Rack and Pinion quesion for the mechanically inclined

[Triathlete]

Over time will a rack and pinion become "loose" so as that a car can not be properly aligned?
Or would it more than likely be the bushings.
A mechanic tried telling my daughter this when she went in for an alignment prior to getting new tires. $990 versus $45! I told her to get a 2nd opinion since her car is not worth much more than that ('95 Nissan 200SX).

[Hotsauce]

looseness in the rack would be between the steering wheel and the rack.

Alignment is lining up the wheels in relation to each other, the rack has no effect on this.

The inner and outer tie rod ends could wear and make it hard to align, as could loose wheel bearings.

John C.

[Triathlete]

Not an expert but that was kind of what I was thinking! Thanks for the info Hotsauce. My daughter will be $950 happier now.

[VehiGAZ]

Triathlete, you should tell your daughter never to go into any kind of automotive service business without a guy with her. They tell the most ridiculous lies to women! Of course, not everyone plays these games, but certainly women get lied to well over 50% of the time - judging from the experiences of my wife, my sister, and my sister in law.

And before anyone starts in - my advice is not sexist - it's realist. My criticism is not of women, but of the men at the garages and dealerships that try to take advantage of them.

Good luck!!