98 V70: PS Rack Toes Up! Topic is solved

[sleddriver]

Update:
Got her back today as my indy said he wasn't satisfied yesterday with the air still remaining in the system. All I can say is WOW...what a difference a new rack makes! Very, very smooth. Much lower turning effort. No noise. No drips/leaks/puddles/ATF stink in garage!

Obviously I need to check my alignment. The wheel does appear to be centered. I'll have to take her up to 75mph and wring her out a bit. See if the front end is smoother. A new Maval rebuild from WorldPac was quoted to me as $850 (!!!!!) YIKES!!

I'll have a year rack & labor warranty, I guess. Then we're back to lifetime warranty. I showed up mid-afternoon yesterday and he'd already installed the new one. Rats.....I wanted to see how he dropped the rear sub-frame and all. He used an upper engine support , with a perpendicular arm to lift at the PS steering reservoir hook as well. Then pulled the lower bolts from all three lower engine mounts, then pulled the sub-frame bolts to drop it a few inches. Wish I could have seen that and learned from a pro.

C'est la vie.....Total bill came to about $320. No tax on labor. Money well spent IMHO....and a pleasure indeed after my 2016 marathon wrenching-on-my-own. I devoted 9 months of my life to it!

[scot850]

Glad you have got the ride back. It hurts to pay someone else, but sometimes it is easier to do it and the repair has a warranty!

Neil.

[sleddriver]

Thanks Neil. It's currently 29°F outside, excellent test conditions for the PS pump to see if it still growls until it warms up. It used to howl for about 200yrds before tapering off. The buggered rack sounds like it was making life hard on the pump.

Very pleased with the greatly reduced steering effort required on my part.

[sleddriver]

Update:
Still enjoying the GREATLY reduced steering effort, quiet PS pump when cold, and weight off my mind regarding the #$$%^! rack......

I'm actually wondering if city MPG will improve as there is much less engine effort required to turn the pump against the new rack? I now realize the original OEM PS pump was working quite hard against the old rack. MPG does go down with the A/C on and also when an alternator is heavily loaded. So why not the PS pump? The sled feels much more "eager" to get a move on from a dead stop. The previous "drag" is gone.

I can now FINALLY reinstall my IPD skid plate once the rain stops and I clean the remaining mess off the underside. My indy said he used two cans of brake cleaner to remove AMAP. There's still more to be done to get it as clean as I had it before the seal burst.

[sleddriver]

Well, not so fast........

With the motor on, vehicle stopped and turning the SW from side-to-side, I can clearly hear a CLUNK each time the wheel is reversed to the other side. Indy inspected it this morning and said it sounds internal to the rack: "Sector bushing" loose?? It's not leaking, nor is the SW hard to turn, or pulsing.

I called Maval and it took three transfers to get to the right dept. (Not a good start). I tell the rep the issue and he proceeds to list everything else that "may" have happened except their QC dept. "All of our racks are 100% inspected & tested". Really? Then why does this one CLUNK!

Next I called WorldPac to ask them about getting the labor paid for. It depends. When I called my indy, I was told labor wasn't usually reimbursed!! So I asked if I was going to have to pay for it again? "No...we'll just have to eat it. But you won't be charged." So, I'll let them deal with it.

Thank God I didn't self-install this only to have this occur! That happened to me on a new (refurb'd) Bosch alternator. I asked them to test it FIRST. Said they couldn't due to lack of a proper connection harness (????? WTH?) "Don't worry.....it's Bosch.....they NEVER fail). Guess what? MINE DID. And I had to redo my own work.

/rant......

[sleddriver]

Update:
Just picked up the car, with another Maval refurb'd rack, and the steering effort is quite a bit higher than the one it replaced! Furthermore, I was changed full labor for its replacement! I was led to believe by his son, on a shop diagnosed fault on a part that labor would be included. Kid wasn't there today, nor the mechanic I know who did the work. Am I wrong to think this? Had I known this, I wouldn't have asked them to replace it.

Noting my disagreement, the manager quickly decided to cut the labor bill in half. That eased the shock somewhat. I told him I wanted to drive it first. Made several turns through a neighborhood. Steering feels "leaden". Much more effort required to move the wheel off-center than previously. The pump whines when the wheel is turned. Sounds like air in the fluid, even though they let it sit overnight for all air to escape. It worked last time. It was much colder last night than last time however.

At present, I'm not really satisfied with the results. Plus, I'm out about $170. Further, the manager called me a PITA for wanting to take up the matter of what was said with his kid, face-to-face. The manager also resented me taking up too much of his time asking questions about why this rack "felt" so different (worse) than the CLUNKING one it replaced. Obviously, he doesn't like being questioned when something isn't right.

FUBAR......

[scot850]

How dare a customer ask awkward questions about the work quality when they are paying the wages for work that was not successful!

Repair shops like that are places that I only use once. We have a Volvo 'specialist' called Mr. Volvo here in town. Guy who runs it is a know all and throws a hissy-fit if customers complain. The project V70 I have came from a lady who used them for many years with no issues when she had a 240, but last time she took this V70 there is cost her $2400 in repairs, and she got it back with a bunch of warning lights on the dashboard. Apparently he had a melt down when she had the stupidity to say that was not acceptable! She has not been back. I'm always amazed how these places stay in business?

That is why I use the dealer over the other shop (other than the other shop are at the other end of the city from me). What I have found by using the dealer we do have issues from time to time, but I usually get better rates on parts and labour as I am a regular customer. They will also fit parts I supply, and if I use Volvo parts there is a lifetime parts and labour warranty.

Neil.

[sleddriver]

I've known and used this place for a long time. Same with the manager & mechanic. Have no issue with the later. He knows what he's doing. The former however, is thin-skinned, abrupt, always too "busy". The writing on the wall is plain to see without too much looking: It's a very long good-bye. Someone else owns the business. The have 3 mechanics, two of whom know what they're doing. The other is described as an "idiot" by one of the others. Low interest rates for two decades now, dealer incentives and a changing tide means people don't keep their Eurocars long like they used to. When they need service, they go to the dealer having bought 100,000 mi warranties. Many lease their Eurocars.

The Japanese have also cut far into the Europeans. SAAB is history. Volvo is no longer the vehicle it used to be. Neither is MB, nor BMW. The Americans build MUCH better vehicles than 20yrs ago. Finally, many old cars went to the crusher when the previous administration enabled the whole "cash for 'clunkers'" scheme. I watched a nice Volvo S80 die on YT because it was considered a gas "guzzler". What a shame.....

This shop has fallen "out of favor", far past its prime. Now circling the drain. Change has caught them flat-footed and off-kilter. No doubt instilling stress, uncertainty and insecurity. One former indy employed there left several years ago because he wasn't getting enough work. He'd been burning through his savings "hoping" for it to turn around. No joy there so he bailed.

My loyalty is obviously past its due date, and thus expired.

The ONLY reason I went there is because they installed the expired rack 127,000 mi ago. I was told the "lifetime" warranty was only good to (1) original owner and (2) work done at the original shop. The later sounds fishy.

Fortunately, I've learned to turn my own wrench and elevated my skills as a DIY'er. Plus, with car forums & YT, one can find out just about anything these days. It's a Brave New World.

I won't be going back....

[98v70dad]

I am almost alway disappointed when I take a car for someone else to repair. They usually charge way too much and generally break something else in the process of doing the repair. They are also quick to agree to anything to get the sale and suddenly "misunderstood" when you discover they did something else. These days I tell them before I leave the car "I will check your work" and I expect that everything we've discussed will be accomplished as we agreed"

[matthew1]

Follow the other half of this saga. "Should he pay for the labor?"