What can fix a loose play in steering?

Hello Paul, I drive a Land Cruiser VX 1995 model. It has a loose play in the steering, which makes me uncomfortable. My mechanic has replaced several parts including the tie rods, rack ends, ball joints, suspension bushes and done wheel alignment twice but the problem persists. Now he has given up as everything looks fine. I have not had a major accident but the mechanic suggests that my chassis may be faulty. Please advise. Peter.

Hello Peter, the steering feedback you are getting means something is not right. Whilst the mechanic has done a wide range of parts replacement, probably what he found worn out, there is one item he needs to check or replace to complete the run; the steering damper or stabiliser.
It looks like a shockabsorber. It is designed to inhibit or dampen steering wobble or uncontrolled wheel movements. When this part fails, you will feel an uncomfortable loose play in the steering. I call this the ‘death wobble’. Just change the steering damper and your Toyota will be fine.

Hello, I am a bit taken back when a Ugandan dealer says he doesn’t know about the car you need to buy. Fuel consumption is the major discussion than the real issues. High-end cars which I knew were cars like Audi, Range Rover, Mercedes, and bigger Toyota. Today, if I want to buy a car like Brevis, Progrès, Harrier, I will be told not to. Reasons being they are fuel guzzlers, lack of spares and few mechanics who know these cars. What are high-end cars, if the above cars are now high-end too? Thanks. Masentekuya.

Hello Mr Masentekuya, the term ‘high-end cars’ is loosely used as a subjective attribute, which is often misleading. What may be my high-end car may be your premium or low-end. Strictly speaking ‘high-end cars’ describes vehicles built with higher quality equipment and features. They are kitted with high performance engines and endowed with superior design and comfort attributes.

The price tags are also ‘up there’. Among the top 10 high end cars of 2016, we have the 2016 Acura RLX sport hybrid, which comes with road departure mitigation, a safety and convenience feature that alerts and helps you when the system detects that you are unintentionally crossing to another lane without indicating. Steering torque and vibrations are activated to help your vehicle stay in the correct lane.

The 2016 BMW 750I xDrive (pictured) comes with an infotainment system, which can be controlled with a gesture or motion of your hand. You can reject an incoming phone call by simply waving it away. High-end cars come with high grade leather or alcantara upholstery, dual seat rear entertainment, park assist in the 2016 ML Mercedes, which can park the car on a street with your hands holding the newspaper.

But again what is high-end in Kampala may not be in London or Hamburg. In Uganda, Brevis, Progrès and Harrier could be considered ‘high-end’. What is critical is availability of spare parts and that high performance engines tend to be fuel thirsty. I hasten to add that in Kampala, we have independent parts dealers for our high-end cars such as Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Ford, Isuzu, Nissan, BMW and Mitsubishi.

So parts are not a major show stopper. If you want to drive the BMW 750i xDrive, fuel economy should not come between you and your dream car. This challenge can be overcome by adjusting your driving style, avoid unnecessary idling in heavy traffic, maintain the car well, plan your journeys and use fuel with efficiency improving additives.

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