Just wondering what other people's views are on the 'recommended brake fluid change' after 2 years?

Just had an estimate for the 2nd variable service on my Merc. After regaining consciousness I noticed the estimate included the 'recommended brake fluid change' as the vehicle was 2 years old. This seems to be commonplace with all manufacturers and something that I've always declined. If I feel any deterioration in my brakes then yes I'd have this done, but if my brakes are working perfectly well why should I have the fluid changed? And on top of that it's a manufacturer 'recommendation' - it's in no way obligatory.

I fail to see why I should have my brake fluid changed if it doesn't require changing. I've never had a brake fluid change done on any of my cars. And I've never had the slightest issue with brakes. Am I right to decline the garage another £60 from my wallet?

 The reason why brake fluid is required on a service is that the brake fluid soaks up moisture

When there is moisture in the brake fluid , the boiling point comes down

We have done checks on brake fluid and we have seen quite a high amount of cars with moisture in

It is there for safety , sorry

Sarah

I totally agree with Sarah on this - the price they are charging seems very unreasonable, however, I would say the work is essential.  People often go on about wanting the best tyres, but good brakes are more important too... Seems ironic to spend a lot of money on a big brake conversion, but not to worry about the basics.

It's very simple to change the fluid at home, as the bottle often contains a self-bleeding kit, so you just watch until you can see clean fluid draining out of the system.  Shouldn't cost more than £20 if done at home.

Wigster.

AwesomeSarah:

The reason why brake fluid is required on a service is that the brake fluid soaks up moisture. When there is moisture in the brake fluid , the boiling point comes down. We have done checks on brake fluid and we have seen quite a high amount of cars with moisture in. It is there for safety , sorry

Sarah

Thanks for the info Sarah. Moisture is the arguement put forward by the various service depts although they didn't mention boiling point. My school of thought however is if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

As I see it (ie coming from a position of ignorance you'll understand) the flaw with the moisture arguement is water content or not, my brakes work perfectly. I don't know if my brake fluid currently consists of 0%, 1% or 99.9% water - does it matter? My brakes are working as good today as when I bought the car. Presumably what happens is the higher the build up of water, the less efficent the braking system becomes. If my brake fluid was problematic, wouldn't I be feeling some sort of 'sponginess' or 'play' when I press the brake pedal?

Changing brake fluid appears a precautionary function. Without diagnosis, nobody has a clue the water content of my brakes - there may well be very little water in my system. I do feel a little sorry for those who don't question these things. I'm sure many cars will indeed require a brake fluid change after 2 years, but you have to admit garages must be making a bomb out of charging for a brake fluid change in those cars that are perfectly ok.

I guess I'm just a little annoyed at what seems yet another example of our 'throw away' culture.

 Mmm

The problem is , when you need the brakes to work their best , and they dont , it can be too late to say , `well maybe I should have had it done"

The oil is replaced every 10k miles , if it is still full , it is the same as that

Service is there for the car and engine reliability and safety

The rest is down to you

Sarah

It's one of those things that you can say isn't broke until it is too late....can you put a price on safety (even if the dealers will use the scare tactic to try and talk you into it)

It does soak up moisture with time, but i'd say it's good for at least double the usual 2 year recommended period. Its just the usual over precaution and cashing in on it IMO.

Its not just the efficiency though, moisture will obviously have an effect on other parts inside the system over time.

Talking of brake fluid, I found some Dot 3 in my garage last weekend!!! Must be at least 10 years old!!

Any takers.  

bazking69:

Talking of brake fluid, I found some Dot 3 in my garage last weekend!!! Must be at least 10 years old!!

Any takers.  

DRINK !  

As already mentioned when "wet" boiling point will be down nearly 100 deg. Try stopping from a high speed with a full load and the fluid could boil. More importantly though think of brake fluid like oil - it is the lifeblood of the braking system. old fluid with moisture in will corrode the braking system and potentially damage abs. It is preventative maintenance. In my opinion 2 years is way too long - i change mine every year and i have not had problems with any brake components on any car i have owned. For a car that sees hard braking and especially track use it is advisable to bleed off a small amount of fluid from the front calipers regularly

The brake fluid absorbs  moisture. This moisture works against the internal components of the breaking system and in the long term will cause problems. If you aren't keeping your car that long, go ahead and ignore it but: (and i've said it before folks!) why do we all think we know better than the manufacturer of the car? Brakes are the only thing that brings your car back from 70mph to a stop. Do you really want to save money in this department?

http://www.carbibles.com/brake_bible.html

 What about these testers that are around that tell you what your moisture content is? I have been thinking about gettig one but not sure if they are any good. I know moisture in brake fluid is bad news, also causes corrosion from the inside of brake components.

