As my vehicle is approaching 8 years old does the power steering fluid require renewing? can't find any reference to it in the service manuals, and how would this be accomplished (is it DIY)

There's no need, it's just mineral oil, it doesn't absorb moisture or get very hot or contaminated, just check the level and top up if necessary.

Can't hurt, but I wouldn't be in a rush to do it at 8 years old. Think both my Caddy and my Berlingo were 16 years old when I did a change. The fluid looked nasty n both. Made a marginal difference on the Caddy, but did help the Berlingo on cold mornings. 

Thanks for the responses, how was the fluid drained?

@Crucian IMO leave it as it is, just as many vRS 4 years older than yours will have been left untouched.

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Have you even had a look at the fluid and the level?

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

I'm all for changing fluids and using better quality where possible/appropriate but even I wouldn't think about it before the car was about 10-12 years old then at say 20 years old.

 

Last year a Felicia owner on here  clean/flush/changed the power steering fluid on his 21-year-old car despite the likes of mechanics and others saying it wasn't worth it and found that it did help the steering and was very glad he'd done it.

 

The following is just for general info. -

 

  

Edited 26 October, 20223 yr by nta16
ETA: Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

22 minutes ago, Crucian said:

Thanks for the responses, how was the fluid drained?

 

 

Not as easy on a Fabia because of where the filler is...

 

The fluid in a pas system circulates when you steer. I wouldn't normally look to drain and refill the system because you won't get it all out easily  What I normally do is empty the reservoir with a syringe, take the return pipe off and put that into a catch bottle. Fill the reservoir with fresh fluid. Work the steering lock to lock and top the reservoir up until the fluid coming out of the return is clean. 

 

Unless the steering is feeling notchy I wouldn't really bother though. 

 

I changed the caddys fluid because I had to change the rack due to a fluid leak. The Berlingo felt a bit notchy sometimes when it was cold. 

Edited 26 October, 20223 yr by StevesTruck

As above, I'd just top it up to the appropriate level but only if you feel it's not as smooth as it should be. I did this a few months ago as I was having an issue with it but turned out to be the battery. Here's some instructions

 

First you may have to remove the intake pipe/tube that goes between your air box and your front bumper grill where air gets scooped in.

 

Secondly the battery has to be removed as well as the base it sits in. This was a bit of a problem for me as the nut that screws in the base towards the back was completely rusted and so I had to break that tab from the battery base (Still secures fine without issues)

 

Then you'll see the reservoir with a green lid. when you top up, the lid has a dipstick attached to it and it'll tell you the level when you screw it all the way in and back out, top up until it reaches that level and put everything back.

 

The fluid you need can be found in halfords, enter your reg and there should only be 2, the proper one and a halfords own brand one. Get whichever you desire

 

Hope this helps

If you're determined to do unnecessary work on your car then the only way to fully empty the system is to disconnect the return pipe from the pump unit and run the pump until nothing more comes out, then reconnect, refill and do the same, topping up as you go until the level ceases to drop.

 

I'm sure the fresh fluid will sparkle like a beautiful emerald in the sun although it won't work any better than the old fluid did.

 

If it ain't broke...