Took a hard turn, steering went stiff..WtH happened?
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Joined: Jan 2012
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From: NNJ/NYC
'12 C63 AMG,'11 Lexus RX450H,'10 VW Routan,'09 E92 ///M3 (Sold),'07 E85 Z4 ///M Roadster (Sold)
Took a hard turn, steering went stiff..WtH happened?
Hey folks,
So I'm driving home last night on a local road ( no cars in sight) and I came to a familiar street that I love to turn onto and hit the gas (it's wide) and let my butt hang out a little...
That's exactly what I did but a bit on the extreme side last night...
As soon as I came out of the turn and straightened out, my steering wheel went totally STIFF... I could barely muscle the wheels to turn, and when I stopped, they wouldnt turn at all.. My car only has 1130 miles on it, and this has never happened.
However, after a few 100 feet of driving slowly and straight, I made it home, and the power steering seemed to be working again (about 90%?.. Maybe it was just mental).
So I just went out just now, and took it for a drive around my neighborhood.
No fluids on the garage floor..
The power steering is working (it's not SUPER stiff) as it was for that brief moment last night, but it DEF feels a bit quirky and not as smooth when I turn the wheel.
Now I've read that C63s are notorious for broken PS pumps, but if mine was broken, I would assume that it would be a LOT harder to turn the wheel than how it feels right now, no? And iF it is broken; will MB fix it under warranty? Should I be brutally honest as to what happened?? I can't do anything as of right now bc it's Sunday..
However, I guess I will call tomrrow morning.
Meantime, does anyone have a clue as to what might be wrong??
Any info would be appreciated... Also; if I broke the PS pump, is it a MAJOR fix?
I have no idea when it comes to mechanics. Thanks a million
So I'm driving home last night on a local road ( no cars in sight) and I came to a familiar street that I love to turn onto and hit the gas (it's wide) and let my butt hang out a little...
That's exactly what I did but a bit on the extreme side last night...
As soon as I came out of the turn and straightened out, my steering wheel went totally STIFF... I could barely muscle the wheels to turn, and when I stopped, they wouldnt turn at all.. My car only has 1130 miles on it, and this has never happened.
However, after a few 100 feet of driving slowly and straight, I made it home, and the power steering seemed to be working again (about 90%?.. Maybe it was just mental).
So I just went out just now, and took it for a drive around my neighborhood.
No fluids on the garage floor..
The power steering is working (it's not SUPER stiff) as it was for that brief moment last night, but it DEF feels a bit quirky and not as smooth when I turn the wheel.
Now I've read that C63s are notorious for broken PS pumps, but if mine was broken, I would assume that it would be a LOT harder to turn the wheel than how it feels right now, no? And iF it is broken; will MB fix it under warranty? Should I be brutally honest as to what happened?? I can't do anything as of right now bc it's Sunday..
However, I guess I will call tomrrow morning.
Meantime, does anyone have a clue as to what might be wrong??
Any info would be appreciated... Also; if I broke the PS pump, is it a MAJOR fix?
I have no idea when it comes to mechanics. Thanks a million
Last edited by ctown113; Apr 15, 2012 at 01:55 PM.
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2017 Mini Cooper S Clubman ALL4 - British Racing Green
Obviously you want to take it to MB, be honest that you were driving hard, I mean these are AMG's, they are built to take a beating. (Don't ever however tell them you broke your car at a race track if you ever go to one.. ).
Think about power steering, is that it is great at low speeds when you are turning in wide circles and what not, however at speed, even if you lost power steering, you would most likely not notice it since you do not have the same friction to overcome as when at lower speeds.
However, I believe our cars have adaptive steering.. so a failed PS pump may have caused the issue.. Either way, take it to the dealer. I would not recommend driving it till then, because if you lose steering again, the results may not end as well as it did previous.
Think about power steering, is that it is great at low speeds when you are turning in wide circles and what not, however at speed, even if you lost power steering, you would most likely not notice it since you do not have the same friction to overcome as when at lower speeds.
However, I believe our cars have adaptive steering.. so a failed PS pump may have caused the issue.. Either way, take it to the dealer. I would not recommend driving it till then, because if you lose steering again, the results may not end as well as it did previous.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 214
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From: NNJ/NYC
'12 C63 AMG,'11 Lexus RX450H,'10 VW Routan,'09 E92 ///M3 (Sold),'07 E85 Z4 ///M Roadster (Sold)
Thanks for the info and reply JVan...
I will definitely take it in tomorrow... If a failed PS pump is the case, do you think it will be covered by warranty? And again, is it a major repair?
I'm kind of shocked that such a thing would even happen to a brand new car..
With my former ///M cars, ive had my share of glitches, but nothing mechanical or a failed anything.
I just hope I'm not going to have to shell out $1000 to fix it.
Thanks again
I will definitely take it in tomorrow... If a failed PS pump is the case, do you think it will be covered by warranty? And again, is it a major repair?
I'm kind of shocked that such a thing would even happen to a brand new car..
With my former ///M cars, ive had my share of glitches, but nothing mechanical or a failed anything.
I just hope I'm not going to have to shell out $1000 to fix it.
Thanks again
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 273
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From: So. Cal
2007 SRT8 Charger, 09' C63
Almost the same thing happend to me a while back..but my PS blew, took it to a dealer, they fixed no problem, under warranty..same day too..dropped off in da morning picked it up late afternoon
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2012 C63 coupe
Thanks for the info and reply JVan...
I will definitely take it in tomorrow... If a failed PS pump is the case, do you think it will be covered by warranty? And again, is it a major repair?
I'm kind of shocked that such a thing would even happen to a brand new car..
With my former ///M cars, ive had my share of glitches, but nothing mechanical or a failed anything.
I just hope I'm not going to have to shell out $1000 to fix it.
Thanks again
I will definitely take it in tomorrow... If a failed PS pump is the case, do you think it will be covered by warranty? And again, is it a major repair?
I'm kind of shocked that such a thing would even happen to a brand new car..
With my former ///M cars, ive had my share of glitches, but nothing mechanical or a failed anything.
I just hope I'm not going to have to shell out $1000 to fix it.
Thanks again
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 4,563
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C63 AMG
Hit the JUICE, you need more muscle mass 
Maybe you should go back to your perfect ///M cars...?
On a serious note, there has been a handful of guys that had the power steering pump fail.. But I don't think this is your issue
Maybe you should go back to your perfect ///M cars...?
On a serious note, there has been a handful of guys that had the power steering pump fail.. But I don't think this is your issue
