Power Steering Leak?

[jchan2]

New here, but my dad has a 2004 Infiniti I35 that he bought new in February 2005 (now has about 98,000 miles)

Today I went to the Nissan dealer for an oil change and they told me there was a small leak from the power steering rack. Expecting a ridiculous quote on replacing the rack, the service advisor simply told me to keep an eye on the power steering fluid levels and to add some when/if it gets low.

He also said that down the line, we'll probably have to replace the rack, but that we're not at that stage yet. He guessed it'd be about $1000 and suggested using aftermarket parts to save money.

Is $1000 reasonable for replacing the rack? The dealer so far has provided good service (both on the I35 and on my mom's Altima) but has proven to be somewhat expensive if you're doing more than an oil change. And is his suggestion to just keep topping off the power steering fluid a good idea, or are we missing a relatively cheap fix now that will morph into a larger problem later if we don't address it?

[MTZI30]

The dealership is always going to be the most expensive. However, to defend the dealership they do have the specially trained techs, the factory tools, the factory computer programs....but ya a rack at a dealership sounds about right.

[rayraybone]

I just went today to have a used 03 I35 inspected...Small leak on rack...quote to replace the whole rack... $1995. I was also informed to "just keep the level good"