The owner of this 2006 Mazda MX-5 2.0 was struggling to park, due to stiffness when turning the steering at low speeds. On the road and driving around at normal speeds, the steering did not present any problems.

My initial thoughts were that the power steering pump may be weak, but the power steering fluid looked clean. After checking the power steering rack ,I detected lateral movement in the rack assembly. The best course of action was to replace this first and then reassess the situation.

The job time for replacing the steering rack is 2 hours. After the new steering rack was in place, and the system bled, I could immediately feel the improvement. The power steering assistance could be easily felt.

Once the owner tested the Mazda with a couple of parking manoeuvres, she soon agreed that things were now much improved.

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