Hi. My car uses Ford DOT 4 LV brake fluid with the WSS-M6C65-A2 specification. The manufacturer says this fluid lasts 3 years (source: https://fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/products/brakes/productdetails?id=86 ). The car's service manual says to replace it every 2 years. What would you do? The car is no longer under warranty.
Dot 4 LV WSS-M6C65-A2. Three or two years
- Thread starter Bobby74
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If you live in the rust belt 2 years if you live in a place where cars dont rust 3 years.*
*unless you live somewhere in crazy up high mountain range and push your brakes to the limit every day.
*unless you live somewhere in crazy up high mountain range and push your brakes to the limit every day.
Either is fine, as long as you do it regularly. Honestly, you can even just do it when you replace the pads and rotors, and that's still not a problem 
Most cars never have their brake fluid changed and go to the junkyard on the factory brake fluid
I didn't know Ford was saying to change it now. For a long time, only Honda and the Euros even said it was necessary, but in the past few years, more cars want you to do it.
And of course, you don't have to use Ford/Motorcraft brake fluid. There are a lot of good ones out there, such as the popular Bosch ESI6. But changing it regularly is more important that what brand you use.
Most cars never have their brake fluid changed and go to the junkyard on the factory brake fluid
I didn't know Ford was saying to change it now. For a long time, only Honda and the Euros even said it was necessary, but in the past few years, more cars want you to do it.
And of course, you don't have to use Ford/Motorcraft brake fluid. There are a lot of good ones out there, such as the popular Bosch ESI6. But changing it regularly is more important that what brand you use.
First, welcome to BITOG.
Every 3 years is a lot more often than most people change their brake fluid, so that would work for you just fine But brake fluid is more affected by cycles, than time, so I lean more to a mileage interval. And your driving style, and the environment you live in are big factors. Do you live in a very humid climate? Do you brake hard? Do you live in the mountains? Do you tow? If yes to one or more of these, you may want to go with a 20k - 30k mile brake fluid interval. If no, then a 30k - 45k mile brake fluid interval may be fine.
Here is another vote for the Bosch ESI6 brake fluid. It meets DOT 3, 4, and 5.1. IIRC, it actually exceeds these specs. It is what I used just yesterday, when I did a brake fluid service on my daughter's CR-V.
Every 3 years is a lot more often than most people change their brake fluid, so that would work for you just fine But brake fluid is more affected by cycles, than time, so I lean more to a mileage interval. And your driving style, and the environment you live in are big factors. Do you live in a very humid climate? Do you brake hard? Do you live in the mountains? Do you tow? If yes to one or more of these, you may want to go with a 20k - 30k mile brake fluid interval. If no, then a 30k - 45k mile brake fluid interval may be fine.
Here is another vote for the Bosch ESI6 brake fluid. It meets DOT 3, 4, and 5.1. IIRC, it actually exceeds these specs. It is what I used just yesterday, when I did a brake fluid service on my daughter's CR-V.
Thanks for the welcome and for the information
2+3/2=2.5
Or is it 3.5?
No, the initial fill is for 3 years -> 100% new fluid from the factory. Subsequent replacements are good for 2 years because you never get all the old fluid and contaminants out. You only replace maybe 2/3rds the fluid, hence the shorter interval.
The reason for the shorter change intervals are due to how Dot 4 absorbs moisture and gets saturated more quickly than Dot 3. This is why I prefer to use Dot 3 in applications that do not require Dot 4.
The reason for the shorter change intervals are due to how Dot 4 absorbs moisture and gets saturated more quickly than Dot 3. This is why I prefer to use Dot 3 in applications that do not require Dot 4.
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