Assesing Collision/Accident Damage

A. General
Accidents or driving conditions similar to accidents may cause various types of damage to steering gears.
- If the steering gear looks undamaged from the outside, tracing of damage is sometimes difficult and requires considerable effort.
- This, however, constitutes an incalculable risk for the safety of the vehicle as it may lead to steering failure.

Due to the fact that a comprehensive check of all steering gear components requires considerable effort and is therefore not normally justifiable or even impossible to be carried out with standard shop equipment, the condition of other components that are easier to be checked must be considered as a replacement solution.

The following guidelines (item B) should be observed to decide if the steering gear of an accident vehicle requires replacement or may be used as it is.

B. Assessing The Condition Of The Steering Gear Of An Accident Vehicle
The steering may remain on the car, if all of the following conditions are met:

No visible damage to front-axle components such as wheels, spring struts, wheel carriers, control arms, steering arms, tie-rods, front axle crossmember, front-axle side members, steering shaft as well as body mounts of suspension components.

No inadmissible increase of torque and no binding or sticking when turning the steering gear from lock to lock.
- When turning the steering gear, the front wheels must move freely (i.e. front axle must be lifted); in addition, the engine must be off (no power supply to servo pump).

Admissible tolerances of suspension alignment must not be exceeded.

The steering box must be replaced or exchanged if any of the following points apply:
- Damage to steering gear is visible or can be felt
- Burning damage (e.g. bellows of steering burnt)
- Permanent deformation or cracking of:
Steering gear mounts
Tie rods
Steering arms
Spring struts
Wheel carriers
Control arms
Front-axle side members
Front-axle crossmember

If the above criteria are not sufficient for a decision, it is recommended to exchange or replace the steering gear.

C. Exceptional Regulations/order Processing
If the steering gear replacement proposal by the shop is refused by the customer or insurance company for financial reasons, an expert, or if this is not possible in foreign countries, the importer should be consulted (to be charged to the refusing party). If a decision is made against the above guidelines, it is recommended to file a note to this effect and have it signed by the expert.

Replacement Power steering gears for installed units With No Visible Outside Damage that require replacement are available on an exchange basis.