Steering Rack

I have a 93 3.3 Grand Caravan. About 2 years ago I had to replace the
steering rack. Last year I had to do it again because it was leaking. Now
I see it's starting to leak again. The racks are remanufactured from
CarQuest. Lifetime warranty, but I don't like the idea of replacing them
every year or 18 months. Has anyone else had bad experiences with CarQuest
parts or steering racks in general ? Any suggestions on where to get a
better part or are they remanufactured by only a few companies.

thanks,
Nick



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On Mon, 7 Feb 2005, ncs wrote:

> I have a 93 3.3 Grand Caravan. About 2 years ago I had to replace the
> steering rack. Last year I had to do it again because it was leaking.
> Now I see it's starting to leak again. The racks are remanufactured
> from CarQuest. Lifetime warranty, but I don't like the idea of
> replacing them every year or 18 months.

It's amazing and sad that people will continue to inflict the
unreliability and the time and money waste of "remanufactured" parts upon
themselves again and again and again, all the while going "But...lifetime
warranty! Lifetime warranty! Lifetime warranty! It can't be the
'remanufacturing' process, it must be, um, the store I bought it from!
After all, lifetime warranty!".

> suggestions on where to get a better part

Check with Steer & Gear, or look in your local yellow pages.

Daniel J. Stern wrote:
> On Mon, 7 Feb 2005, ncs wrote:
>
>
>>I have a 93 3.3 Grand Caravan. About 2 years ago I had to replace the
>>steering rack. Last year I had to do it again because it was leaking.
>>Now I see it's starting to leak again. The racks are remanufactured
>>from CarQuest. Lifetime warranty, but I don't like the idea of
>>replacing them every year or 18 months.
>
>
> It's amazing and sad that people will continue to inflict the
> unreliability and the time and money waste of "remanufactured" parts upon
> themselves again and again and again, all the while going "But...lifetime
> warranty! Lifetime warranty! Lifetime warranty! It can't be the
> 'remanufacturing' process, it must be, um, the store I bought it from!
> After all, lifetime warranty!".
>
>
>>suggestions on where to get a better part
>
>
> Check with Steer & Gear, or look in your local yellow pages.
>

Daniel - Is this a situation where a part from NAPA will likely be
better (a btter screened supplier, etc.)?

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

In article >,
Bill Putney > wrote:

> Daniel J. Stern wrote:
> > On Mon, 7 Feb 2005, ncs wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I have a 93 3.3 Grand Caravan. About 2 years ago I had to replace the
> >>steering rack. Last year I had to do it again because it was leaking.
> >>Now I see it's starting to leak again. The racks are remanufactured
> >>from CarQuest. Lifetime warranty, but I don't like the idea of
> >>replacing them every year or 18 months.
> >
> >
> > It's amazing and sad that people will continue to inflict the
> > unreliability and the time and money waste of "remanufactured" parts upon
> > themselves again and again and again, all the while going "But...lifetime
> > warranty! Lifetime warranty! Lifetime warranty! It can't be the
> > 'remanufacturing' process, it must be, um, the store I bought it from!
> > After all, lifetime warranty!".
> >
> >
> >>suggestions on where to get a better part
> >
> >
> > Check with Steer & Gear, or look in your local yellow pages.
> >
>
> Daniel - Is this a situation where a part from NAPA will likely be
> better (a btter screened supplier, etc.)?

It might vary according to what region of the U.S. but around
here, Cardone is the rebuilder for both Carquest and NAPA for
such parts.

It's tough for me to gauge which is a better part by just looking at them,
which is the only thing I have to go by. True a lifetime warranty doesn't
do me much good if the part keeps failing.
I think the dealer sells reman. parts also and they are more expensive. Is
there one or two parts chains out there that is better than most ? NAPA vs.
AutoZone, CarQuest vs. local stores ? And I've never had a problem with
these chains and their parts before. They are usually pretty good and
cheaper.

thanks,
Nick

"Bill Putney" > wrote in message
...
> Daniel J. Stern wrote:
>> On Mon, 7 Feb 2005, ncs wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I have a 93 3.3 Grand Caravan. About 2 years ago I had to replace the
>>>steering rack. Last year I had to do it again because it was leaking.
>>>Now I see it's starting to leak again. The racks are remanufactured
>>>from CarQuest. Lifetime warranty, but I don't like the idea of
>>>replacing them every year or 18 months.
>>
>>
>> It's amazing and sad that people will continue to inflict the
>> unreliability and the time and money waste of "remanufactured" parts upon
>> themselves again and again and again, all the while going "But...lifetime
>> warranty! Lifetime warranty! Lifetime warranty! It can't be the
>> 'remanufacturing' process, it must be, um, the store I bought it from!
>> After all, lifetime warranty!".
>>
>>
>>>suggestions on where to get a better part
>>
>>
>> Check with Steer & Gear, or look in your local yellow pages.
>>
>
> Daniel - Is this a situation where a part from NAPA will likely be better
> (a btter screened supplier, etc.)?
>
> Bill Putney
> (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
> adddress with the letter 'x')



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I am lucky that I have two good independent parts stores near me, but
NAPA is also usually good. I've heard good things about CarQuest but
I've never lived near one. Pep Boys, AutoZone etc. I usually only go to
for consumables like oil etc., although AutoZone seems to be getting a
little better.

nate

ncs wrote:

