98 V70 T5 Really Need Help Buying A Steering Rack!!

[98V70T5]

Well the search goes on for a good rack!

[abscate]

Ive seen that post before on another forum...oh, never mind..

[scot850]

For what it's worth, last year I went through the same process as you. I saw all the aftermarket suppliers and their promises, I liked their prices, but as most require a return of the unit you remove, for me in Canada, shipping to the US was another $100 or so on top of the additional shipping to here.
By the time I calculated it all out, it wasn't too much more for the OE part here. Add to that, there are no good repair shops for Volvos locally, especially for AWD versions, I stuck to using the dealer.

I helped out at my local Volvo dealer for a few months, and while there, one of the employees had to replace the rack in her S70. After 2 racks (Aftermarket) that both leaked from a recognised supplier, she eventually paid for a genuine replacement (most are re-builds). The advantage here was, the parts and labor are warranted by the dealer for 2 years.

Even though I am a confident repairer of Volvos, as my car was a 98 V70 XC with the additional issues of the AWD parts getting in the way, I ended up paying the dealer for the repair and part.

I appreciate not all of us have the ability to pay for a dealer repair, but especially with the model I had I felt it was worth the extra expense. Could be worse, you could live up here in Canada and often pay 100% more for the OE parts from a dealer!!

Unfortunately, I have now sold the car, so don't have the invoice any longer for the part and install price. A rack from Tasca is $634 US + $100 core charge + shipping

I suppose, based on the cost of an OE part, if you are not fitting it, and you also have a FWD car, it depends on the install cost. Also, if you use an independent, do they warrant the part and labor?

Eventually with all the options, my head hurt too much as I had over exercised my 2 brain cells, so I paid up for piece of mind. Having said that, I did the repair based on keeping the car. but we sold the car as we had 2 cars more than drivers and the boss said 1-2 have to go. It was the oldest so.......

Neil.

[98V70T5]

What makes the Volvo rebuilt rack better than aftermarket rebuilds? Who rebuilds them, and how is quality checked?

and

Neil, you make a very good case for the dealership on this matter. I appreciate your reply. My V70 is in such good condition, and it has been serviced its whole life, that I feel it could easily last another 130k. The car suits my needs so well, that I see putting in a Volvo rack as an investment, not as an overpriced dealer money grab.

[scot850]

Not sure who rebuilds them. If I knew I would buy from them! Having said that, if you plan to keep the car (and I did), with all the work to install, and a 2 year warranty on parts and labor......

Would I do it again? Absolutely!

Good luck with the fixing.

Neil.