Flush your brake fluid!

[JRP3]

Buy a bottle of brake fluid and keep the receipt? Frankly if the system requires a higher level of care than is standard, but they can't explain why, I'm not sure they have a case to deny warranty service.

 

[Lloyd]

How would you document you changed your own fluid, so as not to void your warranty?

Write it down, date and initial it.

 

[strider]

Yeah, just keep detailed maintenance logs. I would keep receipts for specific parts.

 

[GSP]

Synthetic and DOT 3/4 brake fluid is not exclusive. You can have both - the benefits of synthetic DOT4 fluid is high resistance to overheating and resulting brake fade.

You are probably thinking of DOT5 brake fluid. DOT5 brake fluid is silicone based and does NOT absorb water. But don't go thinking that this solves the brake change interval problem.

Because DOT5 does not absorb fluid, instead what happens is that the water that gets in forms bubbles in the system, creating localized areas where high rates of corrosion can occur - or if this water is close to the brake calipers, very easily boiled fluid.

So if anything, regular flushes of DOT5 fluid is even more important than DOT4.

Thanks. I appriciate your, and Strider's, informative posts. I was equating silicone with synethic. Sounds like cost and corrosion kept DOT5 fluid to niche applications. I suspected the former, but not the latter. I see they are working on a DOT 5.1 now....

GSP

 

[strider]

Thanks. I appriciate your, and Strider's, informative posts. I was equating silicone with synethic. Sounds like cost and corrosion kept DOT5 fluid to niche applications. I suspected the former, but not the latter. I see they are working on a DOT 5.1 now....

GSP

Yep, and just to keep it interesting, DOT 5.1 is polyethylene-glycol based like DOT 3 and 4 and so is not related to DOT 5

 

[The_User]

$100k + cars and the dealer will flush the fluid for just over $100. No brainer, so I went and had it done. Nice piece of mind and well worth the time/money.