power steering fluid type

[Jeff]

The local BMW dealership is unable to tell me what type of power steering fluid to use. The 2 choices are Pentosin CHF 7.1(mineral oil- looks like gold syrup), or ATF of dexron III formulation(thick red). Any advice. Thanks. Jeff

 

[MMercury]

The local BMW dealership is unable to tell me what type of power steering fluid to use. The 2 choices are Pentosin CHF 7.1(mineral oil- looks like gold syrup), or ATF of dexron III formulation(thick red). Any advice. Thanks. Jeff

From the manual (see below), I would expect anything with Dexron (or its modern equivalent) (red but thick?) would work. Most containers indicate compatibility on the label. If your dealer isn't on top of this, maybe you should seek advice from another dealer. :confused:

I think you should reserve the Pentosin for your Rolls or newer BMW requiring "synthetic" hydraulic fluid. Without questioning why, am informed that "P" should not be mixed with ATF fluids or other power steering fluids. HTH