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Our expert insights into free steering check
What is included in a steering system check?
Our free car steering check covers all major parts. Our top-rated mechanics will check your power steering fluid levels, the condition and quality of the power steering fluid, steering geometry, steering wheel and more.
How do I know if my steering system needs repairing?
Some common signs that your steering may need repairing are:
Very difficult to turn the steering wheel
Uneven or premature tyre wear
Power steering fluid pump is making a whining noise
Power steering fluid looks black or brown
Car pulls to one side when driving or your steering seems to be “wandering”
How Fixter works
Simply book online and we'll handle the rest
Upfront, fair pricing, with free collection & return and no hidden costs. Our in-house experts will then choose the ideal garage to work on your car.
A fully-insured Fixter driver will pick up your car, whenever and wherever works for you. (If you’d prefer to drive your car to the garage yourself, that’s not a problem!).
Our in-house experts will keep you updated, and your card is only charged once all work has been satisfactorily completed and approved by our team. Your driver will then drop the car back when it’s convenient for you.
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Want to learn more about Smart free steering check?
What is included in a steering system check?
Our free car steering check covers all major parts. Our top-rated mechanics will check your power steering fluid levels, the condition and quality of the power steering fluid, steering geometry, steering wheel and more.
Smart
Smart is a German automotive brand, established 25 years ago in 1994.
The company is a division of the automotive corporation Daimler AG and operated under the ownership of Mercedes-Benz.
How popular is Smart in the United Kingdom?
Smart isnt’ the most popular brand in the UK, most likely due to appealing primarily to parking-challenged city-dwellers; there are only 96k of their vehicles on the roads of the UK today.
Showing steady growth, however, since their introduction to the UK market in 2003, the trend would suggest that we’re likely to see more of these eccentric looking tiny cars as time goes by.
Smart: Quirky little microcars and subcompacts
Owned by Mercedes-Benz, Smart cars fit into the market you’d expect on first glance. They’re a fun and funky little city car; they’re solid, middle of the road machines, designed to be as versatile as they look.
A Smart car will never fool anyone that it’s a hi-end, luxury vehicle. There’s plenty of glossy plastic and groovy fabrics, yet in the cockpit, you’ll find up-to-the-minute touchscreen media options at the controls. They do come at an inflated price for the small city car market, but by nature of their unique design—there’s nothing quite like them.
Smart cars are cheap to run—but not so cheap to buy
Your Smart ForFour will be more expensive by comparison than its rivals: the Fiat 500, Skoda Citigo, Kia Picanto or Hyundai i10—yet it’s rather hard to pitch the Fortwo against anything because there isn’t anything on the market quite so small. Only the Renault Twizy comes to mind, and that’s barely a car at all.
Once you’ve got one though, your Smart car will cost next to nothing to run with their tiny wheels and low weight. The electric models perform even better with a fuel equivalent of 87mpg.
How does car steering work?
The steering system of your car includes everything from the steering wheel to the steering shaft, rack and gearbox, all the way to the linkage which connects to the wheels themselves. All these components are used to control the direction of a vehicle’s motion.
Almost all steering systems in modern cars contain a hydraulic booster, which supplies most of the necessary force when the driver turns the wheel. This is often called power assisted steering.
How do I know if my steering system needs repairing?
Some common signs that your steering may need repairing are:
Very difficult to turn the steering wheel
Uneven or premature tyre wear
Power steering fluid pump is making a whining noise
Power steering fluid looks black or brown
Car pulls to one side when driving or your steering seems to be “wandering”
When do you need to replace your power steering fluid?
The rule of thumb suggests that you should change your power steering fluid anywhere between 30,000 and 100,000 miles of driving. The main reason to replace your power steering fluid is that it has become contaminated or dirty. Further tell-tale signs that you need to take care of a flush are if you're having problems steering, the fluid has turned black or a dirty brown colour (it's generally red when it's new), it smells like it's burning, or you hear squealing noises as you turn the steering wheel.
##Is it OK to drive with low power steering fluid?
Without the correct amount of power steering fluid, the handling of your car will be affected. It can be difficult to control at low speeds and be dangerous for you and your passengers. We'd recommend topping up low levels as soon as possible. If you drive without power steering fluid for extended periods, you can damage the pump, which would deliver a far costlier repair or replacement than a simple top-up.
##Is it necessary to flush power steering fluid?
It's not always necessary to flush the power steering fluid, but we'd suggest it's a best practice you should engage in—recommended by almost all good mechanics. Over time, build-up can occur in the power steering fluid, which not only makes it harder to turn your steering but can also deliver increased wear to your steering pump, causing damage that could easily be avoided.
How long does it take for power steering fluid to circulate?
If you're giving your steering system a full flush, you can expect it to take 5 minutes of turning the steering from wheel hard left to hard right to get the power steering fluid into the system properly. Keep an eye out for air bubbles releasing from the reservoir. Once everything feels normal again, take the car out for a drive. Check the fluid level on your return and over the next few days, and top it up to the full level if it drops at all.
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