2002 Merc Mountaineer, 135K miles:
I’ve been taking my car to the local town tire shop for years for my regularly scheduled maintenace. Just the usual oil changes, tire rotations, etc. If they saw some minor adjustments needed, they would just take care of it.
About 2 years ago, when the economy tanked, they started hitting you with “The Form” - a checklist of all the recommendations needed for your car. For the past 3 oil changes, they said your brake fluid is black and needs to be flushed. Never heard of this so I always declined. Last week I dropped the car off for an oil change and planned to pick it up later that afternoon. I got the call about 2 hours later, and you know when you get a call before you expect, they always have found something wrong. This time it was “the brake fluid is really, really black” and needs to be flushed.
I caved in and said OK do it and it was one of those XX.99 prices. Is this a needed maintenance or did I get flushed?
You should change your brake fluid every 30k-50k miles, or when you have a brake job, so if it hasn’t been done, it was good to do.
I flush my brake fluid every 2-3 years regardless of mileage. Yours was overdue. It’s easy to do so don’t pay too much for the service though.
Never before have I seen the country gripped by such “they are out to get me fears”. Just this morning there was the deal with the Presidents birth certificate, and the Apple phone that tracks you, and this type of constant “rip off” fears about auto servicing. I can accept that people do get real nervous when the economy stays bad for so long but this level of fear is unusual to my eyes.Remember to secure your wireless router.It does seem that someone(s) is(are) playing the fear card every day now.
Yes it is OK to change your brake fluid occasionaly
You should replace, flush, and bleed your brake fluid every 2 years.
Its written right in your owners manual.
Doing this will increase the lifespan of your brake components, which as you know, are really, really, REALLY important to making sure that you and everyone else on the road along with you is able to get where you are going safely.
BC.
The system should be fludhed with fresh fluid every now and then. I like every 5 years, others suggest shorter timespans. Yours was clearly due.
Your perception of “the form” is correct. And it has been a major contributing factor to the fears/beliefs suggested by Oldschool.
By the way, brake fluid doesn’t usually get black like that unless it’s overheated. Did the shop mention anything about this?
Brake fluid should be changed at least every 3 years.
Every two years is a good idea if you have anti-lock brakes.
They really are out to get you.
Like the dealership service writer who advised me to get my manual trans “power flushed”.
Even though I had drained & refilled 2000 miles earlier.
Any car with ABS brakes and other features such as traction control and stablility control should have brake fluid changed periodically. Honda recommends every 3 years regardless of miles, and other mfg’s are similar.
Brake fluid “flushing” isn’t the rip off that transmission flushing is, and a brake flush doesn’t cause problems unlike a poorly done transmission flush. You probably should have done it earlier, so sometimes it is good to cave in.
Good point. Like the old saying says, “it isn’t paranoia if they’re really out to get you?”
I don’t get the flush brake fluid thing. I know you have to change the radiator fluid, the oil and filter, the transmission fluid, add the windshield wiper fluid and, in rear wheel drive cars, occasionally after say, 250,000 miles change the rear differential fluid. Brake fluid? Someone got a business out there?
Replace the lost brake fluid to the full level when you replace the pads and have to bleed the brakes. Use the correct fluid according to the users manual. My car is 24 years old. The brake fluid is original except for what was added during brake repair. No problems.
My Toyota Corolla, 2007 year, doesn’t have a brake-fluid change interval actually. I’m pretty sure I will change it before 100K though.
irlandes April 27
You included something that probably did not belong on the list,…Well spoken
Yes you do need to flush the fluid.
Nobody has stated why so here is the reason.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic meaning it absorbs moisture. Water in the fluid will rust the metal brake line which causes brake failure, ie, no brakes!
Brake fluid is like Oil. It gets worn out and the reason it turns black is the metal particles from the brake cylinder and abs system. Your tire shop should have those test strips that they dip in the brake fluid and change color. Those strips really do work.
I would get it flushed, total removal and replace. I had mine done one year cause I seemed to be having rear brake problems, they did not seem to be working. When the tech broke the rear bleeder and tried to suck the line clean it would do nothing, the line was clogged and it took another mech to sit inside and press on the brakes, and he really had to press when it did brake loose his foot hit the floor and a stream of black fluid poured out.
Yes, Brake fluid needs to be flushed. Seals deteriorate and cause the fluid to turn black in color.Moisture also contaminates brake fluid.
There is alot of maintenance than needs to be performed on vehicles, unfortunately most people wait until the vehicle breaks down.
meaneyedcatz, thank you for the explanation. It makes sense and I guess I will go and have my brake fluid purged after all.
I encourage everyone who regularly reads or writes in this section to simply ignore political trolls and focus on car repair and maintenance.
Brake fluid will absorb water. The water can damage brake parts, but, more important, it can get hot, turn to steam and your brakes can fail.
Now if they want to flush every fluid in your car including the windshield fluid, then find a new mechanic.
If you have questions, please come back.Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t today’s brake systems pretty much sealed against air-laden moisture getting in? In fact, you don’t even need to open the master cylinder to check fluid level with the use of clear reservoirs.
In earlier years, I recall master cylinders that were made of cast iron, and had filler caps that actually had a breather hole in them. The only way to check fluid level was to un-screw the cap and look inside, thus permitting air-laden moisture to enter. These earlier days were ripe for moisture contamination brake fluid and the resulting rust in steel the brake lines.
If I’m correct in the relative absence of exposure to moisture, where would the moisture be coming from, unless a person continually opens the reservoir for some reason?
In earlier years, I recall master cylinders that were made of cast iron, and had filler caps that actually had a breather hole in them.
Francizek, every car I have ever worked on has had a sealed braking system, even those old cast iron masters with the stamped steel covers and spring clips. Maybe before the 1950s they had open systems but how far back should we go?
Inside the cover was a rubber bellows that would be sucked down into the reservior as the pads/shoes wore down and the fluid level dropped. The purpose of the hole in the top of the cover was to allow air in to the back side of the bellows to allow it to expand into the master well(s). Upon servicing, you reseated the bellows and topped off the fluid.
Sometimes, the covers warped, the rubber bellows degraded or the master rusted and didn’t seal so good anymore. Then moisture could get in. Otherwise, it’s a fairly tight seal against external moisture.