Brake Fluid Change

[TurboDieselOne]

Need some help with this: Just went to one of the Hal??? Auto stores for a brake fluid change and after looking at the fluid reservoir. It doesn't even look like its' been even undone.
1 Could they change the fluid without opening this - I doubt it.
2 They told me I didn't need to remove the wheels yet gave me an adversary telling me how much pas was left on rear - Without even removing wheels.
3 How would I go about proving this.

I know once I make an accusation I will need to back it up?

Thanks in advance.

[insanitybeard]

It is possible to access the bleed nipples on the brake calipers of the Mk2 Galaxy and therefore bleed/ change the brake fluid without removing the wheels- this can be done and I have done it. However, the brake fluid reservoir is in a very awkward place and realistically I cannot see how you could access it without removing at least the airbox (and to improve access also the upper part of the air duct from the airbox down to the turbo). Even with this removed the access to the reservoir still isn't fantastic. As for replacing the fluid without opening the reservoir, no, it can't be done. There are syringe type extractors that allow engine oil for example to be suctioned up and replaced without removing the sump plug (not that I'd choose this method normally as it doesn't remove sludge etc that may have built up in the sump) but this method would not work for changing/ bleeding brake fluid unless somebody can tell me otherwise!

Regarding pad wear, it is possible to roughly gauge pad wear by looking through the spokes/ slots of the wheels (easier with alloy wheels as they usually have larger slots/ cutouts than steel wheels), this is what would happen at MOT time as the tester would not remove wheels to check brake condition.

[johnnyroper]

I have used an oil auction pump to drain as much fluid out of resavoir as possible so I wasn't pumping loads of old fluid through the lines. Filled with fresh  fluid then bleed them through.

As for the resavoir it's a pain to get at I managed to access with just air box out but had to use a clean funnel with clean section of hose on to gradually top it up. As above even with bulkhead extension off it's awkward to get at.

[insanitybeard]

Yes, it makes sense to suction as much old fluid as possible out of the reservoir and fill with fresh to reduce the amount of needless bleeding necessary, but that doesn't remove the need to actually bleed the fluid through. As you say it's also not easy to actually fill the reservoir with fresh fluid without using a funnel and hose although I also found that my mityvac fluid reservoir was just about small enough to do the job!

[Mirez]

As above there is no way to add fluid without undoing the reservoir cap. Whilst it sounds like you have uncovered a fraud the only real way to tell will be to either dip the reservoir or bleed them yourself to ispect the colour of the fluid.

When was it last done before?

[Jim Redmond]

I would examine all 4 nipples, see has the dust and dirt around them been disturbed, and also check for fresh spanner marks on each nipple. If the nipples have not been disturbed, then the brakes have not been freshly bled

[Caitlin]

and also check for fresh spanner marks on each nipple.

OUCH! 

[johnnyroper]

OUCH! 

Lol......

[joka]

it is possible to fill the reservoir through the bleed nipple on the clutchââ,¬Â¦

[insanitybeard]

Yes I suppose you could and that's quite innovative I'll give you that, but how do you ensure the level in the reservoir is correct? Without removing the airbox you can barely see the reservoir let alone the fluid level, and if my reservoir is anything to go by, it's very difficult to see through the plastic- which is nearly opaque- to check the fluid level in the first place, especially if the fluid hasn't been changed for ages and there's been dirt deposited on the internals of the reservoir by the fluid itself, which was the state I found mine in. Yes I suppose you could carefully measure how much fluid you were putting in and only bleed through the same amount of fluid you had put in but that assumes that the level was correct in the first place!

[Mirez]

I disagree, if you pump out some of the old fluid from the reservoir it will create a vacuum behind it without removing the cap. IF you could then connect up a fill pipe without any air entering, the vacuum would suck in the same amount expelled.

I don't know of any system that would do this though and it still wouldnt evacuate all the old stuff. Plus the chance of contamination is high as-is the chance of flipping seals in the master cylinder. I highly doubt any company would do it this way but interesting thought!

[insanitybeard]

I may be wrong here but I thought that the brake fluid system isn't completely sealed at the reservoir end- by nature of the way it operates it has to be able to 'breathe' as the fluid level will naturally drop as the brake friction surfaces wear and the caliper pistons move out to compensate, otherwise you would end up with a vacuum forming in the reservoir as the bakes wear?

[daddyfixit]

1. you can see rear pads without taking wheels off

2. see if all 4 bleed nipples have been opened, spanner marks and wetness on nipple/caliper threads  that happens when you are bleeding brakes

3. sad but true, some places will siphon out master cylinder and refill with clean fluid......

4.  ask them to crack open all 4 bleed nipples while you are standing watching them to see that new fluid does come out as soon as they press the brake pedal.......Halfords would rather prove you wrong than have you go to trading standards waving the fraud flag !!!

[Ben g mon]

Sorry to hijack.....

This is on my to do list after poor motorway braking efficiency (in my opinion)

I'm thinking doing via an ezzibleed system and spare wheel combo

Can it be done with 16" wheels on a mark 2?

Should I expect any problems with the abs system?

Prefer to try myself as it's a job which canbe a easy earner to a unrepeatable garage if it's suck out the brake fluid bottle

[johnnyroper]

Can be done yourself,never used an easybleed myself I drained the res and refilled then bless through manually,no abs issues encountered

[Mirez]

Likewise. Whilst not heard of it happening on a Galaxy, there are countless stories of people flipping seals in the system when using those kits.

[Ben g mon]

Cool, thanks for that.
feel inspired to attempt, haven't bled or changed brake fluid on a abs system for near on a decade!

[Ben g mon]

Mirez ; should be ok, it's a system that only runs at 20psi have heard of flipping seals in the master, never happened as far as I remember.

Cross me fingers and see what happens......

[Mirez]

Well let us know how you get on then I like the idea, just wouldn't want to risk it so if all goes well then I may habe to try myself!

[insanitybeard]

Each to their own and as always there's more than one method to get the job done but my preferred method is to use a mityvac to draw the fluid through by vacuum, apart from the faff of having to keep topping the reservoir up it's not too bad to do and you don't require an assistant!

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