Disabling Servotronic

[Rokas Reipa]

Hello everyone,

Well, I'm slowly getting fed up with the power steering on my 93 100S. Its
unnaturally light at high speeds, Cadillacesque in parking lots(read: meant
for geriatrics) and it feels weird when turning at highway speeds. I know
that Servotronic can be disabled on these cars by pulling some relay behind
the glovebox. However, I am kind of wary of messing with something this
vital on a car, something that is factory-designed no less. What are the
repercussions, if any, of disabling servotronic in terms of rack/power
steering pump life expectancy? I know the steering will be quite a bit
heftier and that's fine by me; I just want to know if I'll have to replace
components sooner as a result. Lastly, if it's a safe modification, can
someone post a semi-detailed procedure on how to disable it? The last thing
I want to do is pull the wrong relay or anything like that! Thanks so much
in advance,

Rokas Reipa
University of Maryland, College Park
1993 Audi 100S 5sp