Which power steering fluid?

[neil-c]

I need to top up the power steering fluid on my 2004 318ti compact. Anyone know which kind it takes? Have been in touch with my dealer who "think" they know which one it is but only sell it in 25L drums. The reservoir cap has "ATF ONLY" on it so I'm thinking it's Dextron but I also believe there are a couple of different kinds.

Also is it normal to require a top up of steering fluid? - never had to do this before.

Finally, anyone know where to get the correct fluid in smaller quantities from?

Cheers

[john_p]

Halfords do it, Castrol ATF in 1 litre bottles. It is Dextron, I think it has D-3 or DIII on the label.

Edited by john_p on Tuesday 20th October 00:46

[TheEnd]

Originally it was Dexron 2, but that's been superceded by dexron 3 which is backward compatible anyway.

[john_p]

re. topups, I gather the top of the cap does leak a very small amount which builds up over time. Certainly it does on my 328, nowhere near enough to cause a problem but worth checking every now and then.

[neil-c]

Thanks guys - your help is much appreciated

[PartsGuru]

BMW supply both D2 and D3 in 1 ltr bottles, part numbers are 81.22.9.400.272 for the D2 and 83.22.9.407.858 for the D3