Repair of VW Golf 7 steering rack

For a modern car, power steering is no longer a luxury option, but an integral part that is integrated into the overall mechanism. Without it, in today's traffic conditions, it is difficult to imagine either parking or maneuvering in dense traffic or on difficult country roads.

Recently, instead of heavy hydraulic systems,car manufactures have been installing electric steering racks. Such components have many advantages: they are more compact, work only on turns, correctly control the steering force depending on the speed of the car, and interact better with electronic driver assistants. Electric amplifiers are quite reliable, but they have some disadvantages, among which the main ones are the high cost and complex repairs, which are not always possible for ordinary automotive service – but not for STS.Parts.

Problems with Volkswagen Golf 7 electric racks

The Golf 7 electric power steering is more reliable and has a long service life compared to other similar components of even the same VAG concern (for example, Audi A7 and A6 C7 racks). The reason is a different, more advanced design. Instead of the standard ball Group, a worm gear with bushings that are more durable than bearings is installed here. In addition, this Rail has a round, even rod that can be repaired even in the event of significant corrosion.

In addition to the Volkswagen Golf 7, such an amplifier is installed on some other models of the concern, namely::

• Audi A3 and Q2;
• Seat Leon;
• Skoda Octavia A7;
• VW Arteon.

There are several articles of essentially identical steering racks, the factory numbers of which start with 5Q1 and 5Q0. However, by and large, there are two modifications: the usual one and sports version, they are distinguished by a rack bar. In sports, it is short-stroke, such nodes are put on "charged" cars, such as the Golf 7 GTI.

As with other cars, Golf 7 electric power steering malfunctions can be divided into two main groups:

• Electronic devices.
• Mechanical ones.

Sudden failures of electronics without the influence of external factors on this type of rack are quite rare. Unless very rarely, due to a weak circuit in the chip, the steering rack control unit can go into emergency mode. Usually, malfunctions in the unit are associated with loss of tightness and moisture ingress due to this, since the electric booster and its control unit are located in the lower part of the suspension next to the engine.

Water can damage almost all components of the steering rack: it causes short circuits in electronic boards, corrosion of the winding of the electric motor of the amplifier, the steering angle sensor. Metal parts also rust.

Mechanical damage to Golf steering rack components is often caused by extreme driving. The worm gear and its bushings receive a huge load during sharp turns, which is not designed for a simple, not sporty, version of this steering rack. In addition, the unit does not like fast traffic on roads with poor pavement.

There is also a problem with the pressure springs under the adjustment screws. On some steering rails, the manufacturer did not install them, so the mechanism was tightened once and for all, which caused premature wear of the crackers.

Symptoms of an electric booster malfunction

It is clear that the main sign of the failure of the steering rack will be pictograms on the combination of devices with the image of the steering wheel: orange or red and the corresponding inscriptions on the display.

Diagnostics of the engine control unit mainly shows errors from Group 44, i.e. power steering. However, this situation can be called the final one. Usually it is preceded by less noticeable manifestations, from which you can understand the upcoming failure of the steering rack.

This is, for example:

• steering system noise;
• extraneous knocks when turning or driving through bumps;
• unauthorized twitching of the steering wheel;
• heavy management.

Of course, some of these symptoms may be signs of a malfunction of other systems, but they should be an excuse to at least visit a service station.

How and where to repair the steering rack of a Volkswagen Golf 7

For a long time, electric power steering was considered a part that cannot be repaired. Moreover, on many cars they failed only at solid mileage. However, for owners of used cars, this problem was even more painful, since the cost of the original unit was up to half of the residual value of the car. In addition to VAG, steering racks for Golf 7 and similar cars are also produced by third-party companies: Bosch, ZF and others, but the price of their products is also rather high. An alternative was the used steering racks, which were often not in much better condition than the one that needed to be replaced.

Now there are companies that “repair electric amplifiers”, but, unfortunately, their repair technologies are not always acceptable. Sometimes, such companies "forget" to put new dust covers or put sealant, do not consider it necessary to deal with the part of the unit where there are no problems – for example, electronics, if the malfunction concerned purely mechanics.

Unlike such" masters", STS.Parts is characterized by a comprehensive, most complete approach to repair. We always:

• we completely disassemble and defect all components of the steering rack;
• we clean mechanical and electronic parts from corrosion;
• if necessary, we change the control unit to a restored one, as well as field-effect transistor boards to elements of our own design.;
• we check the restored electric booster on a special stand;
• we change all the anthers, clamps, put the new boots.

In addition, we always have in stock restored by our own brand MSG Rebuilding, fully functional steering racks for all models and variations of cars. Our customers receive a repaired unit that is in no way inferior to the factory rack, and in terms of further maintainability even exceeds it, at a price much lower than that of a new part.

If you have a need to diagnose or repair the steering rack, make an appointment at the service station.