Some long-life consumables like power steering fluid should be periodically inspected. Perhaps because they are not considered ‘standard’ maintenance items, services of this sort can be over-looked. Maybe you’ve considered selling power steering flushes to your customers, but just didn’t know how or when to make the maintenance suggestion without sounding like you were perpetrating a ripoff.

Until very recently, Honda made no specific time or mileage recommendations for flushing and replacement of the power steering fluid on any model, much less tips on the best way to do the job. Possibly due to their truck-like origins, the Honda Passport and SLX do have a (Dexron II) power steering flush interval recommendation. As far as the rest of the Hondas out there are concerned, I don’t care whether it’s on the maintenance schedule or not; I can promise you the sauce in the power steering reservoir will be looking pretty pitiful after 90-120,000 miles.

This brings us to the why of our story. If Honda doesn’t specifically recommend power steering fluid replacement for most of its vehicles, why bother to change it? Because leaks are the most common reason Honda power steering racks require repair or replacement. I’ve resealed many of them, but I had the special tools, so doing the work was no big deal. It was, however, a big deal to the customers who had to shell out serious money for the job.

We’re all after value, right? Isn’t that what makes customers happy and keeps them coming back? What if we could give them a few more miles out of their Honda steering racks before the racks leaked? Haven’t you noticed customers who regularly change their motor oil have few if any oil pan gasket, cam seal or valve cover gasket leaks? When oil breaks down or becomes contaminated, it does nasty things to seals, like making them as hard as your first attempt at homemade Rice Krispy bars. That’s why we advocate dumping the crankcase oil every 3000 miles or so.

I’m not a chemist, so I can’t tell you what Honda power steering fluid fractionates into after 100,000 miles driving a ram back and forth, getting whipped around by gear or vane pumps and being squeezed through bypass valves. But if color tells us any-thing, it says 100K fluid deserves a change.

A power steering flush is a quick and easy maintenance job that takes me about a half an hour to complete (not counting wiping my fingerprints off the camera lens). Remember, this simple procedure can extend the life of the rack and the power steering pump. If you explain it to your customer in that way, it won’t sound like a gimmick, and the added revenue for your shop will always be welcome. Just be careful not to let the power steering fluid spray all over the place in the process!