After a wheel alignment (at the local tyre/alignment place) I had about 10mm free play in the steering wheel (I don't think this caused the problem, but exposed it). Asked the Skoda dealer to look at it when they do a few service items, but they said they get a local independent place to do their alignment stuff. Took it there and we (bloke was really good letting me poke about and put my two cents worth in too) discovered the free play was in the universal joint at the bottom of the steering column (in the drivers footwell behind the floor panels).

You can see in the photo there is a sliding tube (an inside tube and an outside tube) with a universal joint at either end. This is part of the collapsible bit of the column. The outside tube is too big for the inside tube, or there used to be some packing material in there, or it's just plain worn. Or at some stage it's been replaced with the wrong one (although I would think that whole assembly would come as one part).

So when you move the wheel the outer tube moves a few mm before it makes contact with the inner tube. Very odd as they look substantial enough not to deform or wear (car has only done 66,000 km).

http://www.flickr.co...N06/6946709078/

Anyone else had this? Solution? I can think of a few bodgy ways to fix it (squash the outer tube a bit, slide some packing material up between them). Replace just the tubes would seem the obvious way, but it appears to come as part of the whole steering column from the parts catalogue.

Edited 21 April, 201214 yr by wfdTamar

There is usually a plastic bush in the sleeve to stop vibration sound like this has failed ,this was a big problem on Vectras and you could get a metal sleeve to push in between the inner and outer ,I would have thought it would come as a unit on its own not as a complete column .

Ive always said that the knocking noise and free play in the steering wheel is probably down to a colum joint. There is a thread VRS FRONT KNOCKING NOISE members have changed just about every part of the suspension with out a thought about the colum.

Can someone expalin to me why dont alignment shops check suspension condition first before alignment????!"£$"!"£"

WTF!?!?!? They rip money off for adjustment - then tell you need to change parts and then charge you for second alignment. Those guys are waste of time and money.

Main dealers generally do, thats why they charge a fortune for 4 wheel alignment

quote 'patrol man'

'There is usually a plastic bush in the sleeve to stop vibration  sound like this has failed ,......,I would have thought it would come as a unit on its own not as a complete column.'

That was exactly my first guess (before the alignment bloke, I might ad). I'll ask the dealer today if I can get just that part (or even the plastic spacer/bush). I think we're a bit limited parts wise here in Australia (and they cost a fortune compared to the UK).

Edited 21 April, 201214 yr by wfdTamar

Well, Skoda (here) have no fix short of a complete new steering column (which I think are in the region of $1000 - 650 pounds). Ridiculous as this could be a reasonably cheap part if it were just the universal joint - I'd say a tenth of that. I mean - they put a plastic bush in a part that is subject to a lot of wear, impacts on the handling directly and you can't get a replacement for it? Can't even get the component. Have to buy the whole sub assembly?

Is there no part number on it? If there is you mite be able to order from Europe.

This is what it says in the Haynes manual:

Hope this helps.

There is a number on it but it doesn't look like a part number. Something like 07112315 (it's hard to read).

Must be what Haynes are calling the intermediate shaft. I couldn't see the top of it, but I couldn't feel any kind of bolt that attached it like on the bottom joint. So Haynes must be right that it's permanently attached to the column. Jeez, how stupid is that?

Not impressed that I have to do a bodgy repair on a 66,000 km car - or cough up $1000! I thought I'd avoided that by buying a (supposedly) quality car.

Yes it's part of the column and doesn't come seperate as Haynes says. Just bolts to the steering rack at the bottom. Quite a crazy expensive design.

Hope you sort it out.