed and how much I could be looking at labour wise at an independent garage to have the new rack put on?
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: kpowell911 on November 17, 2019, 06:12:34 pm
What are the symptoms of this? I have a knock when going full lock sometimes, usually when reverse parking? I presumed was a dodgy top mount?
Title: Re: Steering rack?
Post by: exodus_ste on November 18, 2019, 11:45:41 am
Yours should be a Gen2 i believe. Easy to tell from underneath, the gen2 has 4 mounting bolts and the gen 3 has 3. Think the subframe change was only required if you had gen1 originally and wanted a gen2 or 3, which i don't think you will due to the age of your car.

Any used rack will have the original profile attached so if you're looking for a used item, search for a Mk5 GTI for a 2nd gen or Mk6 GTI for a 3rd, then you won't have to have any reflashing done. Also if you're lucky like me, a used 3rd gen Mk6 GTI rack might come with a loom attached  :grin: