The cap on the left was exposed to oil. The complaint is usually a soft brake pedal. When you remove the reservior cap and see the swollen rubber diaphragm it is apparent that oil was added to the system. In my experience the customer may state that someone added to the brake master cylinder two weeks prior.
Other types of chemicals can ruin rubber seals also. Kerosene, mineral spirits, acetone, and so on.
Just theorizing, but what about the possibility that someone used a chemical soaked rag to clean off the area around the master cylinder cap while checking the fluid and contaminated the fluid that way? Maybe even hosed it off with an aerosol cleaner of some sort?
It would be interesting to know exactly what failure occurred, whether this happened suddenly or over time, and so on.
First things first write everthing down who has worked on the car whatr was done and when and talk with a lawler about this. this isn’t going to be cheap everthing rubber needs tiobe replaced
The brakes were failing if the pedal was pushed lightly. If I pushed hard or pumped the pedal they worked. Had crv towed to dealer as I assumed with 12k and 1 yr old it would be warranty. I know that I did not add any fluid. I have popped the hood once to look at the engine compartment when I bought it. The dealer had requested I contact my insurance company and file a claim. For some reason they are covering the damages as vandalism and concurred that it was petroleum contamination. I don’t know if they received the analysis back or are just assuming. The crv is parked in my garage and there are no drip marks by the wheels or engine compartment. State Farm’s estimate was the same, replace everything. I am trying to get the dealer to cover my $500 deductible as good will. I hope my insurance doesn’t go up or lose any discounts because of this claim. The dealer is fixing today. Not thrilled with them fixing it as I believe it was most likely their mistake since they were the last under the hood. To have someone else fix it would require another tow and car rental expenses. I get a free loaner with the dealer. Thanks for all your input!
For the record, I’d be far more inclined to suspect that the earlier visit to the quick lube place was the root cause. Dealerships have their faults, but they generally hire certified techs, and they don;t generally add the wrong fluid to a brake system. Quickie lube places mix up fluids often, based on the posts we get here.
I’m in agreement with mountainbike and will only add that of the dealers I’ve worked for, all oil changes were done by regular mechanics. None of them used a designated or inexperienced lube guy although I am aware that some dealers do just that.
This dealership does. After 5pm express oil change. They even told me they are usually tech school trainees.
I also asked about the analysis and was told that the place doesn’t do brake fluid…
Ok, I’ll chime in again, not about the OP’s problem, but about my philosophy on topping off brake fluid. I think doing this as part of a routine fluid check is not advisable. The brake fluid shouldn’t go down except due to the pad wear. And the brake fluid container is usually calibrated to have its “full” mark and “low” mark coincide with new pads and worn out pads. When the fluid reaches the “low” mark, it is time to replace the pads usually. i.e. the fluid level gives some guidance on pad life remaining.
If you add fluid when the pads are half worn, first, you lose this pad life measurement, and it makes the process of replacing the pads a big mess, as you have to remove fluid otherwise it overfills the container when you put in new pads. And the process of removing fluid can contaminate the fluid if you are not careful too.
If the fluid level is between the marks, I say leave well enough alone. If it is at or below the “low” mark, check the pads first, before adding. If the pads are ok, and the level is “low”, you probably have a leak to deal with.
Happy to hear from the OP that the car will be repaired. Still not sure where the mistake was made and who made it, but the homeowner’s insurance policy to the rescue handling this as “vandalism”.
I kinda agree with George and have overflowed my own doing pads. Only thing is with ABS, if you open the bleed screw when you push back the caliper, the fluid goes into a jar not back up into the master cylinder.
Another benefit of using a half-full jar and clear tube and opening the bleed screw to push the piston back is that and drawback will draw fresh fluid back into the caliper from the jar.
I completely agree with George as well. One thing to add is that when I do replace the pads, I flush the brake system. New pads, new fluid.
On this car the dealer must prove that the damage really exists and it is not their fault. There are few fluids that might have been put in in a volume of import that would result in this kind of damage.
A reminder of what I said earlier. This is a warrenty issue disputed by the dealer. They are the last people you need to discuss this with now. Talk to the manufacturer. It’s now up to you to convince the manufacturer to pay the dealer for repair. You will get better results talking to them NOT the dealer.