Why was I 'fortunate'? I just looked up the manual and service guide for my old 1999 Mustang (18yr/250k vehicle). There is no mention of changing of brake fluid that I could find.
Why would you assume that not changing the brake fluid led to these failures you saw?
No assumption. It's a fact that they did. Ask any tech that flushes old dirty fluid out of a brake system that hasn't had regular flushes, and they will tell you that there was small pieces of rubber in the fluid from internal hose degradation, wheel cylinder seal lip degradation and caliper seal edge degradation.
Did the old dirty fluid cause the seals and hoses to degrade? Or did the degrading hoses/seals make the fluid dirty? Be careful with correlation/causation...
Look up the brake fluid maker’s specifications and recommendations, they all say 2 years except for the DOT5 silicone stuff which you can’t use on ABS systems.
You should do a little research on the subject, it's really quite illuminating. There are a lot of factors but the amount of water saturation and excessive heat due to the boiling point being lowered that does damage over time. An I only mentioned failure of basic components from not following proper service recommendations. There are very expensive ABS components that can fail as a result.
The new LV spec DOT4 even has a shelf life expiration, like groceries! I picked some up at a local Advanced Auto Parts the other day, and 2 of the 3 bottles on display had expired, so I took them up to the counter, and got the blank stare from the clueless kid. I'm sure, after I left, he put them right back on the shelf....? So, if you are buying LV DOT4, check the expiration on the bottle!
Just to be clear, I have definitely been convinced by this discussion and some research that the brake fluid should be checked/changed on a "time basis". And I would note that I'm now informed a "set time" to change it seems wrong too. Depending on if you are in Arizona or Georga I can certainly see that how much water could in the brake fluid in a given amount of time would be different. As, such it seems to me that it should be checked at about 1 year basis at least, or since most people will be "10,000 in a year" on that basis. And changed if need be.
Probably overkill, but I check it every time my nose is under the hood on a monthly basis. I keep a few spare fasteners for when one inevitably pops off and drops into the inaccessible cavern beneath. I just checked my 20 year old Volvo today - nice and clean. On our MMEs you need to keep an eye on the coolant levels as well and its right beside the brake reservoir so easy to do both at once.
They do, and they are able to work to it so they don’t go to work on drum brakes on a car with discs/rotors, and the brake fluid change is a additional service item found here…..
Just an FYI A 5 yr extended warranty doesn’t give you 8 years of warranty. It’s the original 3 + 2 more years for a total of 5.
Expiration date 5/10/2031. Thanks.
They might not replace it under warranty unless you also have a service plan separate from that warranty. When my 12v battery died during my extended warranty, they said the 12v was a consumable and therefore not covered by the extended warranty.
