Update:
The good news: is that it appears that a new steering wheel can still be bought.
The BAD news: I have had the Momo wheel fitted so It can be on the road while I wait for the parts to arrive, but when I got behind the wheel I immediately noticed that the entire steering column felt "soft" and that the steering wheel could be moved in all directions without much effort!!
The bolts underneath was fine, so I fear that the mounts connecting it to the chassis itself has been damaged!!
That sadly means that the dash will have to be removed completely to find the damaged area , and I will probably be without my car for a considerable amount of time......
Annoying!
Krede, you should start "pushing the buttons now". Do you have a workshop appointed yet to do the job? Have you told the insurance company about this? Tell them that you are relying on this car and need it running fast. Then they will offer you a Citroen C1 or similar, but that will cost the insurance company money for every day your own car is standing still - i.e. they will start pushing the workshop too to finish the job. Find buttons like that around you. Don't tell them you can live without your car; we who know you know that you CAN'T. You'll end in mental hospital if this takes too long (ok, just joking there!)
That said, to me it sounds like the problem could be the bearings in the steering column. They are made of rubber and can be crushed. It should also be possible to check whether it's the column that moves, or only the axle inside it that does so. (My Espace phase I failed MoT once because of a worn steering column bearing. They are dead simple to change once it's all taken apart, but it may be faster to fit a new (restored) column from Simon. I fitted a good used one.)
- Anders