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Brake Fluid Exchange – Is This Necessary?

When it comes to the brake system of cars, it is very important to make regular maintenance, and brake fluid exchange is one of the most important things that you need to consider. Here we will explain the different kinds of aspects of the brake fluid exchange for the brake system of your car.

Why brake fluid exchange is important?

Brake fluid exchange
Brake fluid exchnage reservoir. Image Source: Autolablibertville

There are different kinds of reasons for it. Brake fluid exchange is the thing that technicians change the brake fluid of the car. What is brake fluid? This can be the question on your mind. Brake fluid is a simple hydraulic fluid that transmits the hydraulic power from your brake pedal to the master cylinder. This master cylinder directs this brake fluid or hydraulic fluid to the brake calipers, and the brake calipers close to create friction between the brake pads and the brake rotor. This is the general working system of the brake systems of the car.

So, as you understand, brake fluid is a very important part of the brake systems. The brake fluid must be in very good condition for it to perform its necessary duty. Because of this, brake fluid exchange is very important. There are several other reasons that you need to consider about the brake fluid exchange.

Moisture accumulation in the brake fluid: Moisture is a very important problem that you need to consider, and if there is moisture in the brake fluid, the brake fluid cannot perform its necessary duty. So, in some certain situations, exchanging the brake fluid can get rid of the contamination and moisture accumulation in the brake fluid. Also, in some situations, the moisture inside the brake fluid is at a very high level, so you need to exchange all the brake fluid with new fluid.

Contamination: Over time, contamination of the brake fluid may take place because of the tiny particles that come from the friction between the brake pads and the brake rotor. It is very hard to mix these particles with the brake fluid in general, but over long periods, there is a very big chance of mixing of the brake fluid with contamination. If the brake fluid is contaminated, it cannot perform its duty properly. Changing the brake fluid will solve this problem.

So, as you see, brake fluid exchange is a very important thing that we need to consider for the maintenance of the brake system of your car or your vehicle.

How do you understand that you need a brake fluid exchange?

This is also a question that comes to the minds of people when thinking about brake fluid. In general, it is very hard to understand when brake fluid exchange is needed, and you don’t need to think about brake fluid exchange if you are bringing your car to regular maintenance schedules. The technicians or your service will know when they need to change the brake fluid of your car.

But in general, the brake fluid change is recommended between 50,000 to 60,000 miles. So, if you are driving around these ranges, you can understand that you need to change your brake fluid with a new system.
Also, another important thing to consider is if the brake pedal feels soft, bouncy, and spongy, you need to understand that you need to change the brake fluid of your system. But also, you need to be sure that there is no problem with the other systems of your brake system.

If you need to change the brake fluid, the ABS Dashboard Light will fully illuminate on your dashboard. If the ABS Dashboard Light is flickering on your dashboard, it’s also a very important and dangerous thing that you need to consider, and we do not recommend driving your car with that

Dashboard Light

You may also notice problems with the braking of your car. Once you brake, you can easily understand that the braking performance of your car is not the same as before, which means that you need to change the brake fluid of your car.

If the brake fluid is old enough, there can be strange noises that come from your brake system when you press on your brake pedal, and also you can notice unusual smells when you brake. These are the general things that you need to consider regarding the brake system of your car.

What happens if you do not do a brake fluid exchange?

It’s a very important maintenance schedule that you need to follow for your brake system. If you are on a new car and if you bring your car to regular maintenance, you do not need to think about it.

If you neglect the brake fluid exchange, you will face the general symptoms that we explained above, and most of them are generally very important safety issues that you can face with your car. We are not speaking about the regular systems of your car or any kind of entertainment system. The brake system is one of the most important, maybe the most important safety systems of your car that you need to take care of.

Can you make the brake fluid exchange on your own?

It is a very hard thing to do it yourself. You will need some kind of special tools such as a detailed wrench or socket set, a brake bleeding kit, clean clothes, or other kinds of special containers to contain the brake fluid. And also, you need to have a very good understanding of car mechanics because if you do something wrong, the brake system will not work properly, which is a very big safety issue. So, we recommend that you bring your car to a car mechanic if you need to change your brake fluid.

How much does it cost to change the brake fluid?

Brake fluid changing is not a hard thing for experienced mechanics, and it is not a common thing that you need to do every year or every 5,000 miles. So, you do not need to consider the prices. But the general brake fluid change will cost around $200 to $300, and it is a very important thing that you need to do. These prices can vary according to the place and the model and brand of your car.

Conclusion

As you understand, brake fluid exchange is a very important thing that you need to do. If you have additional comments and questions about this topic, you can leave them below.

Check the related topics about the brake systems of vehicles;

Can You Use Power Steering Fluid for Transmission Fluid?

Spring Brakes – What Are They? How Do They Work?

Where Do the Clips Go On Brake Pads?

Symbol for Brake Fluid – Be Aware About It!

Uğur Uygun

Hello everyone, I am Uğur. I am a mechanical engineer who has experience in different R&D departments of HVAC companies. With my best friend, I decided to build this website to share out knowledge and experience. And also, I am interested in automotive. So, I am writing about automotive and automotive-related articles here. Sharing my knowledge and experiences on these topics is a very big pleasure for me. I am willing to answer all of the questions people have about these topics.

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