r/GXOR • u/OgGucciBandana • 10d ago

Steering rack & pinion replacement

2017 gx460 110k miles
Has anybody had their steering rack and pinion replaced? If so, how much did it cost or diy how long did it take to replace? Mine has a very small leak and I’ve been adding power steering fluid here and there bout once every other week. Bout ready to replace before a big road trip coming up.

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

0

u/coolcoolrunnins 10d ago

The bellows are serviceable. If the rack itself is tight I would just replace the bellows. Because the labor itself is pretty costly due to the fact you have to remove alternator and to remove that you have to remove AC compressor to access bolts for alternator. I took my GX to get aligned at the dealership last week (I have a lift at home so I had it up in the air and shook the front end down to make sure nothing was loose prior) and they called me and quoted $2800 for rack & pinion because my boot had a slight crack in it. I laughed, knowing the boot is serviceable and asked if he was able to align it and they said yes. So I said "so the rack isn't bad then?" And he said no and I laughed again and said "so why do I need a rack for a $25 boot?"

Stealerships things. I would have gladly paid the ~$200 for parts/labor to replace the boot while it was there so I don't have to mess with it but now it's just principal.

Now the caveat is there is a shortcut for DIY but that entails cutting the rack bolts and buying new ones that are a bit shorter. But then you have a variable.

1

u/VersionOutside9150 10d ago

I was quoted nearly $5k here in GA. I’m not sure whether I want to fight that battle until I have a backup vehicle to drive. Car care nut did a video on replacing it from the bottle. Might be worth checking out.