Car approaching 90K - Brake Fluid change time?

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tripleM

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My '06 Mazda3 daily driver has about 86K on it. Never has let me down. But I also realize - even without beating it - I still need to do some preventive maintenance to keep it running towards 200k.

Brake Fluid is next on the list.
@ around 50K I had my rear pads changed but no brake fluid was changed.
Since the Mazda3 is known for rear brake bias that sounds about right.
However, my front has never been replaced nor has my brake fluids.

Any insights on whether this is bad, what is recommended, change interval would be helpful.

Seriously, even though I know braking is important, brake fluids seem to be last in any conversation.
 
I just did this on a 15 year old Lexus LS 400. Brakes are a system. If you swap out the brake fluid (which you should do), but your pads and rotors are no good, it's kinda like putting a band aid on a gun shot wound.
On a 4 year old car with 86k, the fluid definitely needs to go, but if your 86k miles is mostly highway driving, then the rotors and pads may be OK. The point is, have the "System" checked.
 
I know in my '02 Accord, the manual states to change it every three years, regardless of mileage. GM does not mention anything about BF in the manual for my '06 Silverado. What does Mazda recommend? Who did the work on the rear pads? Maybe they flushed the system then. If they didn't, they probably should have. 3 to 4 years would be the max I would go on brake fluid. And as stated above, have your brake system inspected.
 
Our old Honda went 180K miles with the original brake fluid, I admit I was lazy to change it.

Does the brand of brake fluid really matter ?
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Brand, no, unless you're on a track. What's more important is that if your car calls for DOT 4, use DOT 4, and don't mix, DOT 4 with DOT 3/5/5.1.
 
Originally Posted By: TJPark01
Brand, no, unless you're on a track. What's more important is that if your car calls for DOT 4, use DOT 4, and don't mix, DOT 4 with DOT 3/5/5.1.


Actually I think you can mix DOT 3, 4, and 5.1, but not 5. DOT 5 is silicone-based fluid that's not compatible with the others. If you search, you'll find lots of conflicting information on this subject, but basically the DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 chemistries are very similar. The boiling points are higher with 4 and 5.1, but the fluids are compatible as long as there are no admonitions specifically against using the other fluids in the owner's manual or TSBs.

It's important to change out DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 fluids regularly to keep the boiling points high, but also to prevent the water that the fluid picks up from corroding the brake system components from the inside out. 3 years is the recommendation from Honda on the DOT 3 fluid they use.
 
Originally Posted By: TJPark01
I just did this on a 15 year old Lexus LS 400. Brakes are a system. If you swap out the brake fluid (which you should do), but your pads and rotors are no good, it's kinda like putting a band aid on a gun shot wound.
On a 4 year old car with 86k, the fluid definitely needs to go, but if your 86k miles is mostly highway driving, then the rotors and pads may be OK. The point is, have the "System" checked.


Great point. Thanks all.
 
As long as the brake fluid is the correct spec [DOT 3 or whatever] you can use anybody's.
Name brand means nothing here.
but you are right to flush it out at this point.
 
It's another one of the PM's that is great to do, but I personally don't know of a single daily driver that's had it's brake fluid "flushed" as a stand alone procedure. Probably 90%+ never have. It's gotta be better for your $$$ ABS modules to have fresh BF in there.

Joel
 
I try to flush it every 2-3 years in all of my vehicles.

I used to use Valvoline "synthetic" DOT4, but I've since switched to ATE Blue and Gold DOT4. If you alternate colors, it's easy to see when you've flushed out the old stuff.
 
tripleM,

In general brake fluid last about three yrs. I bleed all my vehicles' brakes every 2-3 yrs but used to do it every year before joining BITOG because I didn't know any better.

And as mentioned above, using ATE Super BLUE every other flush does help quite a bit.
 
Originally Posted By: cos
tripleM,

In general brake fluid last about three yrs. I bleed all my vehicles' brakes every 2-3 yrs but used to do it every year before joining BITOG because I didn't know any better.

And as mentioned above, using ATE Super BLUE every other flush does help quite a bit.

Yeah - I don't know much either until I read things on the internet :)
Seriously, BITOG crowd are some of the most knowledgeable & amiable to noobie questions.
 
Gm now thinks about 7 years is good for BF.
Our fears of water in a good/healthy system are largely unfounded. Where is this water coming from?
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Gm now thinks about 7 years is good for BF.
Our fears of water in a good/healthy system are largely unfounded. Where is this water coming from?


Condensation, I would assume....
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Gm now thinks about 7 years is good for BF.

GM doesn't care if your brake system failed after warranty expired.

Most European cars recommend 2 years for DOT-4 and Japanese recommends 3 years for DOT-3. I would not extend these time frames more than a year, specially it is so easy to flush the system with Mityvac fluid extractor, and do brake flush while doing tire rotation does not add much more time.
 
The dangerous thing about the BF issue, is that it's a slow degradation over time and very subtle. Brakes will work fine and you're lulled into a false sense of security. But if you have a panic stop situation, in inclement or extreme weather. Or you find yourself on vacation with a full load of passengers and cargo down a mountain pass. That is not the time to discover that you've been neglecting a key component to your braking system.
 
Brakes are more important than any drivetrain component. Stopping, as many find, is more important than going.
 
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