Mark
Sorry to hear about your woes. Just as a matter of interest what is the mileage on your car.
As mentioned the common repair is electric power steering. I would though recollend that if possible you try a similar car with this electric PAS before going down this route. It substantially changes the feel of the steering. the one I drove seemed to have assistance lag giving a slightly dead feeling before turning.
I understand that there have been repairs to the original system, though maybe not easy to source either parts or competent skills to do the job.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Cheers
