Good morning. I took my sons 2001 Lexus ES300 to get a tie rod replaced and the mechanic always does a saftey check. When they did, they noticed "contamination" in the brake fluid resevoir.

So, they recommended replacing the whole brake system. My son and I had both driven the car recently and felt like something was going on with the master cylinder, so I agreed to replace just that...not the whole system.

The mechanic has tried this and is now saying he thinks the contaminate has cause all of hte rubber seals to swell and may need to replace the whole system, including the calipers on all 4 wheels.

Does this sound right? Any recommendations on what to look for to make sure the calipers need replacing?

Or could it be he is using the wrong master cylinder? Maybe there is a master cylinder specifically for Lexus that works better?

 

What are the symptoms that makes you think the master is bad? If so replace ONLY with a NEW Aisin, not rebuilt and no other brand of rebuild. I'd first flush the brake system until all the fluid is clean then proceed from there. What your mechanic is telling you sounds fishy.

If you get this mechanic to do the repairs ask for the old parts back, have that put in writing. If he will not do this go somewhere else.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

 

The brakes would be really touchy sometimes and then almost go to the floor other times.

I told the mechanic I was really concerned about replacing everything so he finally just bled the lines and replaced the master cylinder and everything is working well now.

Thanks for everyone’s input.

 

As the rule of thumb, if a caliper ain't seizing up, you ain't need to replace it. I've had issue with brake lines on a Chevy Tahoe back when I was living in MN and simply changing the brake hoses and throwing in a new master cylinder solved all the problems. Haven't had any trouble with my 2001 ES since I moved to California and bought the car there. Hopefully it helps.