Solution to pump failure
This customer had a very painful power steering pump failure. He diligently checked all levels weekly and thought his steering was electric as he hadn’t heard of hydro-electric.
The power steering reservoir on an 11 plate Meriva is located low down in the engine bay on the passenger side. It also gets covered in road grime and the white plastic cap turns black. Even for a qualified technician it is difficult to see and, to make matters worse, there is also no warning light for low fluid in the steering reservoir.
The steering started to make noises and there was still no warning light on the dash. The car arrived at Worcester’s Mobile Mechanic and was now dangerous to drive.
Test driving the vehicle around the yard confirmed that the steering was notchy and noisy. Upon checking the system, we found the steering rack was leaking and the pump was not working.
Finding prices for the replacement parts was painful for the customer but being told by two of our specialist repairers that they do not recondition these parts because they are too problematic was more concerning.
The main dealer quoted £1,100 plus VAT for the pump with a hefty surcharge. They then asked if the pump had failed and ran out of oil. Apparently, this is because of the pump location and if the pump has run dry it will not be salvageable.
We managed to obtain a pump from an outside source but it was still extremely painful for the customer.
Remember a poorly maintained vehicle is a breakdown waiting to happen, come to the experts at Worcester’s Mobile Mechanic.