Pentosin CHF 11S alternative?

[Mr.Fork]

In my Volvo XC70, Pentosin CHF 11S is the only recommended power steering fluid - which I think is baloney. The Volvo branded Pentosin CHF 11S also sells for $24 a litre.

Is there an alternative to the power steering fluid for our Volvos?

 

[Tones]

Is that Canadian or US? Got mine at FCPGroton.com for about half that. It does not take much. It is a synthetic fluid and it is very good stuff--especially for your cold winters. If I recall it was not on their website. I had to ask them for it.

 

[Mr.Fork]

Thanks for the reply Tones.

I've also heard that using ATF fluid for the PS was acceptable. What's the truth here? The price is really a moot point as I want to find out if other fluids can be used. Volvo says no but I'm not buying it.

 

[Bobert]

I wouldn't mess around with other substitutes. I found mine for around $13 bucks online a few years ago. This is top notch fluid.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Well, my nephew just picked up a 1998 V70. It was the last year ATF was specified for the PSF. My guess is that, like VW, after the switchover, the power steering part numbers remained the same. That tells me that ATF is fine and I know the guys on AudiWorld use it in Pentosin systems just fine. Pentosin is just too thin, overheats and warps the seals. I flush it with plain Dexron and then use a better ATF, like Mobil 1 or ATF+4 or Multi ATF. ATF is a very common PSF and is probally better in those systems too.

 

[brianl703]

Saab says you can use GM power steering fluid in place of CHF11S "in an emergency".

Are there mechanically similar vehicles sold in the USA that specify ATF or regular power steering fluid but specify CHF11S when sold in Europe?

ie..Ford Mondeo/Contour, Chevy Alero/Chevy Malibu, etc.

I'd really like to know what these European mechanical twins to US vehicles specify for their power steering fluid.

 

[Mr.Fork]

Good questions all. For Volvo, the CHF11S is specified in both European(Canadian) and US spec'ed vehicles for MY2001+. Why only that spec?

 

[Bobert]

I did a little searching and found a Porsche forum where the same question was asked about a compatible fluid for CHF11S. Apparently Swepco 715 is compatible and a little cheaper.

http://www.automotion.com/productpage.aspx?pid=106037
There also was another guy purporting that Champion brands makes a compatible power steering fluid for CHF11S and costs only like two bucks. Caveat emptor.

 

[Audi Junkie]

I've used SynPower PSF with LG PS Additive in both Hondas and Euros. Good ATF plus LG PSF Additive should be a good upgrade for ATF-PSF systems and acceptable in CHF11S ones.

 

[unDummy]

CHF11s has some incredible cold weather performance. Nothing else makes it any better then ATF/PSF, as there are various vehicles that could use both. But, nothing else meets its cold weather performance.

Besides Pentosin, there were a couple of other brands that met that same requirement. I thought that FuchsSilkolene had an equivalent product.

Because of your location, I would stick with the Pentosin. PS steering pressure(pump and belt strain) might increase too much as it gets cold.

Don't forget that it isn't uncommon for an automaker to recommend a fluid to make up for some inferiority. If the pump fluid runs abnormally hot, then you'll need a cooler before switching away from the Pentosin. If the PSF OCI is excessively long, then you'll need to shorten the OCI when switching away from the Pentosin.

 

[widman]

Actually most hydraulic fluids that meet the MIL-H-5606 spec will meet this. That is a very common aviation hydraulic fluid. Just that instead of Green it will probably be red.

 

[Chuckh]

I have been seeing Febi 06161 come up in a lot of searches about CHF-11S and CHF 202. Some BMW owners use this fluid in their cars when they can not use ATF. Which Febi fluid is an alternative to CHF-202 or VW G 000 004 M2 specifically? If I am not mistaken CHF 202 can be used instead of CHF-11S, I have been reading that they are compatible. CHF 7.1 is the odd one that is not compatible with the other two.

 

[nobb]

This stuff is only $20/1L bottle on RockAuto which is not bad if you combine the shipping with other parts. Hyundai dealers also carry this stuff for roughly the same price (atleast the ones near me) since some models of Genesis take this. The power steering system doesn't take that much anyways.

