I'm fully aware that there is a (ever increasingly) common steering rack issue with the 197/200, but I need help identifying if mine is faulty or whether there is another obvious issue.
Symptoms:
- Slight knock from N/S/F, audible when dropping off speed bumps or over uneven ground (i.e. shallow pot holes).
- Pulling to the left.
- Wheel wobble at 60mph+ and constant vibration felt through the car.
- A clunk when turning the wheel 1/4 turn left or right when stationary.
- Steering feels 'loose' or vague and tends to follow the contour of the road.
Completed so far:
- Taken into Renault dealership multiple times to complain of a knocking from the N/S/F. 'Fixes' including replacing top mount, re-aligning exhaust and stopping engine bay components from moving around. Noise still apparent.
- Full strip and rebuild of front suspension components by BTM. All suspension is in good order, with no play in any of the components. BTM agreed that the steering feel isn't right.
- Full Hunter Eagle Eye Alignment check, to verify that everything is aligned correctly. Printout shows green in each area - no adjustments needed.
- Wheels fully re-balanced. They were slightly out of balance, so this minimised 'some' of the wheel wobble, but the vibrations are still strong enough to make the steering wheel wobble.
- Tyres checked to show even wear. Even tried swapping around wheels, and using my track wheels/tyres instead - same result.
Need to get this sorted now - no point going to RUK as the retail costs for the rack and the dealership labour costs to fit will be astronomical. I'd rather take the plunge and buy the rack myself (likely the 200 cup rack) and pay a specialist to fit.
The reason for the above is to verify if it's likely to be the rack or whether there is something simple I may have missed? Obviously don't want to end up replacing the rack to find the issue is still the same.
Thanks.
Symptoms:
- Slight knock from N/S/F, audible when dropping off speed bumps or over uneven ground (i.e. shallow pot holes).
- Pulling to the left.
- Wheel wobble at 60mph+ and constant vibration felt through the car.
- A clunk when turning the wheel 1/4 turn left or right when stationary.
- Steering feels 'loose' or vague and tends to follow the contour of the road.
Completed so far:
- Taken into Renault dealership multiple times to complain of a knocking from the N/S/F. 'Fixes' including replacing top mount, re-aligning exhaust and stopping engine bay components from moving around. Noise still apparent.
- Full strip and rebuild of front suspension components by BTM. All suspension is in good order, with no play in any of the components. BTM agreed that the steering feel isn't right.
- Full Hunter Eagle Eye Alignment check, to verify that everything is aligned correctly. Printout shows green in each area - no adjustments needed.
- Wheels fully re-balanced. They were slightly out of balance, so this minimised 'some' of the wheel wobble, but the vibrations are still strong enough to make the steering wheel wobble.
- Tyres checked to show even wear. Even tried swapping around wheels, and using my track wheels/tyres instead - same result.
Need to get this sorted now - no point going to RUK as the retail costs for the rack and the dealership labour costs to fit will be astronomical. I'd rather take the plunge and buy the rack myself (likely the 200 cup rack) and pay a specialist to fit.
The reason for the above is to verify if it's likely to be the rack or whether there is something simple I may have missed? Obviously don't want to end up replacing the rack to find the issue is still the same.
Thanks.