Steering query ( New Passat )

[jaffa]

Hi,this is my first time here, i have a 55 plate 1.9 tdi se estate, i heard a kind of rubbing/scuffing noise when the steering was turned to the left,it wasnt a continuous noise, it did not repeat itself until the car had been driven again,ie, it would`nt do it by repeatedly turning the steering.I have just booked it in for inspection at my local VW for Tuesday the 14th ( next week ) I have`nt read of anyone else experiencing this problem but if any of you have,has is it been sorted ?. I will post any info i get as soon as i can.I also intend to mention the steering wheel alignment.....yes mines offset too, apart from the above gripes, we love the car....p.s. interesting site,informative and good reading,but sorry to read that so many of you are having problems,hope i am not tempting fate here...
Cheers, Jaffa

[Roy]

I have the same problem, the rack is being replaced under warranty in a couple of weeks time, it takes 2-3 weeks for parts to come from Germany!!

The mk5 Golf also has the same issue, the replacement rack is by a different manufacturer.

This must be costing VW big time - I'm surprised there's no recall yet, although the problem is not supposed to represent a danger - just a nuisance!

Roy
55 Plate 2.0 TDi SE saloon

[jaffa]

Hi Roy
Thanks for that info,you really have made me feel better,not that we have a problem but that i`m not going nuts , i went to work in the car last night and although i did`nt really get chance to hear anything it did make me feel that the noise was maybe in my head as i tend to be forever listening for abnormalities,yeah i sometimes think i need ,only joking ,anyway when i got home this morning it reared its ugly head again and i took this as i`m not barking after all..... Will let you know how things go next week.
Once again Thanks.

Jaffa

[jaffa]

Hi, i took the car in on Wednesday last, the 15th, spoke to technician about the noise i could hear and when it was making the noise, putting steering on left lock,only the noise had graduated from a rubbing/scuffing sound to a grating/creaking sound,he looked a little bit baffled by what i was telling him so i said,have you not heard anything about this problem and his reply was no,i had printed off the question that i had posted on here plus the reply i got from ROY,about him having the same problem and it being replaced under warranty,( the steering rack ) i gave it to the technician to read and guess what,all of a sudden he remembered that they have had problems with steering racks, now i`m not saying that the letter swung it but it did help,so thanks ROY , its going in next Wednesday 22nd, for a new one. Apart from the technician pretending there was`nt a problem, they were excellent,no quibleing whatsoever.
jaffa

[Roy]

Hi, i took the car in on Wednesday last, the 15th, spoke to technician about the noise i could hear and when it was making the noise, putting steering on left lock,only the noise had graduated from a rubbing/scuffing sound to a grating/creaking sound,he looked a little bit baffled by what i was telling him so i said,have you not heard anything about this problem and his reply was no,i had printed off the question that i had posted on here plus the reply i got from ROY,about him having the same problem and it being replaced under warranty,( the steering rack ) i gave it to the technician to read and guess what,all of a sudden he remembered that they have had problems with steering racks, now i`m not saying that the letter swung it but it did help,so thanks ROY , its going in next Wednesday 22nd, for a new one. Apart from the technician pretending there was`nt a problem, they were excellent,no quibleing whatsoever.
jaffa

Glad to be of help!

Too be honest, I have no problems with dealers 'quibleing' over warranty work these days. Warranty work generates income for the dealer. The dealer margins on new car sales is erroded. Block exemption means scheduled service work can be carried out by a main dealer or any independent (at half price!), this means the value of warranty work is much enhanced!

Roy

[blackie]

After almost a year of suffering noisy and heavy power steering, the dealer has finally agreed there is a problem (well done) and will be fitting a new steering rack.

Whether they actually agree there is a problem or they've just had enough of my griping, I'm not so sure, but nevertheless...

[jaffa]

Hi,
Sorry its taken this long to reply,glad to hear of your success and hope everything has gone well,the rack on my passat has been a success ( up to now )( i do think that the info Roy gave me played a good part in the way that VW Scunthorpe dealt with the fault ) and hopefully wont be a problem in the future. I`m now starting to experience the HEADLIGHT sensor problem ( Lights coming on in bright daylight ), i thought i might be one of the lucky ones who has a car that does`nt go through the problems that everyone else seems to be going through,oh well,you know what thought did,he only thought he`d s_ _ t himself .
Merry Christmas to you and all who read this.
Jaffa

[carl s]

My Passat is currently in the Garage having the steering rack replaced, it had the same symptoms as mentioned above, creaking noises when turningleft. Mine's a 2007 model registered in March '07 so it lookslike the rack issue is still around !

[jaffa]

Hi Carl, i`m suprised that the rack problem is still an issue on such a late model, but then, are they thinking along the lines that the amount of customers that are not creating about it, far outweighs the ones who are, and are just happy to change the ones that crop up. Since having mine changed its been fine, fingers crossed. I`ll tell you something i did find out, i was a little unsure about what warranty work had actually been done on the car when it went in for some other items,(it was usual lack of communication at the dealer along with some lying and serious back pedalling and calling ME a liar,needless to say he was hauled over the coals by headquaters at Milton Keynes), i.e. wiper motor, fuel heater,(under car), so i took it to a different dealer and asked them if they could put my doubts to rest, and the service manager showed me the history of work that had been done on the vehicle, there was something about the flywheel being changed. The car had been the service managers at another garage,the garage we actually got it from,so i rang him and asked as to why it had been changed,he said,that there had been an oil leak,and on inspection it had come from the flywheel,now i thought oil filled flywheels where only found on auto`s,but he said not, but anyway its running fine,one thing i have noticed just lately is the fuel consumption and how it differs depending on the ambient temperature,or is it me going down MAD LANE again. Hope i have`nt put the wind up you about the flywheel business,but like i say its working fine and i have`nt heard anyone else with the problem.
Good Luck, jaffa.

[carl s]

Jaffa,

Thanks for the info, I bought mine from new and actually test drove the car before I bought it (dealer stock car) So the noise wasn't there when it was new. I'm not sure why your flywheel was replaced as most manual flywheels are just big hunks of metal, maybe the flywheel oil seal went perhaps? I have heard of damped flywheels to help smooth out the gear change on Subarus so maybe VW are fitting these nowdays. I think cars are getting so complicated now that there's so much more to go wrong. They are probably on the whole less relaible than say 10-15 years ago.

The loan car from VW has made me think how cossetted we've become. As far as I can tell it's a base model Polo with black mirrors & door handles, wind down windows, no aircon, let alone climate control. You even have to use the key to lock the door! (I haven't used a key in a car door for years )

But when you're driving the car none of that seems to matter and it still took me exactly the same time to get to work this morning as it does with the Passat. So next time I drive the whisper-quiet Passat and I frown when it has a little rattle, or the auto wipers/lights fail to come on exactly when i want them to I shall remind myself how superficial I'm being