 

[240_Ed]

I use the Fuchs CHFIIS in my V70, no problems. No need to overthink it and start playing around with ATF substitutes - if Volvo wanted you to use ATF they'd have put it in the manual and be hawking it to you for the same price as CHFIIS in a Volvo branded bottle.

 

[Garak]

I used Febi as well in the past. Realistically, $24 a litre for CHF 11S or an approved alternative in Canada is a good price. My jobber price is a little above that, but the VW/Audi dealership sells it for around $24 as well. The Benz dealer isn't too bad, either. To find names of competing yet compatible products, I'd probably look at the MB sheet for power steering fluids. Finding an approved substitute readily available on the shelf in Canada is going to be a tall order.

 

[pezzy669]

IIRC I was surprisingly able to source some CHF11S from Advance Auto for I think $16 or $17 - was a total waste as my car at the time only needed a few ounces to top it up so now I have almost a full quart just collecting dust and my "new" car has electronic power steering (not electronic pump - full electronic motor at the pinion) so if anyone in Atlanta wants to take it off my hands you can have the rest of the quart for 5 bucks.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by pezzy669
IIRC I was surprisingly able to source some CHF11S from Advance Auto for I think $16 or $17 - was a total waste as my car at the time only needed a few ounces to top it up so now I have almost a full quart just collecting dust and my "new" car has electronic power steering (not electronic pump - full electronic motor at the pinion) so if anyone in Atlanta wants to take it off my hands you can have the rest of the quart for 5 bucks.


Why not just suck out all the old fluid from the reservoir? Granted it's not a true flush but still.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted by pezzy669
IIRC I was surprisingly able to source some CHF11S from Advance Auto for I think $16 or $17 - was a total waste as my car at the time only needed a few ounces to top it up so now I have almost a full quart just collecting dust and my "new" car has electronic power steering (not electronic pump - full electronic motor at the pinion) so if anyone in Atlanta wants to take it off my hands you can have the rest of the quart for 5 bucks.


Why not just suck out all the old fluid from the reservoir? Granted it's not a true flush but still.

Great point.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fork
In my Volvo XC70, Pentosin CHF 11S is the only recommended power steering fluid - which I think is baloney. The Volvo branded Pentosin CHF 11S also sells for $24 a litre.

Is there an alternative to the power steering fluid for our Volvos?


What year is your Volvo?

CHF-202 is specified for early 2000s Volvos.

CHF-11s is a good fluid. Your total system capacity is about 1 quart. My local NAPA has that fluid for $16/liter. I buy it in 5 liter jugs, at about $13/liter because my Mercedes uses CHF-11s for the suspension as well as the power steering.

At that price, why look for a substitute?

Don't buy Volvo fluids. They are incredibly marked up. But DO buy what is specified. You'll be much happier in the end. The guys that filled their steering racks with generic ATF found out the hard way that using substitute fluids can hurt...a mistake in the printing of owner's manuals in 2001-2003 just said "ATF", and ATF caused the rack seals to leak.

Volvo charges about $1,800, parts and labor, for a steering rack. It's a rebuilt ZF, but the subframe has to be dropped to install it, so the labor is high.

But hey, what's $1,800 in repairs when you "cleverly" saved $5 on fluid, right?

 

[Chuckh]

I was in Autozone earlier today and saw Pentofluid EHF. They say it is compatible with CHF-11S and possibly CHF 202 (they are similar). The price is $12.99 I saw it while I was in to get some CHF-202 (cheaper than CHF-11S). There is that Prestone stuff also but I WILL NOT pay that price for that little bottle of mystery fluid when there is Pentosin next to it cheaper per ounce. The Prestone is around 12.99 and it is a 12 ounce bottle. Per ounce the Prestone stuff is horribly expensive, I would not use that one anyhow even if it was free or they paid me to take it. It just gives me even more reason to stick to Pentosin. Prestone must be trying to pull the wool over our eyes and make us think it is the best stuff with the high price per once. I am not fooled that easily!! Compare the fluids how much they sell for and how much you get and you will see what I mean. I always found it less expensive to buy more anyhow because a lot of stuff it cheaper in the long run that way.

I am just attempting to research the Pentofluid EHF but there are not a lot of search results yet. How new is it? Has anyone heard of it before today or tried it? I could not find it on Pentosin's website (odd). I will look again because I just wonder if they didn't update their website yet. I should send an email to them with a few questions.