Steering Rack needs replacement
 

After leaking for a few months, my steering rack in my 2006 A6 C6 finally gave out...Dealer wanter $2900. I told him that was ridiculous and he then called back with an offer for $2300. The car is old and has 115k on it and I was unsure of paying 1/3 of the retail value of the vehicle. I called around to some indy shops and all of the prices were $1500-1800....They even had the nerve to tell me that steering racks go out at 100k... I have had many cars past 100k and none of them needed a steering rack replaced... I need this car for another year and then I am dumping...german cars get pricey after 100k..

Dunno.. my 2000 has 214k on it.. original rack, and many many other things too. =)

My 2000 4.2 lost the rack at 166k. Cost me 1800 at an Indy shop. That was the first major failure in the car ever.

What are the symptoms? Why is it so expensive to fix - costly part or very involved repair? DIY?

Search on this used auto parts website. Some racks I saw come with warranty. The labor should be couple of hundred bucks on top of the rack price.

http://www.car-part.com/

Remanufactured rack should run around $900 (plus installation). I would *not* buy a used rack...that's just asking for trouble, unless you're doing the work yourself and you enjoy this particular job!