Changing The Brake Fluid

[SirDavidAlhambra]

Hello, friends.

How often should I change the brake fluid on my 2006 1.9 auto Alhamb, please?

I have searched the web high and low and cannot find an authoritative answer.

Thank you.

[brianh]

The recommendation seems to be every 2 years

[SirDavidAlhambra]

Thank you Brian, that is what I had heard too. It seems awfully frequentââ,¬Â¦ I think most people never ever change their brake fluid?? Indeed, I havenââ,¬â,,¢t done mine for at least 4 years and I am obsessive about things like that. I wonder how much the garage would charge to do a brake fluid change, I get a bit scared trying to do things like that on my own

[johnnyroper]

2 years as the fluid is hygroscopic so absorbs moisture which lowers the boiling point of the fluid and can also cause corrosion of the components.

[Daveandsharan]

My vw independent charge Ã,£54 inclusive of vat. I have changed mine every four years although as mentioned already, two years is recommended.
Dave

[Mirez]

It's not that tricky a job to tackle yourself although you do need an assistant (Unless you have a one-man tool) and some contortionist skills to get to the reservoir on these, but tbh if that's all a garage is charging I would let them do it all day long for that!

[Orbis]

I also do it every two years. I have a brake fluid tester and after two years it tells me that there is nearly too much moisture in the brake fluid so it's really time to change. Also don't forget bleeding the clutch sysytem for the manual gearboxes.

[SirDavidAlhambra]

Hello everyone.

Thank you so much for all your kind and helpful replies, I really appreciate it so much.

So, I've booked the brake fluid change at that garage I use and they said it will cost Ã,£35 inclusive of VAT.

I think that's reasonable enough and they assured me they would bleed it through properly and would put the correct amount in.

Phew!

I just had no idea brake fluid needed changing so often.

And such a critical safety feature of the motor car too!

I will feel a lot safer in the knowledge that the brake fluid has been changed.

Thank you all again.

[brianh]

At that price, its not worth the hassle doing it yourself either.

[SirDavidAlhambra]

Thank you again so, so much everyone.

I had the brake fluid changed in my Alhamb today and I'm so grateful to you all for recommending this.

I actually can't remember having ever changed it other than possibly when I got the sticking rear caliper done a few years ago, and I was mortified that I'd been so remiss.

The lads at the garage said it definitely needed doing.

I am very, very grateful to you all for bringing this to my attention and helping me and my family to stay safe on the road.

[cbv8]

Just about to replace my rear calipers on my 03 1.9 i will be using the vizibleed one man system and will try to replace all the fluid with new well the rear lines anyway i will do the fronts in a couple of weeks 

[mike wilson]

Allow me to put my skeptical head on.

In the good old days, unlike modern reservoirs that have caps that restrict air access and can be evaluated from outside, reservoirs were made from aluminium and, to inspect the fluid, you had to lift the cap.  Brake fluid (most of it, anyway) is hygroscopic so opening the container - and breathing over it - would indeed inject water into the fluid.  Some systems also had small air vents to allow for movement of the air as fluid moved down the pipes.  I think this is what has given us the historical measure of replacement. 

The rest of the system, though, is essentially airtight.  What little water that _could_ migrate past seals would be right at the brakes themselves and would be driven off, at least in part, during brake applications.  When you test the brake fluid it is done at the cap, which would be the very worst case scenario.  From my own experience, you can test from the surface, where the fluid is noticably discoloured, and get a fail.  Measure from the bottom of the reservoir and the anwswer is quite different.  Paradoxically, measuring will, in fact, reduce the life of the fluid by allowing air (and therefore moisture) in.

So I'm not convinced that you can have a definitive period when hydraulic fluid needs to be changed.  I'm also quite puzzled as to why silicone-based (non-hygroscopic) fluid has not taken off so well.