Hi all,


Well I have been busy getting my bonne up and running. I replaced the badly bent 16" wheel with an OEM replacement form the 'bay. Also bought (4) new Kuhmo tires, had them prof. installed and balanced. Also a front end alignment performed.

The speed sensitive steering rack was replaced since it had gone bad.


Here are the remaining issues:

1. The car still has an up and down "shake" in the steering wheel (no longer side to side). What can be causing this? At highway speeds I can really feel it.

2. The steering is still really "stiff" and "knotchy" at low speed turns like parking or sharp turns. Really hard steering. At high speeds feels great, no issues. What is the issue here?


Also had window tint added, Kenwood head unit installed with Ipod adapter in glove box, Sirius sat radio with antenna on the trunk. Upgraded the four front component speakers with Memphis components. Sounds great!

Left on the list:

1. Install the power antenna replacement that Mr. Bill shipped to me (thank you sir!)

2. Replace the passenger'* side grab handle above the passenger'* window (looking for this part used in my car'* interior color).

3. Replace the upper strip on the driver'* side soor panel (black strip between window and door panel) Half of it has broken off.

4. Fix the exterior body panel under the drivers door where the clip had unseated.

5. Buy new OEM factory floor mats in my color.


I bought an extended warranty through a third party to cover the drivetrain for 5 years or 100K miles. If I have an intake gasket issue or anything else I just pay a $100 deductable and tell them where I want to take the car. They pay for the rest.

steering stiff check power steering fluid and if it feels impossible to turn i would be willing to bet the power steering lines are either disconnected or the rack and pinion is trashed. as for shake in steering wheel do you feel a shake in the floorboard by your feet when you get up to around 47 mph cause if so the wheel my still be out of balance sometimes you just have to deal with the shakiness cause the balance can't be done perfectly

standard balance isnt done perfectly, but you can have a precision balance done which eliminates any leftover unbalance that the machine usually rounds off, i know we do them at sears....

The up and down shake is really only in the steering wheel, though the passenger seat also shakes some, so maybe it needs a Hunter on-car high speed wheel balance?

Also, the rack was just replaced but the steering is still stiff. Wondering if the P/* pump is going bad?

If the up and down shake was not there previously, you could have a tire with a bad belt that is out of round that no balancing will fix. Try switching the front tires to the back. If it goes away the tires are bad.