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Old 05-06-2017, 12:36 PM   #119
denjoga
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Member#: 467175
Join Date: May 2017
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Hi folks, new guy here.
Auto-repair illiterate.

'08 WRX hatch ~76k miles - yes, I average less than 10k mi/year, mostly city driving.
No mods, no track days or autocross or anything like that.
I do occasionally drive fast around highway ramps but that's the closest I come to "abusing" my car.

Had the steering whine a couple of years ago, my independent mechanic bled the system and looked for leaks but found nothing, but the whine got better anyway.
This past fall the whine came back with a vengeance along with a slow ps fluid leak that hits the ground just inside of the front left tire.
Started researching on-line and followed the recommendation to replace the O-ring.
Noticed before replacement that the reservoir had foamy bubbles on top - after replacement, no more foam, whine is MUCH better but not completely gone and the leak didn't change - losing maybe a couple ounces a week.

Last week had my mechanic address the leak and they told me I need to have my PS rack replaced.
They quoted me ~$1k including alignment, which seems like a good deal compared to what others in this thread have reported, so that's good.

In my research on this issue, I see 3 approaches being recommended:
-replace rack w/ same part
-replace rack w/ '15+ rack
-repair pinion valve

I trust my mechanic/shop, they specialize in foreign sports cars but have mentioned once or twice that "Subarus are a p.i.t.a."

Just looking for a consensus on the best approach.
Direct replacement doesn't seem like a good idea if they're known to fail.
Not sure if my shop will be willing to replace w/ alternative part ('15+ rack) or attempt to repair the pinion valve, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.
Although, depending on who in the shop I talk to, I sometimes get attitude because of my ignorance - kind of like "mansplaining" except I'm not female.
And of course, any time I mention, "I read on the internet..." I get eye-rolls and heavy sighs.

Any advice would be much appreciated, keeping in mind that replacing that o-ring is about the limit of my d.i.y. ability.

Also, if anyone has a recommendation for a good Subie mechanic in the Waltham, MA area, I'm open to suggestions.


Oh yeah, I guess there is a 4th option - buying a rebuilt rack, but I'm not too keen on that and I know my shop is not interested in installing parts that they didn't source themselves.
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