kenkillsr Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Tech's I recently received a card from the place where I usually get my Chevy Cavlier serviced offering reduced price oil change, tire rotation and balance, etc. On the card was this statement: "According to the Car Care Council, brake systems should be flushed and brake fluid replaced every two [2] years. Brake fluid absorbs moisture in the system and becomes acidic after two [2] years or thirty [30,000] miles." *Source: <www.carcare.org> In fifty [50] years of driving, two [2] years of high school [1950's] auto shop class, and five [5] years in the auto service trades, [1960's], I'd never read this in any literature. This is the first [1st] time I've ever heard anything about changing brake fluid other than during a normal system rebuild, [shoes, pads, drums, rotors, wheel cylinders, etc.]. Is there any validity to this idea and what does Ford have to say on this subject. I don't recall reading about this in the Ford liturature provided with my E350SD SMB RB15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron W. Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 Since no one else has responded. I had it done for piece of mind, the brake fluid flush costs alot less than an A.B.S. module. http://www.babcox.com/editorial/bf/bf50412.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowgray03 Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Here is my take on it for what its worth. Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time, which can expidite corrossion, lower boiling point and reduce breaking power. A quart of synthetic dot3/4 fluid is about $7 and it takes about 30 minutes for me to flush my system myself. I dont know if I would do it every 2 years but I did just flush my truck fluid at 60k miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious1Auto Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Here is my take on it for what its worth. Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time, which can expidite corrossion, lower boiling point and reduce breaking power. A quart of synthetic dot3/4 fluid is about $7 and it takes about 30 minutes for me to flush my system myself. I dont know if I would do it every 2 years but I did just flush my truck fluid at 60k miles. The fluid side of the brake system has always been a non service system, unless there was a mechanical problem you shouldn't even have to add fluid. I take no stock in the advisory and would assume it is an attempt to sell services! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowgray03 Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 The fluid side of the brake system has always been a non service system, unless there was a mechanical problem you shouldn't even have to add fluid. I take no stock in the advisory and would assume it is an attempt to sell services! I certainly wouldnt go out of my way to do it every 2 years but I run much larger tires on my truck than stock so the $7 it costs me to flush the fluid is worth a little peice of mind and certainly flushing the system doesnt hurt anything (if done properly of course) and can likely add longevity to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron W. Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 The fluid side of the brake system has always been a non service system, unless there was a mechanical problem you shouldn't even have to add fluid. I take no stock in the advisory and would assume it is an attempt to sell services! For a person that doesn't even know how much oil his own vehicle takes you sure pretend to know what you're talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 For a person that doesn't even know how much oil his own vehicle takes you sure pretend to know what you're talking about. On this one he's right though. There really shouldn't ever be any need to flush your brake fluid unless you are constantly tearing the crap out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron W. Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 On this one he's right though. There really shouldn't ever be any need to flush your brake fluid unless you are constantly tearing the crap out of them. Well then maybe we should just agree to disagree as I'm a firm believer in preventative maintenance, and in my mind clean fluids and filters are the first line of defense. I own a 10 year old F150 with 144k miles and have had no problems. Did you read the text in the link provided? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Well then maybe we should just agree to disagree as I'm a firm believer in preventative maintenance, and in my mind clean fluids and filters are the first line of defense. I own a 10 year old F150 with 144k miles and have had no problems.Did you read the text in the link provided? I browsed through it. I've never seen a brake system in that bad a shape unless there was some sort of leak or something that allowed a crapload of water to get into the system though. I finally changed the fluid on my Cobra around 95,000 miles when I went from DOT3 to DOT4 during a brake upgrade and the original fluid still looked as good as the day it was put in there. No water, no particulates, no contamination of any type that I could see. :shrug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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