A few months ago I got my power steering changed, because it was supposedly leaking oil (claim the car service made) and the strength it worked at was fluctuating - sometimes it was smooth and sometimes you had to fight the wheel.
They used a REFURBISHED part, which I found on the web for around 100$.
The mechanic charged me 850$ for the job, and keep in mind that this was FAR from an authorised mechanic, it’s a small, not partially good looking warehouse place.
What’s even worse, after the change, the power steering is still messed up, and when I came back, they told me that they didn’t change some sort of sensor and that it would cost me another $150.
Did I get scammed? Was the 850$ too much for a repair that “fixed” the leaky (?) power steering on a 23-year-old car using a used part?
Edit: P.S.: The same mechanic wanted to charge me $170 for the most basic oil change on the same car. The norm in my country is like 70$ for it.
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Kase said:
The power steering pump needs to be replaced.
Did you replace the whole rack and pinion?
I don’t think old cars have a sensor for rack and pinion.
I honestly don’t know what they replaced, but they messed up something and after the “repair,” the voltage in the car’s electrics fluctuates, which messes with the power steering as well as my dashboard lighting, external car lights…
They didn’t accept my refund claim.
That old car has an electric power steering pump… wtf.
Yeah, it’s the top spec that I have, but the cheaper models don’t have it
Still, I can’t comprehend how they charged me that much for a used part that costs 100$ and it’s still not functional. After further evaluating, I came to a conclusion that the power steering rack was fine the entire time, but there’s a wiring issue that causes voltage spikes which messes with the power steering, along with other stuff. I am like 99.99% certain, that the mechanic MUST HAVE KNOWN, after all, it’s their job… well probably the easiest 850$ for them…
I got a steering rack, central diff, tires, brake pads, (supplied by me) and half the exhaust (supplied by the mechanic), replaced for 500€. The rack, diff, and tires cost me an additional 330€. Total for parts and labor 830. So yeah, you got ripped off.
