I have a 2000 lexus rx300. the steering rack was replaced 2yrs/20k ago. now, there is very slight seeping of fluid. only noticeable on on the boot and never drips onto the floor. i took it back to the dealer and they said that is normal and after 2yrs it’s in very good shape. i question why if the seals are working properly then should i see this? any help is appreciated.
thanks
Any power steering fluid leak from the steering rack is not normal and acceptable. It should be bone dry.
Did they replace this rack with a factory new unit or did they outsource a rebuilt/reman unit from a local parts house?
New car dealers should not outsource reman parts for this very reason and it also reflects badly on both the dealer and corporate Lexus even though they had nothing to do with rebuilding the unit.
If it was a reman unit then odds are the rack had a tiny scratch in it and this scratch or whatever flaw there is was overlooked during the reman process. Any flaw will then eat at a new seal and leaks will eventually begin.
(For what it’s worth, most employees at reman facilities are not mechanically inclined. Their job is to stick things together assembly line style and the company hopes the percentage of flawed units they send out will stay within a certain percentage.)
Very, very few Lexus owners are aware of things like: “now, there is very slight seeping of fluid. only noticeable on on the boot and never drips onto the floor.”
We don’t live in a perfect world and one of the LEAST perfect things in our world are the cars we drive and the methods used to repair them…
well i had two mechanics confirm the seeping. one said it should be fixed…the other (the dealer) said they would ‘monitor’ it.
What’s to monitor? If there’s power steering fluid in the rack boots this means the rack seal (or seals if it’s both sides) is leaking and there’s a problem with the rack.
If the dealer used a reman parts house steering rack without your approval or with this being unknown to you this could reflect badly upon them for not using a new from Lexus part. Corporate Lexus might not like their name tarnished either.
Do you still have the copy of the repair order? What does it say about the steering rack and how much did they hit you for? (Part only)
This could be a real hoot if you were billed for a new from Lexus rack and got a heavily discounted and possibly inferior remanufactured unit.
I’m not saying this is the case; only that it’s a possibility.
thanks for your input. being ignorant about these sort of things I’m realizing they are giving me a story. I just contacted the service manger and will be contacting Lexus next.
The part was $686 and $469 for installation.
Assuning you actually are losing fluid from the PS reservoir (and since you’ve had second and thord opinions you probably are), I’d simply monitor it for now. As long as you keep fluid in the reservoir the PS will work fine. The seals involved are unlikely to suddenly totally fail. They’re an O-ring type of seal, and will simply probably degrade over time. The type of seal that fails catastrophicallly is typically a diaphragm type of seal.
Having said that, by all means pursue some type of deal on a replacement if you can. OK4450 has given you excellent advice, as he always does.