Hi All,

My 2002 ford focus went in for it's MOT on friday. It had a new off side tie rod end, a pollen filter, and gas in the A/C. It's a good runner, well serviced and I look after it well. I'm especially diligent with the levels...

I nipped out to the shops on saturday and all seemed ok, on a very short journey. My mum took it out for a ~40 mile drive on Sunday and brought it back sounding like a old BANGER. Cheers mum.

Anyhow, I traced the funny whirring/grinding noise to the drivers side under the bonnet, near the belts. A quick glance at the levels (when cold) showed the power steering reservoir severely depleted. A quick glace at the road underneath the car revealed a rapidly growing pink puddle of power steering fluid.

Having paid the MOT garage for some ford P/S fluid, (MC2 195-A, £20 a bottle, if you're wondering) I've filled it up and run it for a few minutes and the poorly sounding pump sounds a lot happier.

However, when the engine is running, the fluid leaks with 1 drip every second or so from underneath the engine on the drivers side somewhere. I haven't been under it, so I don't really know where the leak is coming from.

I'm drawing no conclusions and I'm certainly not blaming the garage, but is it in any way possible that the work done on the MOT might have taken a mechanic near the power steering systems ? Surely the MOT covers the power steering systems and a leak of this severity should have been spotted ?

It's back in the garage tomorrow morning. I'd like a few opinions please before I take it down there...

Cheers,

Dan