[shiroku]

So lately, my car has been making a friction-like sound likes its rubbing whenever I turn my steering wheel to the right or left when at a complete stop, low-speed turns, or reversing from a parking spot.

I took my car in to the dealer yesterday and they determined that the rack and pinion on my 06' TSX is starting to go bad and needs to be replaced. However, they are quoting me $2,200 to fix it!

How much would it normally cost to fix this? Is it normal for something like this to go bad on a TSX? Could anything else be causing this problem? The dealer said the power steering was fine and none of the other suspension components were bad. I drove an Integra for close to 7-8 years before this TSX and it never had any steering issues.

 

[jvillefinest]

How many miles are on the TSX? That is an amazingly high price. But I'm not at all surprised. I would get other quotes from mechanics around you. Either way I'm sure the parts will be pricey but I would love to know what they are charging you to install it.


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[miskywhisky]

Bad seals on it. Its a known problem and theres a service bulletin for it. My 08 did the same and blew out the seal filling the boot with fluid. My dealer quoted $1600 for the job and Acura paid half of it. Mine was replaced with a new unit but the service bulletin directs how to rebuild it, just most shops don't have the skills to do it. Plus you have to remove the front subframe to get it out.

 

[shiroku]

How many miles are on the TSX? That is an amazingly high price. But I'm not at all surprised. I would get other quotes from mechanics around you. Either way I'm sure the parts will be pricey but I would love to know what they are charging you to install it.

I have 60,xxx miles on my TSX.
Parts $1,050
Labor $1,150 including the alignment
Total: $2,200 approximately with taxes

Bad seals on it. Its a known problem and theres a service bulletin for it. My 08 did the same and blew out the seal filling the boot with fluid. My dealer quoted $1600 for the job and Acura paid half of it. Mine was replaced with a new unit but the service bulletin directs how to rebuild it, just most shops don't have the skills to do it. Plus you have to remove the front subframe to get it out.

So will the new units still have bad seals on them or what would be the best way to approach the dealer about this?

 

[tekneek]

Could you describe the rubbing sound in more detail?

 

[shiroku]

Could you describe the rubbing sound in more detail?

They were saying some sort of shaft (I forget what exactly it was called) in the rack and pinion was going bad and the friction-like rubbing sound was being transmitted into the steering column. The rubbing/sounds start to occur at a stop and low speeds when turning the steering wheel left or right.

 

[tekneek]

hmm. I hear a noise rarely after I go from reverse to drive and I straighten out the steering wheel. It reminds me more of a pressured noise, so I'm thinking maybe air in the power steering.

Does your car's rack and pinion sound like this youtube vid?

 

[Phisigbrotha]

Definitely find another trustworthy shop to take a look at it and give you a quote. $2200 is about right for what the dealership will charge.

I just found out I have a bad seal and a tie rod boot full of fluid. Planning in replacing the rack myself this weekend. 150,000 miles.

Over $800 internet price at Acura and $320 at AutoZone with lifetime warranty. Needless to say I'm ordering from AutoZone.

The TSX service manual mentions nothing about removing the sub frame though. Just one of the mounts for it.

 

[miskywhisky]

So will the new units still have bad seals on them or what would be the best way to approach the dealer about this?

Nope, all new and reman'd units have new better seals. They even have a seals "part kit" with all new replacement ones for like $70. As far as the dealer i don't know. I just said i found many cases online where they goodwill'd the repair. They called me back the next day saying acura agreed to split it even though mines well out of warranty.

The TSB is 10-025. Googling it should give you a pdf of what the dealer has and their steps for repairing the rack.

 

[shiroku]

Nope, all new and reman'd units have new better seals. They even have a seals "part kit" with all new replacement ones for like $70. As far as the dealer i don't know. I just said i found many cases online where they goodwill'd the repair. They called me back the next day saying acura agreed to split it even though mines well out of warranty.

The TSB is 10-025. Googling it should give you a pdf of what the dealer has and their steps for repairing the rack.

I found an old thread that perfectly described the problem I'm having. http://**************.com/forums/showthread.php?t=789133

Went to dealer and they confirmed that it was a bad seal in the rack and pinion that was causing the problem. I saw that they are going to replace it with a brand new one (part # 53601-SEC-A07). Does this new one have new seals that are no longer defective or are they still the same ones that can cause issues later down the road?

On the bright side, the dealer got Acura Corporate to cover part of the repair without me asking them to. Ending up being $880 total out the door. It was nice of them to do that but still upset because apparently this is a rather common issue that is more of a defect than anything else.

 

[endlesswinterco]

having the same issue as well. Have had it for over a year now. I do all my own work. I checked the rack, seals, everythign about four months ago.....and came up empty. No visual issues that i saw, no leaking seals, nothing. I printed out the service bulletin and going to pop into my dealer, play dumb and see what they turn up and are willing to do.

 

[fanbanlo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq6m0VHoAOM

Does it sound like this? @ 0:01

 

[SilverSurfer]

I just had that problem it sounded like a squeaky door sound like if it needed oil, if I jacked it up it wouldn't do it, but just parked and very low speeds until one day it just went completely the boots on the tie rods filled up with fluid and blew up like footballs, if that's the case that you see fluid fill up in the boots just replace your rack and pinion. I got lucky with a hook up from my wifes friend and got rack and pinion for a great price rebuilt and replaced it myself everything is back to normal.

 

[mpegripper]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq6m0VHoAOM

Does it sound like this? @ 0:01

did you ever figure out the noise? my gf has the same noise

 

[NextMikeSays]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq6m0VHoAOM

Does it sound like this? @ 0:01

Does anyone have this video? It's now private