Hi everyone. On a recent short outing, about 8 miles, I arrived at my destination with smoke billowing from the hood and underside of the car. The engine was cool so I checked all fluid levels. In no time at all I realized the smoke was caused by Power Steering fluid.
Since the hose connections at the steering box were dry and the hose connections at the pump were also dry I concluded the problem was from one of the two hoses connecting the steering box to the pump. A trip to my local auto repair shop confirmed my diagnosis - busted hose some where in the line.
They gave me an estimate of $300 for replacement hoses and another $300 plus in labor. I decided NOT to go ahead with the repair and brought the car home. Maybe $600 plus to fix this is what it takes but I thought I'd check with you guys first. Has anyone else had this problem? Sure the hoses look tricky to access and maybe I could do the labor myself but $300 for hoses? Any ideas or experience would be welcome. Thanks.
Since the hose connections at the steering box were dry and the hose connections at the pump were also dry I concluded the problem was from one of the two hoses connecting the steering box to the pump. A trip to my local auto repair shop confirmed my diagnosis - busted hose some where in the line.
They gave me an estimate of $300 for replacement hoses and another $300 plus in labor. I decided NOT to go ahead with the repair and brought the car home. Maybe $600 plus to fix this is what it takes but I thought I'd check with you guys first. Has anyone else had this problem? Sure the hoses look tricky to access and maybe I could do the labor myself but $300 for hoses? Any ideas or experience would be welcome. Thanks.