wickedik

I took my 2006 IS350 to the dealership for a oil and they offered their courtesy check of the fluids and brakes. The service advisor just called me saying that my brake fluid was corroded and suggested a flush of the system which would cost $119.00. has anyone every heard of this? I've never heard of brake fluid corroding. The car has 90k miles.

MikeFig82

iTrader: (13)

Open your hood, and check the brake fluid resovoir. See if it's a black color. It should be a golden yellow color. I normally change mine out every 2-3 years.

wickedik

I just had them do it, according to the lexus driver service history, the previous owner had it last changed at 60k miles in 2010 so i figured it would be time to do it. since I'm having the Toyota dealership do the work, will it still show up on my service history on the lexus drivers site?

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Yeah, it has been 7+yrs since the last flush; good move! The discoloration you see is actually the corroding of the lines and seals within the system, not the fluid itself. Also, over time, the pressurized system captures moisture; something no one will want in a braking system.

This reminds me, it's been a few years for me as well; though my fluid color isn't brown/black yet, it is a darker honey color. Time for a flush!

Kanadaguy

Yes the brake fluid actually absorbs water over time and this can rust out the bleeder nut or other metal parts. Your breaks get quite hot and the boiling point for brake fluid is much higher then water so what can happen if the brake fluid has too much water is it can evaporate and cause air pockets. This can make it difficult to brake or you simply cant brake. Having water or corrtion in it can be dangerous and for that reason but it can also gum up your pistons and cause them to sieze or gum up the bleeder which is a pain in the ***.

Further one person mentioned your fluid should be yellow in color this is incorrect new brake fluid is clear in color and if yours is yellow or black it should be changed. I flush mine evey couple of years due to how important the breaks are and how cheap it is to buy the stuff. It is easy to do and takes half a hour most if your doing it by yourself.

One last thing if you don't know what your talking about DONT claim too and give advise. Someone might take that incorrect advise as fact and use it and these are cars people. Your just adding to the already tons of misinformation on the interwebZ and your scum if you do....

Please do your due diligence when you see something online and don't take things for fact because there are many simple people who like to pretend they know what they are talking about....

​Hope I helped.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

LOL....
Aluminum corrodes. Steel oxidizes. Moisture in the fluid also has a small amount of oxygen which is the catalyst allowing the components to degrade.

Another factor is these elements when combined (worst case) they become acidic and pit the aluminum bore of the MC and calipers. As this progresses, the rubber pistons wear and being black they contribute to the fluids discoloration.

It's cheap insurance to replace the fluid every couple years to preserve the life of the system. And for those thinking Dot4 is some kind of upgrade, not so much... Yes the fluid has a higher boiling point. However MOST of us do not brake in manor so as to boil the fluid in the calipers. So this Dot 4 fluid is a waste; why it attracts moisture at nearly twice the rate of Dot 3 fluid. So now you should be changing it annually. That said the newer synthetic fluids are less absorbent then the older glycol fluids.

Tips:
Best practice is pressure bleeding by means of a helper pressing the pedal and opening the bleeders as this compresses the fluid and trapped air. While the air is under pressure, the small gas pockets condense into larger ones having greater volume that rise to the top and exit the bleed port. Vacuum bleeding is NOT as effective. Period!

Hint: while the system is under pressure, tap upwards on the caliper with a soft mallet or hardwood. This knocks bubbles free to rise up and exit when the port it opened.
DO NOT strike the caliper in the direction the piston moves. Top or bottom taps only!!!!

MikeFig82

iTrader: (13)

Try the gravity bleed, but actually have someone pump the brake. You can see how much air is trapped in the system. A few weeks back I did this method. You can instantly see the clear fluid come in as you pump the old fluid out.

Superman60

Do not use Dot 5.