SVTour

Got the car inspected the other day - wife took it up to the Acura dealer to have it done. Sure enough, the maintenance light comes on while taking the car there.,,which was odd, as there's still some life left in the oil (going by mileage).

They inspect the car - and tell my wife that maintenance required is not for oil, but to have the brakes bled. And, thinking this is typical mumbo-jumbo they tell every woman that takes in their car for service, I told her to let them know I would do it. Oddly, was since I was planning to replace the clutch slave in my Audi - figured I'd just tie the two events together. First off on this process - much to my chagrin, my Schwaben pressure bleeder doesn't have an adaptor to fit the Acura - saddened, this just became a 2 person job, so pushed this from last weekend.. Eventually, I'll need to find a filler cap that fits the Acura's (see posts on part 1101 and 1011)



So - roll into today, decided to get this done, hooked up the old fashion hand vacuum pump to the calipers and worked from the furthest wheel in while my kid pumped the brakes.

This is the result...and keep in mind, this has clean fluid mixed in as well.



Odd that it would look this bad for 35K. My Audi was spitting clear with 70K on the ODO. Needless, set in some synth DOT 4 - just under 4 small pints did the trick.

My recommendation to you - don't just bypass this one. Can't do it yourself, have the stealership do it for you.

kboo74656

Just had the dealer to do mine. It came due with my A17 maintenance minder(oil/filter, tire rotation, brake fluid change). Cost $104 for the brake fluid and $20 for the tire rotation and oil change is free. Would have done everything myself except the oil change but getting ready for shoulder surgery on Monday.

JB in AZ

Hope all goes well, and you have a speedy recovery!

kboo74656

Thanks! Second operation on the side within 1 year.

hans471

Good luck with the shoulder...been down that route myself. Took me about a year to fully recover....
As for brake fluid.....miles is not the best way to know when the right time is. Trouble is there isn't an exact way to calculate it. Best method is to look at the fluid and see how dark it has become. You NEVER want it to be black! That black color is what use to be the seals in your brake system! When the fluid starts to darken from its nearly clear color when new, then its time to change it. The fluid in the OP's first post....I would definitely change that if it were in my car! But, I am a stickler for preventive maintenance. Its much cheaper to change the fluid than to start repairing the damage to the system if you don't. Heck, my normally non-mechanical wife can, off the top of her head, give you a step-by-step procedure for doing this, she has helped me so many times over the years.

Brake fluid life is a function of many variables and there isn't one hard fast rule for when to change it. Every three years is a rough guess but its not 100%. It all goes back to usage, weather, etc. But one thing is clear...if it turns brown/amber like the OP's photo...go ahead and change it to be safe.

Mark S Long Island

While I'm not a mechanic I've owned dozens of cars & I'm a firm believer, especially with anti- lock brakes, to purge brake fluid every 2 years. By the very nature of brake fluid moisture builds up & effects the system. I live in a humid climate & have always changed out the fluid in all my cars at 24 months.

thoiboi

2-3 years regardless of mileage since brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs water) over time.

hans471

Another thought on brake fluid...that many overlook, including "professional technicians": If you are putting disc brake pads on a car the normal procedure is to compress the calipers so the new pads will fit in. This simple act has cost consumers and manufactures millions of dollars in damages to vehicles. Why?
One of the common ways moisture gets into the fluid is seepage around the seals in the calipers and brake cylinders. Every time the brakes are applied the pistons move out and then are pushed back in when the brakes are released. Around this seal some air, and its moisture, will work its way into the system. For those who have worked on brakes back in the days when we still rebuilt parts you likely have seen that pitted out area (especially on the lower part) in the cylinders where the seals sat. Water made its way in, sat around the seal and caused this rust. Now, at the next brake job the tech compresses the cylinder to install the new shoes or pads. Where does this rust and water go? Right back up the brake line and into the ABS controller. When I was at Chrysler back in the mid 1990's we saw this so much. Customers would contact us wanting us to cover their $1,800 ABS unit that just failed. A bit of research soon told why, it was always shortly after having the brake pads replaced. It didn't take much research to figure out the root cause.
Moral of the story: If you are putting on brake pads or doing any work that requires the brake cylinder/caliper to be compressed: Open the brake bleeder and allow that old fluid to be pushed out of the system and NOT pushed back into the ABS controller. Also, if you are replacing pads, go ahead and flush out the old fluid while you are there. Push the fluid out of the calipers when you compress them. Then use your "turkey baster" to remove all the old fluid from the master cylinder reservoir. Fill the system with fresh fluid out of a sealed container. Use only the fluid recommended by the car maker. Flush this fluid through the system noting what comes out of the bleeders. Likely the first fluid will be darker. When it becomes clear then push a little more through then seal it back up. Keep an eye on the master reservoir while doing this so you don't run out of fluid and get air into the system.
If you keep clean, fresh fluid in the system it goes a long way in preventing most hydraulic problems during the life of the vehicle.

kboo74656

Thanks I did not know that!