C250 Power Steering Rack Got Me
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Member
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 90
Likes: 22
2015 C250 Coupe M271.860
C250 Power Steering Rack Got Me
I've had a leaking power steering rack for over six years. Needed a bit of top up every 5k miles or so, more of a seepage than a leak. But the day of reckoning has come.
I came home last night and my wife had taken the Merc to run errands, in its place was pools of what looked like engine oil. (Oil had recently been changed, so I figured since it was lighter colored, not super dark). The splash pans were holding tons of this "oil." I could see an entire dripping path out of the garage.
So this morning took it to the shop, they were stumped at first because they checked all the usual engine oil leak culprits. Then they check the PS rack and found the leak. I called a few shops and the best price is the tune of around $2K. Ouch. The remanufactured rack is about $900 (I'm ok with shops marking up parts to make a profit) and $680 labor, plus a little more for fluid and misc parts. Plus I need to get an alignment after it's done.
Everyone shop says this is super rare, and didn't believe me when I said I needed a new PS rack.
I came home last night and my wife had taken the Merc to run errands, in its place was pools of what looked like engine oil. (Oil had recently been changed, so I figured since it was lighter colored, not super dark). The splash pans were holding tons of this "oil." I could see an entire dripping path out of the garage.
So this morning took it to the shop, they were stumped at first because they checked all the usual engine oil leak culprits. Then they check the PS rack and found the leak. I called a few shops and the best price is the tune of around $2K. Ouch. The remanufactured rack is about $900 (I'm ok with shops marking up parts to make a profit) and $680 labor, plus a little more for fluid and misc parts. Plus I need to get an alignment after it's done.
Everyone shop says this is super rare, and didn't believe me when I said I needed a new PS rack.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,346
Likes: 692
2021 GLB250 FWD, 2023 GLA250 FWD, 2013 C250, 2015 GLK350, 2005 ML350SE, 2003 E320
I've had a leaking power steering rack for over six years. Needed a bit of top up every 5k miles or so, more of a seepage than a leak. But the day of reckoning has come.
I came home last night and my wife had taken the Merc to run errands, in its place was pools of what looked like engine oil. (Oil had recently been changed, so I figured since it was lighter colored, not super dark). The splash pans were holding tons of this "oil." I could see an entire dripping path out of the garage.
So this morning took it to the shop, they were stumped at first because they checked all the usual engine oil leak culprits. Then they check the PS rack and found the leak. I called a few shops and the best price is the tune of around $2K. Ouch. The remanufactured rack is about $900 (I'm ok with shops marking up parts to make a profit) and $680 labor, plus a little more for fluid and misc parts. Plus I need to get an alignment after it's done.
Everyone shop says this is super rare, and didn't believe me when I said I needed a new PS rack.
I came home last night and my wife had taken the Merc to run errands, in its place was pools of what looked like engine oil. (Oil had recently been changed, so I figured since it was lighter colored, not super dark). The splash pans were holding tons of this "oil." I could see an entire dripping path out of the garage.
So this morning took it to the shop, they were stumped at first because they checked all the usual engine oil leak culprits. Then they check the PS rack and found the leak. I called a few shops and the best price is the tune of around $2K. Ouch. The remanufactured rack is about $900 (I'm ok with shops marking up parts to make a profit) and $680 labor, plus a little more for fluid and misc parts. Plus I need to get an alignment after it's done.
Everyone shop says this is super rare, and didn't believe me when I said I needed a new PS rack.
I’m assuming you trust this shop’s diagnosis. I would not expect to see large amounts of PS fluid to leaking from the electric unit.
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2024
Posts: 50
Likes: 14
C200 w204
Electric Power Steering units do not have ANY power steering fluid at all.
