500SEL (1985) Power Steering Leak
 

Thank you in advance for everyone's help. I've searched through the forum and haven't found a post that covers my issues.

I ran a short errand on my lunch hour on Friday. When I came back to the car my steering was VERY difficult and "clunky." The car was also obviously leaking power steering fluid, a slow but steady drip.

This morning I went to my mechanic, who said that there was a leak in the high pressure line. He added some Dexron III/Mercon ATF fluid (the reservoir was basically dry and bubbling from the four hole on the bottom), and said I could keep going for a couple of weeks by just adding fluid.

Here are my questions:

1) Will it do more damage to my car to keep adding fluid for a while or should I have this fixed right away? Today the car seems to be leaking A LOT more fluid, but I did just fill it up.

2) My mechanic said the hose costs about $100 - $120. When I asked him about getting the part online for less, he said that it wouldn't have the same warranty. Is this correct? I can get the part from FastLane for $81.80. Is it worth paying the higher price for the warranty?

3) If/when I have the hose replaced, are there any items of preventative maintenance I should have the mechanic perform at the same time? It's not easy for me to arrange substitute transportation for a day and my car is quickly approaching 150K, so I'd rather get everything done at once.

Thank you all again for your help.