Fredl

Dealer says the brakes lines on my 1996 Lexus sc400 have rusted and are leaking. This car only has 62K and is not driven in the winter and kept in a heated garage. There is no evidence of leakage on the garage floor. I think he is trying to sell me something I may not need.

Thanks for any help regarding the above.

- V -

iTrader: (1)

I dont know if the car has SS brake lines from factory, Im sure one of our members will chime in on that front but in regards to a dealer. I never trust them with anything since the very first time i took my car there and they told me my water pump was failing and wanted to do $1200 worth of repairs on it. This was on my 95 SC300, the water pump did eventually fail on it 3 YEARS LATER. So no i wouldnt trust anything a dealer tells you. Take the car to a reputable private shop, start with small repair items and build a relationship with the shop and its staff. Once they know you, take care of the rest of the issues with your car. This is the least likely way you'll get roped into doing work that you dont really need. On a side note, try to find a shop that will check the car for free. I've found that shops that do that generally provide better service than others.

Alternatively, learn everything about your car and diagnose all the issues yourself, then have a mechanic replace the parts you tell him to lol

Zerodrag

iTrader: (5)

Brakes are not something you want to end up being without while driving. I'd suggest either checking the lines again yourself, or bring them to a shop for a second opinion. Check your fluid reservoir to see if it is low (which may be a sign you are losing fluid somewhere).

mrmj2u

iTrader: (2)

The stealer is probably talking about the hard lines (from the master cylinder to the wheel well) that feed the soft brake lines (from hard lines to brake calipers).

I would follow the suggestions mentioned above and take it to an independent mechanic.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

The driving isn't the problem, it's the stopping.

1997Soarer

iTrader: (1)

Brake lines from the factory are not stainless steel. When you see people talking about "stainless steel" brake lines they are talking about replacing the stock high pressure rubber brake lines with stainless steel braided lines. These are the lines that go from the calipers to the fittings in the wheelwells. All the "hard lines" on the SCs are just steel. Those run from every wheel well to the master cylinder and ABS system.

Definitely take your car to another mechanic and have them check the brake lines. Because if you do have a small leak somewhere, it could be a crack or a bad fitting.