i use Pyroil myself, same thing as dealer fluid that comes in the blue motor oil bottle,

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1984 380SL-driving and service privileges.

I've heard of others using Mobil 1 10w-30 for years with no ill effects, and others still like Mobil 1 syn ATF which says its Okay for Vickers vane pumps. Its my opinion that some pumps will leak and some won't just like some trans last a long time and some don't. Sometimes poorly serviced trans fail long before well serviced trans. Febi P/S fluid is slightly difference from the dealer formulation: they look and smell different.

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Brian Toscano

The dealer stuff is now made by Valvoline, they don't import it from Germany anymore.

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1984 380SL-driving and service privileges.

William,

I use whatever brand Power Steering fluid that I find at the auto parts house. It's not like engine oil where you have to worry about additives or weights clashing from one brand to the next.

The method I use for flushing/changing the p/s fluid is actually a question on the ASE test. Remove the return line from the reservoir and lower it into a drain pan. Remove the reservoir cover. Stand above the reservoir at the ready with two quarts of p/s fluid. Have an assistant start the engine and start turning the steering wheel back and forth, lock to lock. After the reservoir empties, start pouring in p/s fluid until the two quarts are gone and flushed through the system, then tell the assistant to shut it off.

Reconnect the return line and fill the reservoir. Have assistant restart engine and start turning lock to lock to bleed system as you carefully top off the reservoir.

md21722,

Engine oil of ANY kind is a BAD choice for your p/s system. It has detergents that will create foam. The main characteristic of p/s fluid vs. engine oil is that it does not tend to foam.

Have a great day,

While in for MB service, I was informed my steering box was leaking slightly, $300 or so to R/R and reseal. I usually dont believe in additives but I removed some fluid and added "LUCAS" steering something. I have not seen the level go down, and at the last oil change no mention was made.
I asked a personal friend and owner of a "Foreign Repair" garage and got a "ya,ya, wait untill the seals deteriate". Its over a year, now it might not work for everyone, but if and when it leaks again I will worry about it.

I've been told by a few people that P/S stop leak is the only additive that does somthing possitise, as it resoften seals and stops leaks. Some people even put it in new cars so they never had to deal with a leak.

Wish I had known earlier though. $440AUD latter...

$500 is a lot to replace PS seals.

I have used various stop-leak products and, quite frankly, they do not work. Some actually make the pump leak even faster, draining the reservoir in a day. Also, the PS pump seals are so insubstantial in size that I don't see how the stop-leak additives can work on them. There simply is not that much to swell.

If you are leaking from the front seal, you will eventually have belt squeal and oily engine bay issues -- which is the point of no return where you have to reseal the pump. If you are a do it yourselfer, here's a link to how I resealed mine, with photos:

Checklist: PS Pump Re-Seal

The most labor intensive part is removing the pump from the car -- unless you know exactly where all the mounting bolts are. then it is pretty fast. Depending on which pump you have, replacing the seals takes only a few minutes.

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2008 E350 4matic / Black/Anthracite

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Gone but not Forgotten:
2001 E430 4matic, 206,xxx miles, Black/Charcoal
1995 E320, 252,xxx miles, Black/Grey
1989 260E, 223,00 miles, Black/Black