Brake fluid change/flush

[RogerKlugerAus05]

When a dealer does routine brake fluid change do they syphon the master cylinder reservoir first then pump out each wheel cylinder whilst topping off the m/c.? Or do they just pump the existing fluid in the m/c through the system whilst topping off? Also with ABS do you think they open the abs activator valves whilst flushing which would make diy flushing not possible.
Many thanks.
Roger

 

[Big Jim]

They SHOULD suck out the master cylinder reservoir first, but not all technicians have good work habits.

 

[Shup1]

I know some of the high end car mfg do brake flush during their 'major' services, does this really do anything? I mean in theory I understand, brake fluid is the most abused and neglected fluid in the vehicle....as long as the brakes work who cares

 

[Tones]

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I know some of the high end car mfg do brake flush during their 'major' services, does this really do anything? I mean in theory I understand, brake fluid is the most abused and neglected fluid in the vehicle....as long as the brakes work who cares

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My Volvo specifies brake fluid flushes every 2 years.

Does this really do anything? In general no, the brakes work exactly like they are supposed to. When changed every 2 years, you would not see a change in performance. For my truck, I changed it after 5 years and I saw a definite change in performance. So for it the answer would be yes.

At the fluid level you are replacing corrosion inhibitors and removing water from the system. So the answer is yes, in that respect, it is good preventative maintenance.

As long as the brakes work who cares? Brakes are pretty critical. The consequence of failure are pretty high. It only takes one time of them not working to wish you had done something about it. Don't discount the corrosion aspect though. Calipers get very corroded in time. Changing the fluid more often will reduce the deterioration.

 

[onion]

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as long as the brakes work who cares

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The same could be asked about any fluid... and the answer is that *I* care!

Seriously, though... when brake fluid gets old and absorbs moisture, it can turn into chocolate pudding. It'll rust lines, wheel cylinders... most anything in the system. I've dealt with it plenty of times on older vehicles. I flush mine every few years.

 

[bdcardinal]

at my dealer we have a flush machine that has a cap on the maser and one line to each corner.

 

[Pantdino]

Yes, my understanding is that when the dealer flushes he activates the ABS valves, so everything is flushed. Whether they actually do it, of course, is another question.

I change my own then when the rains start I do a number of hard stops to activate the ABS and move the fluid around, so the fresh fluid gets into the pump and ABS system.

 

[Pantdino]

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as long as the brakes work who cares

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Seriously, though... when brake fluid gets old and absorbs moisture, it can turn into chocolate pudding. It'll rust lines, wheel cylinders... most anything in the system. I've dealt with it plenty of times on older vehicles. I flush mine every few years.

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The question here is how long you plan to own the car. If you only plan to keep it until the lease is up, maybe max 5 yrs, then you don't care about what happens to the brakes in the future.

But if you end up keeping the car until its 15 yrs old and have never changed the brake fluid you'll be replacing all the calipers and cylinders at some point. Then you'll wish you had changed the fluid every couple of years.

 

[MonumentOiler]

The fluid is cheap, the amount involved is small, the labor is relatively easy, the fluid absorbs contamination from the enviroment with ease and is a crucial safety component on any car (second only to tires).

So yes, change it.

 

[PT1]

I just have it flushed with every brake job...if you do it then they don't charge much extra and you will double caliper life.

 

[Shup1]

When I wrote "as long as the brakes work who cares" I was stating an obvious fact that even the most anal retentive people (even some here I'm sure) neglect the brake fluid.... and the prior statement of 'the most abused and neglected fluid' quantified it