I visited my old auto repair shop in Houston TX this week to look at a Dodge Viper they were having trouble with. The power steering makes a whine noise and is a little stiff to turn fist thing in the morning. This can sometimes be due to a worn out rack and pinion unit, so they have replaced the rack….with a used rack from a junk yard.
A new rack for this Dodge Viper costs like $2,000 so I guess it would be worth a shot to buy a used part. The problem I have is they have since installed 2 junk yard racks and those two racks have similar complaints with cold start up.
This SHOULD have thrown up a few red flags at the shop that maybe just maybe they have misdiagnosed the problem. What is the coincidence that 2 other racks have the same issue? It could be possible but probably doubtful. So what do you do in this case?
Actually I told them for one I would have never taken in this job in the first place, we just don’t know enough about the Viper or have any experience with them to make it worth our troubles and the troubles of the customer. I would put the car back together and right off the labor time and tell the customer to go to the dealership.
This vehicle has an electric assist power steering pump…..say what, ya, you heard me right….you are probably saying what in the heck does that do……that is exactly what the mechanic working on this job said to me as well. Hahahha, time to punt the football is my recommendation.
If your mechanic or repair shop has replaced the same part 2 or more times, chances are they too have misdiagnosed the problem and you probably should find another shop. It is easy for the mechanic to get centered on one issue and over look other possibilities.
If this was a regular ole Buick Regal like what grandma drives and had this power steering “morning sickness” complaint I would say, replace the rack and pinion…..and the p/s pump is cheap and easy to replace maybe you should replace it as well as both power steering hoses. Heck it makes the job easier for the mechanic to replace everything, and you are sure to solve the problem. You can not economically do this with the Dodge Viper.
Blessings,
Austin Davis