What does power steering fluid do?

Power steering fluid is the hydraulic fluid that transmits the power in your steering system. It helps create the pressure that pushes on either side of your car’s rack-mounted piston, allowing you to turn the wheels with ease. The majority of cars use power assisted steering (PAS) systems, this fluid is essential for smooth steering.

Smart

Smart is a German automotive brand, established 25 years ago in 1994.

The company is a division of the automotive corporation Daimler AG and operated under the ownership of Mercedes-Benz.

How popular is Smart in the United Kingdom?

Smart isnt’ the most popular brand in the UK, most likely due to appealing primarily to parking-challenged city-dwellers; there are only 96k of their vehicles on the roads of the UK today.

Showing steady growth, however, since their introduction to the UK market in 2003, the trend would suggest that we’re likely to see more of these eccentric looking tiny cars as time goes by.

Smart: Quirky little microcars and subcompacts

Owned by Mercedes-Benz, Smart cars fit into the market you’d expect on first glance. They’re a fun and funky little city car; they’re solid, middle of the road machines, designed to be as versatile as they look.

A Smart car will never fool anyone that it’s a hi-end, luxury vehicle. There’s plenty of glossy plastic and groovy fabrics, yet in the cockpit, you’ll find up-to-the-minute touchscreen media options at the controls. They do come at an inflated price for the small city car market, but by nature of their unique design—there’s nothing quite like them.

Smart cars are cheap to run—but not so cheap to buy

Your Smart ForFour will be more expensive by comparison than its rivals: the Fiat 500, Skoda Citigo, Kia Picanto or Hyundai i10—yet it’s rather hard to pitch the Fortwo against anything because there isn’t anything on the market quite so small. Only the Renault Twizy comes to mind, and that’s barely a car at all.

Once you’ve got one though, your Smart car will cost next to nothing to run with their tiny wheels and low weight. The electric models perform even better with a fuel equivalent of 87mpg.

How often should you flush your power steering fluid?

Depending on your vehicle's age and performance, dictates when you should flush your power steering fluid. Your power steering is in use any time your steering wheel is used, it is an important component to the steering system and the overall safety of the vehicle. It’s recommended to be carried out every 30,000 to 60,000 miles or every 2-years.

What happens when we do a power steering fluid flush and replacement on your car?

Our certified mechanics will:

• Inspect the steering system and the parts around it for any potential leak.

• Drain the existing/remaining power steering fluid.

• Replace with new power steering fluid.

• Recheck the performance of the steering system.

What are the symptoms that your power steering fluid needs flushing and replacing?

Usually, there a few signs you can look for:

• It’s difficult to turn the steering wheel while driving.

• Pump is making a whining noise

• Fluid looks black or brown

• If your power steering is making unusual noises, especially when you are moving slowly.