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Power steering stopped working suddenly

  • 04-01-2018 12:52AM
    #1
    quokula
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,845 ✭✭✭quokula


    As I was parking my car on arriving home tonight, the steering suddenly got very heavy and I realised the power steering stopped working. I drove it around a small residential block to test it out and confirmed that I could steer ok while moving but obviously at low speeds when parking it was a lot more difficult - i.e. just like older cars that didn't come with power steering.

    My partner uses the car to drive to work and hasn't driven a car without power steering before. My question is whether or not it will be ok for her in the morning?

    Googling has got me all sorts of different info on whether it is ok to drive a car in this state, from "it'll be fine" to "you won't get enough lock to make it round a roundabout" to "it's dangerous" to "it'll work fine but will cause damage to the car"

    It's a 2008 Mini Cooper D, there's also lots of stuff on google about dodgy power steering pumps in pre-2007 minis but not on newer ones. As it's now 10 years old I was actually already considering replacing the car so now I also wonder if it's better to pay to fix it and get that back in trade-in value or cut my losses on it. It passed the MOT just a couple of months ago, requiring me to buy 4 new sets of brake pads in the process.


Comments

  • #2
    Esel
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,759 ✭✭✭✭Esel
    Not Your Ornery Onager


    Bad idea for your partner to drive the car to work, unless she does a test drive with you beforehand and is happy.

    Not your ornery onager



  • #3
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 86,596 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    GDY151


    Do not let her drive it....
    Actor Richard E Grant has launched a furious expletive-laden Twitter tirade against Mini Cooper after his daughter's steering wheel allegedly locked on a motorway.

    The Hollywood star claimed the car was 'a timebomb' and said it was a 'nightmare' that his only daughter was driving the vehicle.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2371432/Actor-Richard-E-Grant-launches-Twitter-tirade-Mini-Cooper-daughters-steering-wheel-locks-motorway.html


  • #4
    Brayson Tasty Orange
    Posts: 4,333 ✭✭✭ Brayson Tasty Orange


    quokula wrote: »
    As I was parking my car on arriving home tonight, the steering suddenly got very heavy and I realised the power steering stopped working. I drove it around a small residential block to test it out and confirmed that I could steer ok while moving but obviously at low speeds when parking it was a lot more difficult - i.e. just like older cars that didn't come with power steering.

    My partner uses the car to drive to work and hasn't driven a car without power steering before. My question is whether or not it will be ok for her in the morning?

    Googling has got me all sorts of different info on whether it is ok to drive a car in this state, from "it'll be fine" to "you won't get enough lock to make it round a roundabout" to "it's dangerous" to "it'll work fine but will cause damage to the car"

    It's a 2008 Mini Cooper D, there's also lots of stuff on google about dodgy power steering pumps in pre-2007 minis but not on newer ones. As it's now 10 years old I was actually already considering replacing the car so now I also wonder if it's better to pay to fix it and get that back in trade-in value or cut my losses on it. It passed the MOT just a couple of months ago, requiring me to buy 4 new sets of brake pads in the process.

    It will be fine, stick a bit more air in the tyres.


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