Rather go to any aftermarket steering rack restoration shop or aftermarket steering rack brand if like this. Original price for rack is killing for most brand

What car is this? My 2 cents worth. The question of whether to get a brand new steering rack or a used/recond unit is very much dependent on two aspects as follows;

1. How long do you intend to keep the car
2. Can you accept a reduced performance and unknown reliability

You are quite hands on to be able to change the steering rack of your vehicle yourself. I'm not sure how you can do that as you need a machine to jack the whole vehicle up. To me, only an experienced good mechanic is recommended for this job.

My experience with the replacement of the steering rack on my Ford Focus (now sold) is not a pleasant one as it mirrors your experience with the reconditioned unit. Similarly I have gone with a recond steering rack, not once but twice , and both are unreliable. The first one showed minor friction sound when the steering wheel is turned, and it only lasted for about 8 months before it malfunctioned again. The second steering rack showed even louder friction sound when the steering wheel is turned. It just feels like a defective or damaged unit. I sold the car several months later as I don't want to go through the ordeal for the 3rd time. Most if not all recond steering racks are mostly in bad shape or damaged already, and what these workshops do is they just fix them to customers cars. As a result you will get a less perfect handling or performance and some friction noises with short lifespan.

It's a safety issue as well depending on the type of vehicle. A faulty steering rack is dangerous when it fails with the Ford Focus. The steering rack can fail when you are driving the car, and when that happens you will not be able to turn the steering wheel easily as it will lock up and turn very stiff. Most young men will still be able to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road with some effort but most ladies and seniors will not be able to turn the steering wheel and when that happens the vehicle will stop in the middle of the road.

My advice is to go for a new steering rack is you can afford it even though it is expensive. A new steering rack for the Ford Focus used to be above RM10k, outside workshop was selling at 9.8k and the price went down to 7.5k the last time I inquired. If you can't afford a new steering rack, at least look for an experienced and reputable mechanic which can fix it nicely for you. However, it's not about the mechanic but the availability of these recond or used steering racks as most of the time they are hard to come by. Usually it's the bad mechanics or workshops which have stocks of these poor condition or damaged units while the good mechanics may not have stocks. It's about timing as well.

Bro, just sent to steering rack repairer kaotim, they got plenty of special tooling to open these steering rack why the hassle? Just google steering rack repairer nearby or in facebook also can search few.

Regarding the bolt you ask machinist to custom made 1 tool also more cheaper then buying new steering rack. Most nut or rack nowadays are made from aluminum or cast composition, you cant weld using normal welding rod, you need special or similar material rod to weld.

Had leaky oil seals at different parts on 3 of my cars; wira, BLM and honda. All 3 were solved by using rubber restorer called ATP AT-205 Re-Seal. INM, now it has been bought over by Lubegard and renamed to Seal Fixx.

Using it was simple, just mix a capful (estimated) of it into the PSF/ATF reservoir, and let the rubber restorer work its magic for a few days. If it is still weeping a little, add half a cap more.

On BLM and Wira, it was the seals at PS pump that began leak. On honda, it was the PS hose crimps, well known to fail with age.

Many in fb car group user had good experiences with this shop, for restores broken steering rack
https://share.google/n3WL3qAp2QpeBC5em

But if it me, i will heading here, https://share.google/RoLrKtY5fmVpzeNke
Cz more convincing review