It's called preventative maintenance. You get the brake fluid changed to prevent problems and to keep the braking system in top condition. Same as brake pads, do you wait til they're down to metal before you change them? Tyres, down to canvas? Oil, wait til the engine shows signs of needing an oil change.....

Say, why doesn't everyone who thinks keeping their brake fluid in the system for more than the recommended time post their reg number up and then we can all avoid you on the roads.

Rustynuts:

Say, why doesn't everyone who thinks keeping their brake fluid in the system for more than the recommended time post their reg number up and then we can all avoid you on the roads.

And when was the last time you checked you brake fluid level? The manufacturers also recommended you do this along with all other fluid checks and tyre pressure tests every week. Should we also avoid the people who don't do this as well?

eyeamsparticus:

Rustynuts:

Say, why doesn't everyone who thinks keeping their brake fluid in the system for more than the recommended time post their reg number up and then we can all avoid you on the roads.

And when was the last time you checked you brake fluid level? The manufacturers also recommended you do this along with all other fluid checks and tyre pressure tests every week. Should we also avoid the people who don't do this as well?

My brake fluid was checked about 3 weeks ago when it was in for a service. And I took the liberty of checking the owners handbook as there's a specific section in there for brake fluid level. It says that the brake fluid should be checked according to the service schedule, which in my case is every 10k miles. So you just made up that bit about manufacturers recommended checking every week, didn't you? My tyres get checked every week, along with oil level, coolant level, washer fluid level, and a good wash and glass polish. Personally I feel that my regime is rather more thorough than your stated method of "If I feel any deterioration in my brakes"...

 I'm not accustomed to making things up for anyone else and you are no exception. All fluids should be checked on a weekly basis and if you check your tyres and various other levels on a weekly basis then I applaud you. 99% don't and the remaining .99% would like to think they do, but they don't.

Am I to believe you faithfully check your washer level etc on a weekly basis, but you only pay attention to the brake fluid level every 10k ?  That doesn't sound quite right does it? Especially from someone so safety concious they argue the merits of posting everyones name who doesn't have their brake fluid changed. I would have thought your common sense would have kicked in realising that your your manual reads that brake fluid should be checked every service (for water content). However like any system in your car a leak can occur... that's why it's recommended you make weekly checks - INCLUDING THE BRAKE FLUID LEVEL.  

You check your fluids and tyre pressures every week...    Not even the leather driving glove, cloth capped, cheese sandwitch and 'tartan rug on the rear parcel' shelf brigade lay claim to your maticulous schedule. Well done. You put us all to shame.

You really are a twonk aren't you.

Yes, I check all the relevant stuff on a weekly basis, but I draw the line at removing the wheels to check the thickness of the pads with a micrometer. After all, there is a system in place to warn when the pads are down to a level which requires attention. The washer fluid is a consumable item. This means that it gets consumed in use and needs replacing (in case you didn't know), and although it also has a warning system I prefer to top it up before it gets to a level where there's none left to clean the windscreen. Oil also has a habit of being consumed (it sort of gets burned in the engine), but last time I checked, applying the brakes doesn't actually consume any brake fluid, merely uses it to apply hydraulic pressure to the pads and that's the consumable part of the brake system. So given that, I don't really think there's a need to check the fluid level on a weekly basis, just make sure that it gets changed every couple of years, and have the braking system checked once every 10k miles (how about having it done when the car's in for a service?).

As for checking the brake fluid level every week. Nope, checked again, and it's not written in the owners handbook, so I stand by my statement that you made it up.

So, if you see my car (it's a blue Seat Altea btw) you can be safe in the knowledge that it's probably going to stop a lot quicker than your (seat of the pants serviced)  car, so just make sure you keep a reasonably safe distance away from me if you ever follow me, will you.

No leather driving gloves, tartan rugs, cheese sandwiches, cloth caps, or nodding dogs either, so sorry to disappoint you. And yes, you really should be ashamed of yourself for lauding the "wait til my brakes fail" style of maintenance.

If on doubt, buy a brake fluid checker for a few quid. Thay way you'll know when fluid is saturated with moisture, and/ or dirty in colour.