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I got one of the first 2013s (last 4 of my VIN are 0750) and May 31, 2015 will mark 3 years since delivery. I have 26,300 miles and just did the B123 service. I noticed the manual says that "Independent of the maintenance minder information, replace the brake fluid every 3 years." Not a big deal - I have a pressure bleeder and a Mighty-Vac and will do it myself. Just wondering if other early purchasers have done this and what was their experience.
My dealer tried to pull a fast one on me, but they failed. Have a free brake flush coming at 47,8xx miles and 20 months on the road. They sent a letter saying that they recommended a flush at our last service at 42,000, which they didn't. I asked them why they didn't change it, as our maintenance package covers all recommended maintenance for 48,000 miles. They tried to say that only servicing the reservoir was included in the maintenance plan. I then said that seeing as Acura only calls for a flush every 3 years, regardless of mileage, then there must be something wrong, and it's covered under our bumper to bumper warranty.
They were trying to recommend an unneeded service and get me to pay for it, but oops, they tried it on someone who knows about cars. They painted themselves into a corner and now have to eat the cost of the flush.
Good question. I've been sucking the fluid out of the reservoir and replacing it every other oil change (once a year) for many many years. Would this be sufficient? I'm also still on the original pads on my 09 at 70k mile with about 3mm left in the rear. I figured if I ever did a brake job, I'd do a full line flush then.
Good question. I've been sucking the fluid out of the reservoir and replacing it every other oil change (once a year) for many many years. Would this be sufficient? I'm also still on the original pads on my 09 at 70k mile with about 3mm left in the rear. I figured if I ever did a brake job, I'd do a full line flush then.
this is what i do on all cars. unless i change caliper or SS brake line, i dont. had 0 issues on all previous cars i've owned
I don't recommend sucking the brake fluid out of the reservoir and putting new fluid in for brake fluid. This is not effective for keeping the properties of the fluid effective for managing heat. This biggest issue with break fluid is water, not dirty fluid. Break Fluid continuously pulls moisture out of the air into the fluid and degrades it's ability to handle heat that is generated when applying the brakes. The more water it has in it, the less effective the fluid is at managing heat. In a worst case scenario you could actually have brake failure, though that unlikely. The best thing to do is back out all of the old fluid. Use only new unopened containers of brake fluid to replace the old stuff. As soon as you open a container of brake fluid it starts pulling moisture into it. So, it's a bad idea to use any container that has been open for any period of time.
Good question. I've been sucking the fluid out of the reservoir and replacing it every other oil change (once a year) for many many years. Would this be sufficient? I'm also still on the original pads on my 09 at 70k mile with about 3mm left in the rear. I figured if I ever did a brake job, I'd do a full line flush then.
this isn't a good method, as a good portion of fluid stays within the brake lines and never changes. The fluid in the actual lines is likely well worn. If you don't drive your vehicle hard, it likely isn't an issue though. If it gets really old, the lines start to rust from the inside. That's not a good thing.
It's actually really easy to bleed brakes. I used to be afraid to touch them, but it's not something you can really screw up. It's easier with two people, but you can definitely do it yourself without issue.
All you need is a plastic coke bottle, a hole through the cap and a rubber hose going through the hole (has to be a tight fit). Just need to make sure the hose fits over the bleeder nipple on you brake calipers. I think it's 1/4", but don't quote me on that. I just get some flexible hose from Home Depot. 2-3 feet of it is more than plenty.
Anyway, put some fluid into the bottle- fill it about 3-4 inches. Make sure the hose is all the way to the bottom. Slap the other end of the hose onto the caliber nipple, unscrew it, make sure the brake reservoir is full, and pump the pedal. Repeat adding fluid to reservoir and pumping the pedal, until the fluid coming out is clean.
The only thing to remember is doing the brakes in the right order. I don't know what it is off the top of my head, but you can easily find it here on AZ.
this isn't a good method, as a good portion of fluid stays within the brake lines and never changes. The fluid in the actual lines is likely well worn. If you don't drive your vehicle hard, it likely isn't an issue though. If it gets really old, the lines start to rust from the inside. That's not a good thing.
It's actually really easy to bleed brakes. I used to be afraid to touch them, but it's not something you can really screw up. It's easier with two people, but you can definitely do it yourself without issue.
All you need is a plastic coke bottle, a hole through the cap and a rubber hose going through the hole (has to be a tight fit). Just need to make sure the hose fits over the bleeder nipple on you brake calipers. I think it's 1/4", but don't quote me on that. I just get some flexible hose from Home Depot. 2-3 feet of it is more than plenty.
