Hi guys!
At just under 1000 miles I had to take my E to the dealer because the power steering was making a noise--it was out of fluid. They added fluid and said it might not have been filled properly when it came in. Now at 2300 mi it's out of fluid again. The dealer can't find any leaks and neither can I. They just filled it up again and told me to bring it in for a check in a week. What's going on? Has this happened to anyone else?
J

As far as I can remember, power steering fluid leaves a nasty stain and it corrosive to other parts. Loss of your power steering fluid may also mean loss of control of your vehicle. This is a serious issue that the dealer needs to look at very carefully. I would be inclined to ask for the hoses and the reservoir to be replaced as well as all of the fittings.

isketerol is right. Most hydraulic fluids are a) very visible and b) very caustic. If there is no "puddle in the morning", it must only be leaking when under pressure -- turning while driving. But there should be some evidence of leakage, which would be visible if you put it up on a hoist. When little drops fall, the airflow tends to suck some back up against the underbody.

Thanks for your help. I'm even more worried now. The dealer did put my E up on the racks and check it out, but I got the feeling I wasn't being taken very seriously. I thought that leaking that much fluid over such a short time should be very visible too, but my driveway is clean and there weren't any signs of leakage anywhere according to the tech who worked on it. They also told me that the power steering only kicked in at under 7-10 mph, so it wasn't dangerous to drive. I guess all I can really do is go back in a week and let them check it out again.
J.

LadyJane - If it were me, I'd go to another dealership (if possible). Sounds like they're giving you the royal run-around. You're the customer and the vehicle comes with a nation-wide warranty - you have the right to take your car elsewhere. Alsoo, if you get immediate satisfaction at another dealership, I'd send in a complaint about your experiences with the first dealership. Good Luck!

Go to another dealer. It is odd that you can't find any on the ground or underbody. Loss of power steering will make it hard to steer (harder the slower you go) but you shouldn't lose steering. I have never heard of this problem where it wasn't obvious. If you can't go to another dealer I have found that a call to the Honda home office can make a big difference in the service you get when you get back to the dealer. These people need to take your car in and fix it!! Best of luck

Thanks Lon and Jake. I won't be able to take it to another dealer until next week anyway, so I'm going back to this one and telling them off. If that doesn't work I'll call Honda and go someplace else. I checked it again tonight and it was full. I'm really wondering what's going on. I'll keep you posted!

J

Well, here's the update. The fluid ran out again today and I returned to the dealer once again.:roll: Anyway, they finally found the leak. It was in the power steering rack. Of course they have to order the part. At first they gave me a bottle of power steering fluid and were ready to send me on my way until the part came in next week. As you can probably imagine, I wasn't exactly thrilled with that idea. So after further discussion they gave me a loaner car and promised to overnight the part and fix my E tomorrow! :D The service manager was actually very nice and helpful. Now I miss my E! I had to leave it all alone in that big parking lot with all those strange cars. :(

Have them check for damage that may have been caused by the leaking fluid. I would also like to think they could detail the engine compartment. :)

I like the way you think, IskiE! Well, the smilie I left here yesterday has turned into a frown. My E wasn't fixed as promised. They waited until 5 PM to tell me that there had been problems getting the alignment done after the power steering rack was supposedly fixed. They apparently sent my E out somewhere for it to be done...without telling me, of course. Since it was after 5 on a Friday the service manager had left, and the lady at the counter had no clue about anything. So now I'm stuck wondering until Monday. I don't even know where my E is. I have the distinct feeling they're not telling me everything about the repairs. I didn't realize it was such a major thing. I'm wondering if my E will be okay, or if this will just lead to more problems down the road. Really bummed here...it's a nice weekend and I thought I'd be at the beach right now with my kids. :cry:

Call Honda America and tell them what you want from the dealer. I did that when I was getting a runaround. The dealer instanty was able to respond with excatly what I wanted. Sad that they need some incentive, but I did make it clear to Honda Canada that I am not a moron.

I'm a happy camper again! Got a call from the dealer yesterday and had my E back by noon! They fixed it on a Saturday! They had to call Honda for the specs on the alignment, and it seems that they did a great job. It drives just fine and came back nice and clean--including the engine compartment. So we went to the beach after all and put over 150 miles on it with no problems. :D

Glad to hear it. I was wondering how you could post a message about being at the beach with your new babE. Watch the level in the reservoir to see that the problem isn't coming back.

Love to see pictures of you and the new arrival. :)

Incidently, did you take your screen name from "Lovejoy" :?:

Thanks, IskiE. I couldn't believe it when the dealer called me. I didn't think they worked on Saturdays, but the alignment place was open. You bet I'll watch the reservoir levels!

As for pics, I'm planning on posting some soon.

And I do like Lovejoy, but I really took my name from Lady Jane Grey not Lovejoy's Lady Felsham. I have this fascination with Tudor and medieval England. :)