ok, I hang my head in defeat, the electric steering has no died altogether (it's lasted another month from the first glitch tho ) you guys were right, I was wrong......

on the bright side tho, it has given me time to explore options before I let fiat sting me for £650 for new coloumn etc, I have been looking on the net and found a couple of places where I can get reconditioned parts from for between £180- 250. can some technical people just clarify that it's the right bit I'm looking at and whether I'll need anything else. When I had the codes read at FIAT they told me the motor was on it's way out and I therefore needed the whole steering coloumn plus motor etc replacing as it isn't sold seperate: I rang them for the part no yesterday and it is 46755211.

I've seen several items like this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fiat-Punto-Brava-Bravo-Power-Steering-Pump-Rack_W0QQitemZ150010632607QQihZ005QQcategoryZ10382QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
and it seems as tho it'll be a darn sight cheaper if I get it done like this.

fiat have quoted me £125 to fit it, but I know a couple of mechanics who might be able to do it, does it need specialist knowledge to fit or should any mechanic be able to do it? I understand that it is linked to the electric system of the car and the steering coloumn has it's own ecu - will I be able to take the ecu out of my dud steering coloumn and put it in this one, or do you think it will come with one in? if it'll be too technical I'll stump up the cash for the fiat dealer to do it but thought I'd ask first.

thanks for the previous advice

i have head from someone on here who actually works at fiat that the parts are now available sepereatly fro steering columns from fiat themselves but that not all dealers know.

hope he will read this thread and can confirm this.

the other this is that there are 2 different units avaialbel for the punto depends on your chassis number so you have to make sure you gt right one i dont know the actually differences between them though

Parts only available seperately under warranty & must be fitted by dealer(ecu is available seperate).

System has to be recalibrated after fitment using examiner.

Fitted 2 columns recently that customer brought secondhand....both were knackered(one was from e-bay).....buy carefully!

If error is 'motor torque sensors' complete column must be renewed.

ok thanks for the advice, just to clarify: I shouldn't need to buy anything else except the right coloumn as shown then, but I will have to get fiat to fit it.

the reconditioned ones come with 2 years guarantee so feel more confident, not as if they've just been stripped from a car at the scrapy. I've got the part number, will I need to give that and/or the chasis number (if so where do I find it?) anything else?

Fit it yourself if you want but it should be calibrated...by Fiat.

End of the day its up to you what you want to day,you might get lucky with a secondhand one & far be it for me to tell you what you should or shouldn't do.The guide I wrote was as it says 'a guide'.
£650 seems steep? was that including fitting/callibration?

p.s.chassis number is on your front & rear screens,also on metal plate under bonnet.

ok, I've got a remanufactured unit, motor and ecu just been delivered, sat in a box in front room - it's huge and heavy! (and cost 285!) gonna get a friend mechanic I know to see if he can fit it, if not I'll take it to fiat.
I'll also get it calibrated as you suggest - what is this though? is it to do with the new ecu bit that's on the unit?? is it expensive? (please say no as already cost me just shy of a grand in last 2 months)

ok, just thought I'd update: had the reconditioned unit fitted yesterday at the fiat garage, so they setit up and calibrated it. all seems fine so far, is strange having extra light steering again!
all in all I've managed to save myself over £200 by doing it this way, so if anyone else reads this thread because they have steering probs, then hopefully you'll see there is a slightly cheaper way to resolve the prob!! fingers crossed nothing else goes wrong for a while.........

Fixed at last

Good you got it calibrated,if you didn't chances are the steering would be out as the calibration ensues the correct torque effort turning right & left.