2007 Toyota Camry - Brake Fluid Flush Required?

When I flushed the brake fluid in my 06 Dodge Diesel the right front caliper was “dry”. I bought it new and no brake work had ever been performed, so it came that way from the factory. The brakes felt better after 100K+ miles than when it was new. Considering how long brakes last these days it is probably a very good idea to have the work done when the pads are replaced. It would seem that everyone was in agreement that it wasn’t wasted money, especially for a vehicle you intend to keep.

Hurrah, another brake fluid changer! Welcome to the forum!

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Yeh… fluid changers seem to be a rare species… so every one is very valuable :slight_smile:

Welcome to CarTalk, @David_Bower_1!

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Since 1965 I have never flushed hydraulics and it has never been required as scheduled maintenance in a owner manual. Last year I asked the Kia service manager about it. He chuckled and said it was a wallet flush. It would be done when I needed a brake job. He has 16 years experience as a Hyundai/Kia mechanic and 4 years as a Kia service consultant. Now 2 years as service manager.

The dentist recommends I come in for a cleaning, exam, and X-rays every 6 months. This routine visit costs significantly more than a brake fluid exchange. I see no need or benefit to going to the dentist every 6 months, yet many people do so and find value in it. I wonder if there’s a forum where people bash dentists for cleaning out their patient’s wallet every 6 months?

Bottom line, some manufacturers recommend a brake fluid exchange every 3 years, some don’t. Will replacing your fluid hurt anything? Nope. It might even prevent some future problems from happening, and make certain parts of your brake system last longer. If you don’t like the price just remember you can get 3 brake fluid flushes for the price of one 6-month dental exam. Seems like a value to me. :yum:

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Brake Fluid is a peculiar substance… It resists boiling from high temps, it has to keep your lines free from moisture as well, lubricate rubber seals, pressurize/power your valuable abitity to …well…stop. etc. So its fairly important lets say.

The funny thing about brake fluid is that it is Hygro-scopic… meaning that it is constantly gathering H2O from the atmosphere…and water does not have a high boiling temp…nor does it give a rats Ar$# about keeping the inside of your brake lines and calipers free from rust.

I would have to agree with everyone here on supporting your choice to have it flushed. You may not have known it at the time, but you done did good.

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I have a 97 Geo Metro that did a peculiar thing not long ago. In heavy stop and go traffic the brake pedal felt like I had blown a brake line (went to the floor with little braking effect, and yes, I have experienced that on 2 vehicles in my lifetime). Once I stopped and checked everything I could tell the front calipers were very hot but there was no fluid loss in the reservoir and no sign of any leaks. After cooling off the brakes were normal. After the second time it did this I researched and read that the moisture in the fluid (hydroscopic nature of brake fluid) can boil and cause what I experienced. I flushed the front brake fluid and kept driving it. Unfortunately, I only obtained another month or so or use from the car and can’t say for sure that I experienced identical conditions, but the brakes didn’t fade on me again. I’ll agree that most vehicles manage to go their useful life without a brake fluid flush and never experience what happened to me. BTW, “drain, refill, and bleed the brake system” is listed as a 60,000 mile maintenance item in the Geo’s owner’s manual.

In the USA. Not elsewhere. Moisture content in the brake fluid is checked in Europe, Japan and elsewhere as a normal part of the inspection process. Too high and you don’t get your registration until it is flushed.

This is where we are going to get a revolt here under “our freedoms are violated” flag :slight_smile:

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In my 2012 Toyota Corolla owners manual schedule, the brake fluid should be replaced every 40k miles.It should be the same with your Camry.

Water in brake fluid is honestly no joke. Aside from the corrosion it causes if n when the brakes get HOT and i mean hot… its interesting how fast you can go from brake pedal pressure…to push, pump n pray. Happens quick I tell ya

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I have a’16 Tacoma with no brake fluid change in the maintenance schedule. We have a '16 Outback that requires it every 30K miles to keep the warranty intact. Go figure!

There are endless debates about who’s right, who’s wrong. Subarus have way more problems than Toyotas so I’d put my money on Toyota’s engineers.

It helps to remember that the need for regular brake fluid changes started in the old days when the brake master cylinder cap had a hole in it to let in air as the fluid level drops. Being exposed to air you could actually see it turn dark and then black and then black with sludge at the bottom. Now it’s sealed. I have vehicles 10 years old and the fluid is as clear as when it came out of the bottle.

There will always be people who still change their oil every 3 - 5K miles despite Toyota saying synthetic is good for 10K miles and Amsoil and Mobil1 saying their best oil is good for 25K miles.

I would ask, why would a Toyota engineer say 10K changes are fine, after all they have to warranty the engine and they have a reputation to maintain. But then there are people who say it’s a conspiracy, they want to sell more vehicles by having ours fail early.

There are also people who say the Sandy Hook school massacre was a government hoax.

Here’s a discussion from Firestone. They say additive package depletion is the main problem these days, not moisture. Once the copper content of the fluid reaches 200-ppm, it’s time to change the fluid. They don’t say moisture can’t be a problem, just that it isn’t the problem it used to be 20 years ago. For the most part, they avoid making the article an advertisement.

https://blog.firestonecompleteautocare.com/brakes/everything-you-need-to-know-about-brake-fluid/amp/

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great article!

by this train of thought, coolant system is sealed too, but yet were are changing fluid because the additives package gets depleted and fluid can start attacking the system from inside rather than protecting it

I guess it is lesser crowd who objects to coolant changes, but I’m sure it exists, same as “never change ATF” slogan followers

What is a dry caliper?

one more thing on this: so, if moisture is not a primary concern nowadays, the [lucky] owner can go for much longer than required change interval, and all the risks/damage is pretty much hidden up to failure point, which can be (1) seized caliper piston (2) brake line rupture (3) failing ABS pump/modulator (4) failing master cylinder, and then the real concern of fluid replacement is overlooked and it is a complaint about the bad engineering or such on car manufacturer side :frowning:

my memory brings back 2007 Altima with 68K miles I’ve got for my daughter few years back, where the original fluid was still in place, nice and dandy in the master cylinder tank, but once I started to flush the brake system, it was black inside, and sure enough, one of rear calipers had half-seized piston, I had to take it apart, polish out corrosion and get new rubber pieces installed as old ones were like a rock

Your research should have also turned up the fact that when brake master cylinders leak, the leak is usually an internal leak. You don’t see brake fluid outside the cylinder. But because of the internal leak, the pedal is spongy and will sometimes go to the floor and need to be pumped up.

Where did you get that idea? If there is a required change interval from the auto manufacturer, then the owner should follow it. It would still be prudent to check copper and moisture content of the fluid with test strips or a meter that is accurate enough to determine if the max level is exceeded.

That’s called “irony”, sorry if it was not clear

Now, with many stern “non-changers”, the scenario I ironically describe is not that far-fetched

The turning point came when engineers added a rubber bladder at the top of the brake master cylinder between the cap and the fluid. Now air can enter through a hole in the cap to replace the fluid drop without the air contacting the fluid.

In addition, as you mention, chemical engineers improved brake fluid with additives. I have no idea if the two coincided but I do know that brake fluid would be black after 3 years and now it’s clear after 10.