any auto mechanics

[Dznypal]

this week I get a message on my car that read

low power steering assist

just wondering what this could mean
its going in on mon but anything dealing with cars gets me flustered
thanks for any advice

 

[gottalovepluto]

First, check your manual. Then type in the make, model, year and that message into Google and see what pops.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

This might help.

 

[LoveDaisy]

When my mom had that error pop up she needed powering steering fluid. Hopefully it’s that simple for you.

 

[Dznypal]

thanks for the video that was very helpful

hopefully this will be an easy fix a new car isnt in the budget right now
when I get messages about the car I usually think the worst

 

[afan]

When my mom had that error pop up she needed powering steering fluid. Hopefully it’s that simple for you.

That was my first thought as well.

Also it's not fun when it does go out, I had it happen on my lunch break. Thankfully the mechanic a lot of people at work used was close to work and only a few turns.

 

[TippyThomas]

Low on power steering fluid would have been my first guess.

 

[Dznypal]

Really something as simple as power steering fluid
That makes me feel betterfingers crossed

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Hopefully it's something as simple as just needing power fluid. I took my wife's car in to get her oil changed and tires rotated on Friday. They called and said we needed new brakes and rotors on the front, and it was going to cost nearly $500. Man, these unexpected expenses are killing us. We told them to just rotate the tires and we'll figure out about the breaks and rotors because we don't have the $500 to spare. Just sucks this stuff always pops up out the blue, and we're never prepared for it.

 

[Dznypal]

Wow you sure can say that again wdw fan in TX

 

[cvjw]

Hopefully it's something as simple as just needing power fluid. I took my wife's car in to get her oil changed and tires rotated on Friday. They called and said we needed new brakes and rotors on the front, and it was going to cost nearly $500. Man, these unexpected expenses are killing us. We told them to just rotate the tires and we'll figure out about the breaks and rotors because we don't have the $500 to spare. Just sucks this stuff always pops up out the blue, and we're never prepared for it.

Maybe get a second opinion for a better price. I just got new brakes on all 4 wheels for much less $$. And sometimes rotors can be rotated instead of being replaced. The Honda dealer was going to charge double what our regular mechanic charged.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

If you're a little bit handy, you can do it yourself. Our ds24 changes his own brakes and oil. He worked at a gas station/mechanic shop for about a year and learned a lot. His former boss still lets him dispose of his used oil there.

ETA: I was referring to changing brakes and oil, not fixing the power steering.

 

[_19disnA]

I would first check the power steering fluid level since that is easy to do at home and no special tools/skills required. The exact solution beyond that likely depends on the brand of vehicle. The suggestion to go to one of your local auto parts stores makes sense since many will connect those diagnostic tools for free to help define what (if any) error codes there are. Likely the store is able to sell more parts this way, so doing a free diagnostic check is a good way to proceed.

Replacing some parts may be behind your skill/ability, but at least you have a better idea of what is wrong and how to proceed.

 

[Anthony1971]

Research the year of your car. Most cars 7 years old use electric steering some much older and do not have power steering fluid. You may be able to rule out the battery with a cheap multi tester you should read above 12 v with the car off and above 13 V with the car running. Just set it to DC volts any setting that is above 12. The code readers are also very cheap on EBAY Amazon OBD 2 scanner. A multi tester will not tell you battery under load so the battery can still have a bad cell that works intermittently. If you are talking Honda charge the battery first they read all kinds of odd codes when the voltage is low. It is very common in the warmer and colder months if you make short trips or leave the car sitting for days out of the week. Batteries these days unfortunately last between 3 and 5 years sometimes longer but usually a month or 2 after the 3 year warranty…

 

[tvguy]

thanks for the video that was very helpful

hopefully this will be an easy fix a new car isnt in the budget right now
when I get messages about the car I usually think the worst

Don't want to jinx you, but I can't imagine even in the worse case that it would be a big enough repair that you would want to just not fix it and get a new car.

 

[tvguy]

Research the year of your car. Most cars 7 years old use electric steering some much older and do not have power steering fluid.

This is an excellent point. A lot of people don't realize that newer cars have electronic power steering, and electronic air conditioning compressors. I got absolutely flamed here a few months ago when I mentioned an electronic air conditioning compressor by someone who said "never heard of such a thing"....implying I was wrong/crazy/etc. My 2018 Ford Flex has electronic power steering and an electronic ac compressor, the only belt driven accessory in the alternator. My wife's 2020 Camry Hybrid has no belt driven accessories, everything is electronic. And of course electric cars all have electronic power steering and ac compressors since they don't have an engine that is constantly running to drive belt driven accessories.

 

[eandt]

this week I get a message on my car that read

low power steering assist

just wondering what this could mean
its going in on mon but anything dealing with cars gets me flustered
thanks for any advice

If the consensus is low power steering fluid I would check and add myself rather than go to a dealership service department that will probably tell you that you need a new ‘Johnson rod’ as well as their usual go to cabin and engine air filters need replacing at a cost of $100’s ….

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

It’s easy to change a cabin filter. Toyota wanted $50 to do it. I bought one on Amazon for $11 and it took less than 10 mins.That was 10 years ago so the price is probably $80-100 now. Dh takes care of our engine filters, also cheap on Amazon.

 

[tvguy]

It’s easy to change a cabin filter. Toyota wanted $50 to do it. I bought one on Amazon for $11 and it took less than 10 mins.That was 10 years ago so the price is probably $80-100 now. Dh takes care of our engine filters, also cheap on Amazon.

It depends on the car how easy it is to replace. My Camry looks easy but I haven't done it myself yet since Toyota does it for free and all regular upkeep for free for the first two years. My Flex wasn't bad but you do have to basically remove the glove box. My daughter's Fusion required a special trim tool because you have to remove part of the dash trim to get to the filter.

 

[_19disnA]

While it may seem simple at first, often times removing some trim piece to get access to a filter can be more complicated than it appears. Might need a special tool as mentioned above to remove a part and/or many types of interior fasteners are easily broken (or the trim piece damaged) if you aren't familiar with the correct way to remove them. You might then end up with a rattle from a loose piece of trim and part of the reason to take it someplace where they know what to do.