​How to Test If Your Steering Is Becoming Loose

You don’t need us to explain to you how important it is to be able to steer your car and like all other car parts, the steering wheel can also suffer from some wear and tear. If you ignore the warning signs that your steering is becoming loose, you risk the catastrophic consequences.

Here is a guide to test if your steering is becoming loose and what you need to do if you find yourself in this situation.

Signs your steering is loose

Your car’s steering system will find over-turning challenging, when your steering wheel experiences too much over-turning, it may feel as though you can’t maintain control of the vehicle. You will find that your steering is going to need constant correction to keep your car in a straight line.

Other signs are when driving over or hitting bumps in the road you will hear a knocking noise, notice a shimmy in the steering wheel when you’re driving at high speeds, or you may even have a vehicle that wanders from side to side. If you decide to ignore these signs, your tyres will become excessively worn and it will be very difficult for you to steer. When steering wheels become loose, you can experience part separation which can result in a serious accident.

How to tell if your steering is loose

Before heading to the mechanic, you might want to do some simple checks yourself - but you will need to get your car looked at by a professional anyway just in case you miss something!

The first thing you want to do is get under the bonnet, you want to check the top cover gasket to make sure it’s secure and there are no problems, if you notice some bolts are loose you can tighten them.

You will then need to check the visible steering box, this will require you putting your car on a set of ramps to get underneath the vehicle. If you’re not used to doing this, get someone to help you or just go straight to the garage. To test the steering, you need someone to sit in the car and turn the wheel gently from side to side. This will allow you to then check for any leaks or cracks.

The final thing you want to check is ‘free play’ which is a little more difficult to judge as you need to turn the wheel while the car is stationary. You should not be able to move the steering wheel more than 7cm before your wheels move.

Checking your own steering wheel can be a little complicated, so why not get quotes from local garages in your area with MyCarNeedsA.com? We are the easiest and quickest way to get quotes, saving you both time and money. Get your quote today!