> It's tough for me to gauge which is a better part by just looking at them,
> which is the only thing I have to go by. True a lifetime warranty doesn't
> do me much good if the part keeps failing.
> I think the dealer sells reman. parts also and they are more expensive. Is
> there one or two parts chains out there that is better than most ? NAPA vs.
> AutoZone, CarQuest vs. local stores ? And I've never had a problem with
> these chains and their parts before. They are usually pretty good and
> cheaper.
>
> thanks,
> Nick
>
> "Bill Putney" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Daniel J. Stern wrote:
>>
>>>On Mon, 7 Feb 2005, ncs wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>I have a 93 3.3 Grand Caravan. About 2 years ago I had to replace the
>>>>steering rack. Last year I had to do it again because it was leaking.
>>>>Now I see it's starting to leak again. The racks are remanufactured
>>>
>>>>from CarQuest. Lifetime warranty, but I don't like the idea of
>>>
>>>>replacing them every year or 18 months.
>>>
>>>
>>>It's amazing and sad that people will continue to inflict the
>>>unreliability and the time and money waste of "remanufactured" parts upon
>>>themselves again and again and again, all the while going "But...lifetime
>>>warranty! Lifetime warranty! Lifetime warranty! It can't be the
>>>'remanufacturing' process, it must be, um, the store I bought it from!
>>>After all, lifetime warranty!".
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>suggestions on where to get a better part
>>>
>>>
>>>Check with Steer & Gear, or look in your local yellow pages.
>>>
>>
>>Daniel - Is this a situation where a part from NAPA will likely be better
>>(a btter screened supplier, etc.)?
>>
>>Bill Putney
>>(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
>>adddress with the letter 'x')
>
>
>
>
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--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

ncs wrote:
> It's tough for me to gauge which is a better part by just looking at them,
> which is the only thing I have to go by. True a lifetime warranty doesn't
> do me much good if the part keeps failing.
> I think the dealer sells reman. parts also and they are more expensive. Is
> there one or two parts chains out there that is better than most ? NAPA vs.
> AutoZone, CarQuest vs. local stores ? And I've never had a problem with
> these chains and their parts before. They are usually pretty good and
> cheaper.
>
> thanks,
> Nick
>
My experience with replacing rebuilt steering racks from AutoZone was
positive. In each case, the replacement unit worked perfectly and gave
no trouble until I finally sold the car. In the case of the '86 Mark
VII, it was about 40 months. In the case of the '87 Taurus, it was only
10 months. Paid $105(1/2001) for the Mark VII and $70 for the Taurus
(1/1998).
Stan K.

"Bill Putney" > wrote:

>> It's amazing and sad that people will continue to inflict the
>> unreliability and the time and money waste of "remanufactured" parts
>> upon themselves again and again and again, all the while going
>> "But...lifetime warranty! Lifetime warranty! Lifetime warranty! It
>> can't be the 'remanufacturing' process, it must be, um, the store I
>> bought it from! After all, lifetime warranty!".

>>>suggestions on where to get a better part

>> Check with Steer & Gear, or look in your local yellow pages.

> Daniel - Is this a situation where a part from NAPA will likely be better
> (a btter screened supplier, etc.)?

Time was, yes. Nowtimes, NAPA is cheapening-down their line to try to
compete with Schmuck's, AutoBone, Schlep Boys, etc. Their O2 sensors used
to be Echlin (good), now Bosch (highly inconsistent). Their remanufactured
components used to be Rayloc (reliable), now Cardone (junk).

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005 21:37:57 -0500, "Daniel J. Stern"
> wrote:

>
>"Bill Putney" > wrote:
>
>>> It's amazing and sad that people will continue to inflict the
>>> unreliability and the time and money waste of "remanufactured" parts
>>> upon themselves again and again and again, all the while going
>>> "But...lifetime warranty! Lifetime warranty! Lifetime warranty! It
>>> can't be the 'remanufacturing' process, it must be, um, the store I
>>> bought it from! After all, lifetime warranty!".
>
>>>>suggestions on where to get a better part
>
>>> Check with Steer & Gear, or look in your local yellow pages.
>
>> Daniel - Is this a situation where a part from NAPA will likely be better
>> (a btter screened supplier, etc.)?
>
>Time was, yes. Nowtimes, NAPA is cheapening-down their line to try to
>compete with Schmuck's, AutoBone, Schlep Boys, etc. Their O2 sensors used
>to be Echlin (good), now Bosch (highly inconsistent). Their remanufactured
>components used to be Rayloc (reliable), now Cardone (junk).
>
While it was UAP up here in Canada, the parts were generally pretty
good. You could buy their in-house VERDIC brand and save some money,
getting sometimes slightly less quality.

Since they went to UAP/NAPA, and now simply NAPA, the quality of MANY
parts has definitely taken a HUGE nose-dive. My brother's shop is in
the other side of a NAPA store - and it's getting to the point the
"inhouse parts department" is getting a lot less of his business
because he's getting sick and tired of constantly returning defective
parts - and crap that's boxed wrong right from the warehouse. He has
had 3 different (wrong) parts supplied under the same part number
before getting the right one........

"ncs" > wrote in message ...
> It's tough for me to gauge which is a better part by just looking at them,
> which is the only thing I have to go by. True a lifetime warranty doesn't
> do me much good if the part keeps failing.
> I think the dealer sells reman. parts also and they are more expensive.
> Is there one or two parts chains out there that is better than most ?
> NAPA vs. AutoZone, CarQuest vs. local stores ? And I've never had a
> problem with these chains and their parts before. They are usually pretty
> good and cheaper.
>
Pesonally, I just don't mess with the low-quality for low-bucks outfits any
more. I found out many years ago that real parts stores (the kind with an
ashtray shaped like a tire and fan belts hanging from the ceiling) are
actually cheaper than Advance Auto. That did it for me. I used to have to
put on 2 or 3 rebuilt starters from Advance to get a good one. I don't have
to do that any more!

There are certain things you shouldn't buy rebuilt, but I don't really know
if racks are in that category. I've never replaced the first one. I don't
even look to see if they're leaking. Have you considered doing nothing?
That's probably what I'm doing, because I don't know if my rack is leaking
or not.