General Power steering problems

Currently reading:
General Power steering problems

generalsmut

New member
Joined
Dec 10, 2011
Messages
5
Points
1
Hi all,

I'm new here and I'm hoping some of you guys might be able to help me.

My girlfirend has an 07 plate Panda. About 2 weeks ago the power steering 'went off' when she was pulling away - the power steering warning light came on and the power steering wasn't working. The next time she started the car, the steering was fine. We looked online and this seemed to be quite common.

We took the car to our local garage (independent - non Fiat) who diagnosed the problem as the power steering pump - they told her to get one from a breakers online, which she did and they then fitted. Thing is, the steering now seems even worse - when turning left it's incredibly light, but when turning right it's like there is no power steering. Do any of you guys have any idea what is wrong? She needs the car for work and I'm quite concerned about her driving round it. Also, after buying the part and paying for labour, we're quite worried that we've just wasted a lot of momey:cry: Any help or advice would be really appreciated!!

Thank you for reading!
 
Hi all,

I'm new here

Hi :wave: and welcome. Sorry to read your sad story :cry:.

We looked online and this seemed to be quite common.

Sadly it is. Seems to be a weakness of the Panda.

Do any of you guys have any idea what is wrong?

As AM says, the Panda has electrically assisted power steering (you will only find a pump on a hydraulically assisted system). What usually happens is that the torque sensor in the motor fails. Many cars have been repaired under warranty by FIAT franchised dealers fitting identical replacement parts, and these often fail again after a similar mileage.

A much better fix is to send the original motor to a remanufacturer who will replace the failed faulty component with a more durable alternative; repaired in this way it should then last for the remainder of the life of the car.

Have a look at this link for one company which offers this service:

http://www.bba-reman.com/catalogue/DetailedProduct.aspx?DetailedProduct=921

Also, after buying the part and paying for labour, we're quite worried that we've just wasted a lot of momey:cry:

With some justification :cry::cry:.

IMO sourcing a component widely known in the trade to be fundamentally weak and failure prone by design from a scrappie is an absolute no-no. :nono:. Also if you fit a replacement motor, whether new or secondhand, the body computer must be reprogrammed using specialist equipment and it is possible that the garage you used has not done this - hence the huge difference in performance between turning right and left.

I'd suggest that neither the advice they gave you nor the work they did were fit for purpose & I'd ask them to either repair the car properly without further charge or give you a full refund. Unfortunately I suspect you'll have great difficulty in getting any satisfaction & perhaps your best bet is to cut your losses and move on.

It's possible that the replacement they fitted just needs realigning with the body computer using specialist equipment & a first step might be to take it to a franchised dealer for this - but unfortunately you'll have to pay whether it works or not.

If the unit that was originally fitted is remanufactured, then you can skip the realignment procedure if your own rack is returned to you, since the original settings will be preserved.

Sorry once again to read your story - hope this helps.

Good luck in getting it sorted.
 
Last edited:
Hi,

Thanks for both of your replies - it is much appreciated.

Sorry, I was aware that the Panda didn't have a pump - the garage said it was the equivelant of a pump and kept calling it one, hence my mistake. We bought it from this western power steering (sorry the swite won't let me post the link) - i'm not sure if it is the same component that jrkitching mentioned above? - apart from the fact that it is someone elses that they have rebuilt rather than our own.

I'm really not sure what my next move should be then. We can't really afford a great deal more in repairs but I'm also worried about my girlfriend driving round in, what is clearly, a car that is not right. From what you have said I am hoping that it is just the computer which needs reprogramming - in which case my initial feeling is to take it to the Fiat garage and see if they can do this - obviously, as you say, there is a risk that this is not the case and we pay to find this out. I'm not keen on taking it back to the original garage as there advice seems to have been bad so far and I'm worried what else they may do. The majority of our costs we have incurred have been in buying the replacement part so, as far as getting a refund from the garage goes, I think we would struggle.

Thanks again for all your replies, it is much appreciated.
 
We bought it from this western power steering (sorry the swite won't let me post the link) - i'm not sure if it is the same component that jrkitching mentioned above? - apart from the fact that it is someone elses that they have rebuilt rather than our own.

This is better news :). AFAIK western power steering are a reputable company and the unit you bought should have been remanufactured by them to be 'better than new'.

I'm hoping for you that the car now just needs reprogramming to get your GF's steering back in perfect health.

Why not give WPS a call & ask their advice? If you are able to physically get the car to them, they might just reprogram it for free as a gesture of goodwill.
 
Thanks again for your reply. Okay, that does sound a little more promising then. I will give them a ring tomorrow and see if they are able to offer any advice. Unfortunately, we live near Newcastle so taking the car to them direct is not really an option :(

From what you have said I think our safest option is going to be to take it to the dealer to be reprogammed. I just hope they don't charge too much!

Thanks again for all your help!
 
From what you have said I think our safest option is going to be to take it to the dealer to be reprogammed. I just hope they don't charge too much!

Hope all goes well. Please come back and let us know how you got on as your findings might help others who find themselves in a similar situation in the future.

Good luck.
 
Hope all goes well. Please come back and let us know how you got on as your findings might help others who find themselves in a similar situation in the future.

Good luck.

Thank you - I'll certainly come back and let you know how we get on. I really hope that we can sort it one way or ther other.

Thanks again.
 
Hi,

As promised, a quick update to say that we have managed to get this problem resolved.

I gave Western Power Steering a call on Monday and they advised that the garage had not re-calibrated the torque sensor after installing the new part. I then rang another local garage who advised me that our best bet would be to take it to Fiat to get this done. I picked the car up from Fiat this evening and all seems to be well - it cost £48 to get this done - on top of what we'd already paid - however, this was clearly a best case scenario given the other possible outcomes from the situation, so I'm pretty relieved.

Thanks to jrkitching for the advice. And I hope this helps someone else out if they find themselves in a similar situation in the future.

Thanks.
 
As promised, a quick update to say that we have managed to get this problem resolved.

Glad to hear it's all sorted - and thanks for coming back and letting us know how you got on. From everything you've said, it's been done properly and the repair should now last you for the life of the car.

Wishing your GF many trouble-free miles in her Panda.
 
Back
Top