Ordering a steering column is easy to do once you have all the required information. There is nothing worse than receiving a part that does not fit, often because one detail has been incorrectly ordered.
Confirm the Column Type First
The main types of steering column are manual tilt, electric and collapse. These are fundamentally different designs, with different mounting brackets, stalk wiring connections, and above all, different geometry for the collapse of the column.
Check the Lower Coupling Spline
Make sure you count and measure the splines on the lower end of the steering column shaft. If the steering column you order has the wrong number of splines or wrong diameter then the column will not fit to the steering rack input shaft as the coupler will not engage.
Count the Stalk and Wiring Connectors
Count the stalk positions and connectors on the column wire harness. An extra stalk or connector can mean that indicators, wiper controls and/or cruise control will not connect to the new steering column. The risk of damaging wiring by forcing plug connectors together is too great to risk this. For more on this, take a look at https://westernpowersteering.co.uk/steering-parts/column/.
Lock Barrel or Electronic Immobiliser Module
The lock barrel is part of the steering column on some vehicles, and the immobiliser module on others. Importing the wrong part could mean that your vehicle won’t start!
Standard or Variable-Ratio Column
Variable-ratio columns are designed to provide a different steering response to that of a standard column at different lock angles. Because of their different internal geometry, it is not possible to fit a standard column in place of a variable-ratio column and expect no change in feeling or even the possibility of a fault code being triggered.
This information should only take a few minutes to establish and will prevent an undesirable return due to near fitment.
