Received 2 year old (new) Castrol SRF - Castrol states 2 year shelf life

Joined
Feb 3, 2021
Messages
15
I recently purchased Castrol SRF from FCP Euro (received on Monday 7/22/24). The manufacture date on the bottles is 8/24/22, about 1 month shy of 2 years old. The Castrol product data sheet states it has a shelf life of only 2 years. At $85 a bottle, I'm questioning if this is a matter worth rectifying as I expect to replace my brake fluid soon and not have to do so again for another 18 months. Is it unreasonable to ask/expect FCP to exchange this for me at their expense?

Castrol Expiration.webp


Castrol Data Sheet.webp
 
Why did you not contact them FCP yet? They can help you with this, we cannot.
If brake fluid you bought is gonna see real race track use then yes it's age is very important but 18 months of use seems too long then.
 
I recently purchased Castrol SRF from FCP Euro (received on Monday 7/22/24). The manufacture date on the bottles is 8/24/22, about 1 month shy of 2 years old. The Castrol product data sheet states it has a shelf life of only 2 years. At $85 a bottle, I'm questioning if this is a matter worth rectifying as I expect to replace my brake fluid soon and not have to do so again for another 18 months. Is it unreasonable to ask/expect FCP to exchange this for me at their expense?

View attachment 232444

View attachment 232445
Fcp has a lifetime warranty on everything including SRF.

Two options with FCP Euro.
-warranty claim and replace them
-test for water content, if it's good, use it. Send the old fluid back in srf bottle for warranty claim

Either way, you have a lifetime supply of SRF using FCP Euro.
 
FCP has good customer service.

Contact them, relay your concern, and see how they respond.

For the record, Ate says their cans have a five-year shelf life.
 
I'm happy to say that FCP did not hesitate to make it right. They are sending me replacement fluid immediately. That's what I call EXCELLENT customer service!
 
I'm happy to say that FCP did not hesitate to make it right. They are sending me replacement fluid immediately. That's what I call EXCELLENT customer service!

Hopefully, the replacements will come from a newer batch. ;)

FCP has come a long way from a family-run shop selling rebuilt steering racks, and the like. And they function as a "real" parts seller, with their own inventory, not merely a virtual storefront, or a drop shipper.

Now with warehouses on both coasts, their shipping times are much better for everyone.
 
Little update here in case anyone is curious on the outcome of this with FCP.

After receiving the original response email stating that they would send me replacement fluid, two days later I received another email stating that they would NOT be sending me replacement fluid. The Customer Service Associate who was originally assigned to my case informed me that the replacement fluid was DENIED by their "replacement team" stating that the manufacture date is "not an expiration date" and that just because it's two years from manufacture date, doesn't mean it's "defective", claiming that the shelf life is "from open, not from life unopened." I never claimed it to be defective and I don't know if I agree with their definition of expiration/shelf-life/etc. Regardless, because of the mix-up and since they already offered the replacement, the Customer Service Associate was kind enough to be able to arrange a credit/refund which I think was a reasonable outcome. I would have gladly shipped it back for a replacement except when I asked if they wanted me to send the fluids back (unopened) they replied "No." which I find interesting since apparently they don't believe the fluid to be either expired or defective. Additionally, they could not guarantee that another order for the same fluid would not be equally outdated, so they did not advise me to place another order either. This is rather unfortunate (for me mainly) because one of the reasons I was choosing to buy these fluids from FCP (even at a 30%+ higher price than competing suppliers) was due to their lifetime replacement (which in all honesty is a hard-to-beat deal). Unfortunately, I am relying on this fluid for HPDE (track/road course) events and the last thing I want to compromise on is brake performance while travelling at speeds well over 100mph and wind up plowing into a wall or another car risking my own safety and that of others. I'm more than willing to sacrifice the bargain of free lifetime replacement for safety and dependability.
 
Back
Top Bottom