boogs

owners manual says take directly to audi dealer because adding more fluid isnt enough. Why? I've got a can of the mineral hydraulic oil used for the power steering (imported from germany), but is tehre something else i need to do?

RS_2.6

But I drove with a leaky rack for 150,000 miles, so f*ck it.

Audi-90sGuy

reason is, boogs, is that the system is "sealed".. meaning if something leaks or you loose fluid it is usually something big like a rack or pump. That is the reason for audi saying take it to a mechanic

boogs

ok...my car is going in in a week to replace the washer pump, ill just talk to the guy about the PS

Audi-90sGuy

I agree with RS_2.6.. if you dont loose fluid like crazy, or something more than 4-6 months for each refill.. you should be ok... but if you do loose fluid quickly and you have no leak drips on the ground then your rack boot is full and could burst or you have a serious leak at the pump and engine is holding it. That is something you should get changed because if in enough volume and hits the muffler by the engine you could get a fire.

It's your call. But if they say something about fluid trapped in the engine or in the belly shield then you should say something. That's what i would do and look at it before hand.

RS_2.6

not a bad idea.

boogs

yeah....it just slowly decreases, nothing really major. Thanks for the advice....

wisconsin_quat

In my personal experience here is the most likely causes of PS. fluid loss:

1. High pressure line
2. Bango washers going bad
3. Connections to the resevoir go bad.
4. P.S rack becomes leaky.

wisconsin_quat

fire is highly unlikely