HELP! Powersteering problems on my S class
 

Hey guys,
Need some help with my 2000 S430. I currently have about 58k miles. I am having some problems with the power steering. When the car is driving above 10mph the steering is fine. However when in the parking lot I can barely turn the wheel and there is no power to the steering. I am not sure if I am low on fluid or maybe the power steering pump has gone bad. I tried to find the housing for the power steering fluid but could not find it. Any idea on where it is located under the hood? Also, has anyone ever had to replace the power steering pump and if so how many miles. Wanted to gain some knowledge on this before getting rapped by the dealer on the service.
Thanks

open the hood, look between the engine oil cap and the left air intake tube(left while sitting in the car, right while standing in front of it), but down lower than the oil cap. the pump is mounted on the front driver side of the engine. the reservoir is on the pump itself. turn the cap 1/4turn to the left and pull it out. you may need to pull up on the engine cover a bit to gain access to the cap or maybe not. the dipstick is attached to the cap.

drew are you saying that under 10mph the steering just locks on you

Our A-class has a similar problem, turns out the steering pump needs replacing, total cost including labour and fitting: 440 GBP....

Update:
Finally was able to take it to the dealership the other day. They found the power steering pump to be leaky. It is being replaced under warranty but I have to pay for the labor.

$585 for the part and $295 for the labor.

Plus I have a nice C230 wagon as a loaner for the weekend.

Oh well, dealership has been great they are also doing some recall for the car while in the shop. I kind of expect problems like this to arise in the benz. Not bad with 57k miles on the car and being a 2000 S430 this is my first major problem. Although, no issues at all from my Japanese cars. My lexus has just over 70k miles on it and never had any issues with it. I guess if you want to play you have to pay!