The van’s power steering pump and rack needing replacement. My options are:
1. Allow the place I’m getting to source the parts:
Pros:
- They have a 2 year, 40,000 km warranty on any work they do
- If they have to replace a part because it is under warranty, the labour is on them
Cons:
- There’s a chance it’ll be more expensive if I get the parts through them
a) Use OEM parts. I have a feeling that the OEM steering rack is going to be ~$1200 CAD. Definitely more expensive than a re-manufactured unit, and the warranty will be shorter, but lower chance of failure.
b) Use a re-manufactured part. My friend (who works at the shop) says that they’ve had really bad luck with Cardone parts - who apparently does pretty much all the re-manufacturing. They had one truck in this past summer with the pump failing 3 times. The labour is covered under warranty, but that person was left without a truck for a good chunk of the summer because it was constantly back into the shop.
2. Source the parts myself:
Pros:
- Parts may cost less, and lower the overall bill.
Cons:
- They won’t cover any warranty labour on the parts if they fail.
I did manage to find a re-manufactured steering rack on Rock Auto - supposedly an AC Delco unit, for a very reasonable price. Thing is, is it actually AC Delco that re-manufactures the parts, or is it actually done by Cardone? And what’s the chance of failure?
Any thoughts, Oppo-hive-mind?