Has anyone experienced alot of motion or play in the sterring, my 04 XF seems to have alot of play in the sterring wheel. A couple of months ago I also had to get the steering wheel aligned becuase it had gone out of center, dealer coverd that under warranty.

 

we all do...it is the dated steering rack (recirculating ball system) that chrysler/mb uses. very sloppy & loose feeling with no driver input.

 

It's unfortunate but the steering seems to be an absolute mess in the Crossfire. I HATE the recircualting ball unit. My steering is off center and I need to get the car to the dealer--I'm just terrified that they'll scratch my wheels with the alignment heads.

 

i wonder how much the new rack and pinion system from the slk350 would cost..

 

that would not be worth it at all.

 

that wasnt my question

 

My 05 Roadster steering wheel is as solid as a rock. Great tight feeling and very responsive. No slopiness, tracks straight. No play at all.

 

no play here but the steering wheel isnt straight, when driving in a straight line if you look at the steering wheel it looks like your taking a right turn, kinda annoying. Anyone know how to take the wheel off and staighten it up?

 

i wouldnt do that, since that might screw up the ball even more.

 

lol... You do not take the steering wheel off to fix that. It is adjusted under the hood.

 

damn, and there i was ready to pull that sucker off....now you know why im in software mgmt and not engineering :-). i take it the dealer has to do that, cus im pretty good with a wrench you know? :-)

 

Epyon, help me understand how taking the steering wheel off can possibly screw up the recirculating ball steering gear.

britt1, the proper way to center the steering wheel is by adjusting the steering linkage. Any alignment shop can do it. However, if you are still under warranty, the dealer should do it for you.

Everyone has bashed the recirculating ball steering as not being as "good" as a power rack and pinion. True the feel is not quite as precise, especially when on center. However, a recirculating ball steering gear is nealy bomb-proof. The need for repairs is rare. Unless you hit something with it at highspeed, about the only thing that ever goes wrong with them is a leaky seal, and that is not common. They will last a lot longer than the rest of the car will without much attention other than checking the fluid level occasionally. If you ever have to replace them, they are not very expensive. On the other hand, a power rack and pinion is fairly fragile by comparison, they are prone to leakage, they don't last nearly as long as a recirculating ball, and if you have to replace them, they cost a small fortune.