I think the only early car that required special fluid was the 124 statuon wagon w/SLS. These cars required a particular hydraulic oil,which has specific cold viscosity characteristics. Beginning with W210, a synthetic hydraulic oil was used. AFAIK, others are fine with ATF. I run ATF or magic MB oil interchangeably. If single data points mean anything, my 190d has gone 377k miles without pump or steering box problems.