Did they get rid of normal DOT3 ?

[ripcord]

Then why are dealers and parts places selling little tiny bottles of brake fluid? Please with all the wisdom, explain that?

Only shops are required to change fluid or lie about it between brake frictions replacements.

I've always gone untold years and not changed brake fluid. If it wasn't for dealing with a booster issue on my one car, it would have 70 some k miles and 25 years on the original brake fluid, and all is good, go figure.

Old brake fluid will still work... It just has more water in it than is ideal. Eventually it will absorb more water than it can hold in suspension and some water will separate out. When this happens, the water tends to migrate to the lowest points on the system (the calipers and cylinders) which also happen to be the hottest. This water will boil at 212f at sea level, and when this happens, your high pressure hydraulic brake system turns into an extremely low pressure air brake system, usually at the very worst time.

Free water in your calipers will also cause increased corrosion and it's a leading cause of stuck calipers and pitted and leaking cylinders.

 

[D1dad]

I test the fluid a few times a year. No need to go to all that work when the fluid isn’t soaked. Mine call for dot 3 and I converted my cars to 4.

 

[97prizm]

No, that's not normal. That's just silly. The reason there is a reservoir of fluid is so it doesn't need replenishment between pad changes.

Both my Geo Prizm and cavalier never leaked but I did have to ad a small amount of brake fluid to the reservoir as the pads wore down. It was even in the owners manual.