Evening all, My power steering has decided to start playing up again. We first had the issue 3 yrs ago, with heavy steering and intermittent drop outs with no assistance at all. Back then we replaced the reservoir and flushed through and been ok ish since, not the lightest of steering, but consistent. I know the issues are well documented, particularly with the early racks ( mine is an 07) so probably time for a new rack, but pump is still noisy so maybe both? I have read in several places the pipes corrode where they join the rack so if I go ahead and renew the pipes, do they have to be genuine ones which are very expensive or have any of you had experience with aftermarket one ( s**tpart or equivalent). Trying to work out whether its worth the expense or to change the car. An 07 s model isn't worth a fortune and it has other issues need doing, rear brakes, rear struts, lower control arms again, and a myriad of odds n sods which is to be expected for a 16yr old car. Any thoughts, advice welcome.

It depends on whether you have the time, resources, skills and inclination to do the jobs.
Keeping the old car would probably be more cost effective as none of those jobs are hugely expensive, if you want to do it. (I'm are not including expensive stuff like engine/gearbox/ drive train which may alter the feasibility equation.)
Any newer vehicle will cost more; add up the purchase cost, depreciation and repairs outside any warranty.

Also from an environmental viewpoint it is usually better to keep your car going as long as possible as most of a car's pollution/CO2 emission occurs during its manufacture. Jules

My issue with the FL2 is that I cant see anything out there that is comparable at the moment.
The nearest thing would be a Volvo SUV I think.
But our FL2 is only 8 years old with 60K miles - plenty of life in the old gal yet Jules

No part has to be genuine and britpart are not as bad as people make out, as I fit their parts on a daily bases with no come backs and very few if any warranty issues. We do this to keep the customers bill down at the end of the day and can usually be guaranteed next day delivery. Doing the rack pump and pipes is not to bad a job but doing it DIY is a pta just for the sheer fact you're working on your back get some good axle stands and get the car as high as you can, it will make the job somewhat easier.

Having had a cheap aftermarket PS hose fail. I'd say definitely buy OE.
There are plenty of LR specific sellers that sell OE steering hoses at sensible prices, which is the way to go if you want to avoid problems later on.

The hoses and pipes can be done through the RH wheel arch, with no need to get under the vehicle.
If the rack needs changing, then that is more involved. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

Thanks for the replies. I genuinely don't know if its the rack or the pump at fault, and at approx 200 quid each, i don't want to buy the wrong bit. The hoses look of in fairness, but I have seen a few posts about people unable to remove pipes from the rack due to corrosion and issues with after market pipes leaking. I can do the repairs myself as such, annoying as i had the subframe off it last year when I replaced all the front suspension and clutch /dmf. Having driven it again last night i did experience a loss of assistance while turning, but only for 10 seconds or so. Can the pump lose pressure intermittently or is it more likely internal rack seals failing? I will monitor when the assistance drops off and report back.

Has the reservoir been replaced? 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

Yes and i flushed some fluid through as well. I was hoping for a cheap fix, but not my day it seems.

Easiest way to check the rack seals is to take the clip off the outer end of the rack boot and with a thin implement slide it between the boot and rack end massage the boot and see if there is any fluid seepage.

Ok, so it’s bordering on undrivable now, coming and going, from normal to very heavy, with no specific point at which it does it. Is there a definitive way to pick between pump and rack as one is much easier / cheaper to swap than the other. No evidence of losing any fluid, so not sure. I know the 07 years had internal rack issues, but I’m sure that would have been swapped before now if the issue was that bad.

I had the same issue, sorry to hear about your troubles. I changed reservoir twice and flushed thoroughly, always the same outcome, reservoir would quickly foul back with debris meaning internal rack seals disintegrating. I bit the bullet and bought a refurb rack and fitted that myself, surprisingly easy job. Wheels off, flexible steering column bolt off in the drivers well and push up and out of the way, loosen subframe bolts at the front, remove bolts at the back and undo lower engine mount mounts on the right, frame drops with a bit of push down. No need to remove sway bar, just move up and towards rear and that provides access. Undo steering lines and steering rack retaining bolts and out it comes out with a bit of wiggling. Transfer one way valve from old rack to new one (high pressure connection) and the input shaft bush from old steering to new one.

I couldn’t have done without other useful posts from forum members and photos. Invaluable forum!

Thanks and that's a really good how to if it all goes wrong. I'm curious on the one way valve bit, sure i read someone had inadvertently fitted it the wrong way round, ( sort of error I would make). Did you fit new track rod ends and was it a measure job for basic rod end fitting or did you count them on? Just want to get a full picture before I fully commit.

Yep, reused my 1 year old track rod ends and counted the number of turns so it has some initial alignment. Had a front end alignment done at a local Hunter shop and it was really close to spec. Make sure you have 1-2 litres of CHF202 fluid and a new reservoir. Luckily my steering pipes came off easy, not much corrosion and torc bolt was in good condition.

The one way valve is not tricky to transplant to new steering rack, and you won’t make a mistake which way it goes once you take it out of the old rack. High pressure line is the one on the top.

Well after a couple of months of seemingly problem free steering, the old issues have returned with a vengeance. My last efforts were a new header tank and flush, with minor improvement. I then added a power steering miracle cure additive which in fairness looked good on the bottle and in its results. Short lived however, I’m now at a solid steering wheel, engine off and restart and it clears for a short time before going solid again. Usual high pitch whine from the pump. Given the age and mileage of the car (2007 and 123k) am I most likely looking at the pump, rack or hoses? Mixed stories online as to which is most likely candidate so hoping there may be a definitive answer. Given it due a major service, needs steering sorting, rear suspension is shot, sills are needing attention and it’s only a basic s model, should i be considering binning it or cracking on and repairing it. Do about 5k a year, and tow a heavy caravan.

A. Going DYI is not for everyone, but that would be my first choice.

B. Fix via good honest garage and maybe you source some of the parts (e.g. refurb steering rack under £300).

C. Last resort, part exchange ( car ‘as is’ + equivalent garage fees to fix yours = you may break even-ish for comparable age) which may make sense if you dislike current vehicle…