Hi..... Yesterday I was crouched down near the drivers footwell and noticed some discolouration on one of the parts below the steering column which looked a bit like corrosion and felt damp or slightly oily to the touch.

 

Can anyone shed any light on what this part is and what the staining could be ?  At first I wondered if it could be something related to the power steering and a possible oil leak but after looking online I believe there is no oil above this location.

See photo below.

 

Edit: It generally looks a bit of a dog's dinner down there but I'm hoping that's normal.

 

Car is 2018 1.4 TSI Petrol Manual (if relevant in any way) and done 15500 miles.

 

 

Thanks

 

Edited 2 March, 20206 yr by DB72
note added

That's the intermediate shaft linking the steering column to the steering rack; you'll see it turn with the steering wheel. It's telescopic so that movement of the rack (which is rubber mounted) isn't transmitted to the column. The yellowish stain will be excess grease meant to lubricate the telescoping slider - you could wipe it off the upper section and transfer it to the lower bit where it's actually needed 🙂

There's no oil in the power steering system - it's fully electric.

20 hours ago, D402 said:

That's the intermediate shaft linking the steering column to the steering rack; you'll see it turn with the steering wheel. It's telescopic so that movement of the rack (which is rubber mounted) isn't transmitted to the column. The yellowish stain will be excess grease meant to lubricate the telescoping slider - you could wipe it off the upper section and transfer it to the lower bit where it's actually needed 🙂

There's no oil in the power steering system - it's fully electric.

 

Thanks D402