Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 89
Likes: 9
From: Birmingham, Michigan
04 C32 AMG (sadly sold), 05 CLK55 Cab, 08 R350 4Matic, 15 GLA250 (sadly bought), 75 VW Westfalia
Steering column looseness - source of strg whl play
My '04 C32 has a bit of play in the steering, not bad but annoying, did all the usual ball jt replacements, the suspension is very tight and I can grab the wheels (on a hoist) and rotate them about the vertical axis and get no slop. I had been told it was the rack by the stealership but didn't deal with it until now. Looking at the gear/column closely while having someone turn the wheel, the source turned out to be big-time (1/2") movement of the upper intermediate shaft where it goes thru the firewall. I haven't torn apart the carpet/IP lower cover yet to get at it, and there isn't anything that I could find in the STAR service CD that relates to this, just wondering if anyone here has experienced this with their C-class and whether it's A) an immediate safety hazard and B) DIY-friendly.
The dealership was perfectly happy to replace the rack at a cost of $3K, which would not have fixed the problem...*******s...