steering rack £382 verses £60, too good to be true??

It's looking like I may need a new/reconditioned steering rack. The obvious route via Renault will cost £382+VAT. However as an experiment I tried ringing my local motor factors and asked for a Renault Feugo rack. They said a 1986 was the latest listing they had and quoted £60. This seems too cheap?! and the fact that my GTA V6 Atmo is 1989 (3 years later) is not a good sign. However I'm looking for any comments feedback that may give me confidence that a 1986 Renault Feugo rack at £60 is the real thing?.
cheers Paul

Some of the magazines published when the GTA was new referred to the rack as from a Fuego, however mine was rebuilt by Paul Sage and during my chats with him I was told that there is little in common between the two.

I think the track rod ends are actually off a Renault 21 but Paul is the man to ask on 0208 7666 480.

My research to date suggests that the core part of the rack is the same as a Fuego, however the arms are different, maybe from a R25 . So to get a complete new rack you would need to buy a Feugo rack and then some R25 arms and swap these over. What makes getting the arms tricky is that Renault do not list these separately from the complete rack assembly. So no part number no part!. Why is it you can get every single individual nut bolt & washer itemised on some areas of the car but on the steering rack its just one assembly??.

Has anyone managed to get these sub-assembly part numbers for the rack on a GTA?
cheers Paul

Going through old threads to see what I can learn. I have just pulled out the rack on my GTA, to find that the rack boots were only Fuego ones, and that the bush on the passenger side of the rack is the same as an R16,15,12 etc. The parts book does not even list or show the bush.

Over here the boots were $12 ea, the bush kit $8. About 12 pounds in your money. The pinion depth is easily adjusted to make it all like new, just add some moly grease. All fairly cheap, although the rack is a little difficult to remove and refit.

[BIG_MVS]

I'm in the process of buying said kit at the moment, it's taking a while but Paul at Ren-Tek(very helpful chap) assures me I will have it soon.

What's the problem with your rack Paul? If it's just that you have play in the passenger side chances are it's just the bush like on mine.

[quote="Alan Moore"]Going through old threads to see what I can learn. I have just pulled out the rack on my GTA, to find that the rack boots were only Fuego ones, and that the bush on the passenger side of the rack is the same as an R16,15,12 etc. The parts book does not even list or show the bush.

Over here the boots were $12 ea, the bush kit $8. About 12 pounds in your money. The pinion depth is easily adjusted to make it all like new, just add some moly grease. All fairly cheap, although the rack is a little difficult to remove and refit.


Hi Alan

My GTA has had an inspection and we found it to have worn rack ends (the bits that connect the tie rod ends to the rack. Is this what you were referring to as bushes in your post?

Can you confirm which Renaults each component of the steering gear comes from? Ie is it in fact a Fuego for the rack and an R25 for the rest?

Hopefully I can source the bits here in Adelaide.

The rack boots from a Fuego fit fine. The bush I mentioned is in the LH end of the rack and is often called an anti rattle bush for an R16. The long rods that attach to the rack (tierods) have no specific part No. in the GTA Parts book, but look similar to R18, Fuego, R25.

I have rarely seen the ball on the end of the rack badly worn, but the bush I mentioned is often tired.

Perhaps if you measured the length of the tierods, and relayed this to Ken at Caravelle he may be able to tell you which one they are, if they are the same as a standard Renault.