I noticed the owners manual mentions nothing about brake fluid replacement or when it should be changed.Am I supposed to assume it never has to be changed? Strange there is no mention of it.

 

The haynes repair manual says every 2 years or 30,000 miles...but thats overkill if you ask me...I still have original fluid at 70,000 and 6 years

The next brake job may involve some bleeding though

 

I flush the fluid every 24 months, it's hygroscopic and in the usual Southern humidity it just sucks up moisture.

It's cheap insurance in my mind against corroded components and braking performance issues caused by moisture in the lines.

 

Yup, I know some that do a full brake system flush every year, but I'm fine with 2 or 3.

 

At our shop, we have dip strips. Anything over 200 parts per million of copper. It's time. We check every car that comes in. On average, it lasts about 2 years.

 

As mentioned brake fluid is cheap insurance, so every 2,3 or 4 years is fine, As mentioned Brake fluid absorbs moisture which hurts the fluid , moisture lowers the boiling point of the fluid I believe reducing the efficiency of your brakes. You will be surprised on how nasty the fluid is after 2/3 years.. I do my motorcycles every 3 years and you do notice the slightly better braking,, Brake fluid is around 3/4$ a can JUST be sure to get the right DOT weight

 

Interesting....I thought the brake fluid was checked for moisture. At least, that's what my dealer's test strips indicate. Where does the copper come from?

 

"The Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association (AMRA) has
issued a Uniform Maintenance Service Recommendation for
changing brake fluid when its copper content reaches 200 ppm.
This recommendation was issued by the AMRA in April 2004, and
is based on extensive testing determining copper content to be a
predictor of brake system corrosion. As the corrosion inhibitors in
brake fluid deplete over time, copper components in the brake
system are among the first to corrode, with copper levels rising in
the brake fluid as a result. Copper corrosion is closely followed by
corrosion of iron based components, indicated when copper levels
in the 150-200 ppm are reached. To provide maximum brake
component life, corrosion in the brake system must be minimized
by periodic brake fluid changes. Such fluid changes maintain
proper levels of corrosion inhibitors in the fluid and also minimize
water content."

Fluid is cheap, the components that fail, are not.

This is one on the ASE test questions, that most people will get wrong. Saying that test strips test for moisture.

 

That is really interesting, THANK YOU. But that leads to another question......

Since I have not witnessed copper brake components (in the limited amount of brake work I do), what components are copper?

Oh, just thought of....brass is a composition of, are they not?

 

Brass is a copper/zinc alloy