Anyway, put some fluid into the bottle- fill it about 3-4 inches. Make sure the hose is all the way to the bottom. Slap the other end of the hose onto the caliber nipple, unscrew it, make sure the brake reservoir is full, and pump the pedal. Repeat adding fluid to reservoir and pumping the pedal, until the fluid coming out is clean.
The only thing to remember is doing the brakes in the right order. I don't know what it is off the top of my head, but you can easily find it here on AZ.
One thing I can add to this thread is, you should start with the wheel furthest away from the master cylinder. Probably passenger side rear but don't quote me.
I bleed every three years. Easy to do. One added tip to those already suggested. The hardest part can be to loosen the bleeder screws. I use a six sided socket on a breaker bar to loosen the bleeder screw then gently tighten it back up before brake fluid can come out. Then I attach my suction tube and can use a box wrench to open up the bleeder without having to work about rounding it. lots of Honda videos on you-tube on how to do this. Lots of people prefer pressure bleeding over using a vacuum line. In the past you needed a special adapter for your pressure bleeder, so I have always used the vacuum method. Best of luck.
1) I want my calipers to last. My Honda CR-V that I had for 14 years is now in the hands of a friend which will make it 20 years old this October. It still has the original calipers and it goes through hell in our winters.
2) Doing so, my brake bleeders never seize.
When doing a brake job, I pump the piston out just over half way, lift the dust boot, use plenty of alcohol moistened cotton swabs, clean out the crap in the cavity around the piston and reapply silicone grease.
20 years later, they are still as new.
Put the car up on jack stands and remove all 4 wheels.
Starting at the drivers side front wheel, crack open the bleeder and put a plastic hose on bleeder and put the other end in a jar.
Pump the brake until the fluid turns clear while adding brake fluid to the reservoir to prevent it from running out of fluid. (If you do run it dry, no big deal, just refill and keep pumping the brake until there are no bubbles left on the bleeder hose.) The drivers side wheel will take 1 bottles of brake fluid since you need to empty the the reservoir. Now, repeat the procedure for the passenger side front than the passenger side rear and finally the drivers side rear. Total brake fluid is about 3 bottles of the honda brake fluid.
I rarely need to bleed the air out of a hydraulic system simply because air never makes if into the system to start with when flushing the brakes or clutch.
I'll drain the reservoir to the point where the hydraulic fluid is down to the inlets of the master cylinder. Then I'll remove the reservoir, clean it thoroughly and re-install it and add fresh hydraulic fluid.
The Motive Products Power Bleeder then forces the fresh fluid to each caliper or wheel cylinder without the risk of damaging the master cylinder seals during bleeding. I modified my unit to use it "dry".
Just did my 2016. Used my old mityvac (nobody around to pump the pedal). Had the rear jacked up high for access. Noticed lower flow versus the front....
Finished, clear fluid from all four calipers. Went to drive it, pedal went all the way to the floor, zero resistance! Figured that with the rear up in the air, it allowed air to enter the rear bleeders, despite keeping a vacuum on them at all times.
Dropped it down and waited for my wife to help. Bled rears with the pedal, perfect after a couple of strokes. Ordering the master cylinder adapter for my Motive bleeder, which worked great on my previous German car. They're all gone since they're so incredibly unreliable (Audi, VW).
One thing I can add to this thread is, you should start with the wheel furthest away from the master cylinder. Probably passenger side rear but don't quote me.
This is not correct, here is the bleeding sequence from alldata for the RDX.
I just flushed the brake system in my 2017 RDX. So that would make it just over 3 years old. Usually I wait till the 4th year.
The original brake fluid in the jug is not the worst I have seen, but what the heck so I flushed the system.
I drained the brake fluid reservoir, removed it and then thoroughly washed it. Then used some alcohol to remove the water and then air dried it using a hair dryer.
I used my Motive Products Power Bleeder initially and due to the fact I didn't want to use more than 7 psi (the norm is about 15 psi), I ended up with some air in the right rear circuit. So I did it manually the second time around which is how I noticed the air in the right rear circuit. The brakes are rock solid now.
A few tips since I didn't remove the wheels for better access to the bleeder screws.
The hose can come off the bleeder since you only have about 2 inches of space to the wheel rim. So I used a 1/4" spring clamp to hold the bleeder hose to the bleeder screw since the bleeder hose comes off too easily especially once it has been soaked with brake fluid.
05-06-2015, 05:47 PM
