By Ainsley Walters, Staff Reporter 
Left: Aston Douglas puts a Power Steering Specialty-rebuilt rack and pinion through pressurised testing. Middle: A Mercedes Benz undergoing steering box repairs at Beharri's garage. Right: Cecil Beharri of Power Steering Specialty Limited explains how a power steering system works on automobiles. - Michael Sloley /Freelance Photographer
EVER NOTICED that reddish fluid which seeps from beneath the front end of your vehicle, leaving an awful mess on your driveway? Soon, steering becomes difficult, accompanied by an awful groaning.
Welcome to a malfunctioning power steering and the world of Cecil Beharri, proprietor of Power Steering Specialty.
A naturalised Jamaican originally from Guyana, Beharri has, in four years, become the local guru of steering systems, guaranteeing up to three years on his rebuilt rack and pinions, steering boxes, power steering pumps and rack ends.
"As the name of the business indicates, that's all we do," said Beharri, who has seen significant expansion in his business located at 8 Central Road in Kingston.
Beharri came to visit Jamaica in 1980 and ended up staying, at first operating a confectionary in Golden Spring, St. Andrew.
"While that was on the decline, I started looking out for something else," he explained. "I accompanied my brother to the annual Automotive Rebuilding Expo in St. Louis, Missouri, and they had this technology well-represented at the show. I purchased the equipment and technology by having the experts travel here to train us."
Displaying true 'Jamaican' innovation, Beharri has since "cloned" the main piece of machinery he purchased at the Expo, a hi-tech tester with gauges, meters and all, which simulates driving conditions for his rebuilt rack and pinions.
"Any defect will show on the gauges and the pressure it is placed under will cause any defective seal to give way," he explained. "If it is to fail, it fails right there on the machine because it is put under more than normal pressure."
It was a detailed study of the automotive market which led Beharri to choose his line of business.
"All the cars had stopped coming with manual steering and the powered ones already here were getting old by then," he pointed out. "Nowadays, it's really hard to find a car coming in without powered steering."
Beharri now hires seven employees and plans on expanding his young business.
"By the end of this year to early next year, I want to open another branch in a central part of the island because I have customers sending stuff from as far away as Negril," he said.
Warning against the popular habit of used car owners preferring to frequent junk yards, Beharri said if they are seeking a body part that's fine but mechanical parts are risky.
"A powered steering will fail on a five-year-old vehicle," he said. "The used unit is an exact replacement of the one you're taking off and there's very little guarantee.
"I don't have return customers unless it's with a different car," he added, pointing out that most of his clients were referred by satisfied customers from across the island.
