self leveling fluid???
 

:confused: my reservoir on my 85 mb 300td is low on fluid. i dont see any leaks, but i would like to fill it up. is there anything other than oem fluid i can put in there? the dealer is 60 miles away. i hate to order fluids thru mail order, as i'm afraid of leakage or the FBI thinking i'm having something dangerous shipped. is there a locally obtainable, cheaper replacement?

I believe the consenus here is that there is no substitute for the oem elixir.

unless you are chasing a leak, stick with the oem. if you are chasing, go with straight tractor hydrolic fluid. until you find and fix the leak, then get double the amount of fluid the system holds and flush it all out... maybe cheaper to just get the double amount first and chase the leaks with it.
John

yup, go with the OG stuff. WRT shipping, as long as you get the item there's nothing else to worry about.

Mercedes indy shops should carry the stuff, I purchased my last bottle from my favorite local shop, not the dealer. Yes it was still OEM.

The part number is 000-989-91-03-10.
Here's what the bottle of MB fluid looks like.
[img]http://www.***************/secure/PartImages/000989910310.jpg[/img]

Now, here's the Febi-Bilstein Fluid
[img]http://www.***************/secure/PartImages/0009899103.jpg[/img]

If you can find the Febi-Bilstein fluid, you're getting OE w/o the markup for the Mercedes-Benz labeled bottle.

I got some Febi fluid from a local MB shop. It still wasn't cheap, $15 a bottle I think!:eek: :dizzy2:

If you have an airport near by there are mineral oil based hydrolic fluids that will work fine, just have to be mineral oil based. Look for "Shell Aero Fluid 4".

DO NOT use tractor oil of any kind. It's a guaranteed hydraulic system rebuild if you do. I tried mineral based Shell oil and the pump stopped flowing fluid in less than two days of driving.

The only stuff that should be anywhere near the hydropneumatic system is MB branded OEM fluid or Febi Hydraulic fluid 02615.

im going against the flow here.synthetic atf mobil 1 is currently being used in my 90 4matic with no ill effect.:eek:

According to a poster at the buymbparts forum here are the approved oils

Aral 1010
Gasolin
Shell Tellus
Shell Aero Fluid 4

I have been using Parts Master power steering fluid for the better part of a year now with about 12K mi and no ill results. SLS pump, hoses, accumulators, valve, and Shocks are all just fine so far.. Since I got my leaks all sorted out, I might go with some of that Shell Aero 4 stuff or maybe even OEM when I do all my fluids this spring, just to err on the side of safety, but I'm pretty sure the PS fluid works just fine...

[QUOTE=tn_bd_jimmy;1374830] i hate to order fluids thru mail order, as i'm afraid of leakage or the FBI thinking i'm having something dangerous shipped. QUOTE]

Complying with hazardous cargo shipping laws is up to the sender, not the reciever. Why would you worry about the FBI??? Doing something you don't want anyone to know about??
I have ordered the OEM fluid from Phil, See the "buy parts" link above. It was ground shipped without any problems.
Shipping hazardous articles is done all the time, you might be suprized how much is in the cargo belly of Airliners, with passengers onboard. So having it ground shipped is no big deal. They just need to know what it is and how much.

Yes use the OEM fluid.

Dave

I've used generic ATF and power steering fluid and have had no difficulties.

$15 is nothing. I'd rather spend $15 on a bottle of OE fluid for the system, than to cheap out and buy some unapproved and damage it, having to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars in repairs.

As long as its a "mineral oil" if not you will have problems down the road.