That was a good video Much more pertinent for motos, whose whole systems are more exposed to the elements than a four-wheeled vehicle, which is already pretty exposed. At least cars have more airflow blocked by bodywork -- and on a typical motorcycle, two distinct and non-linked systems (although today a lot of motos have ABS and/or linked brakes like Hondas, so could be considered a single system. Still directly sprayed with pressurised water every time your wash your bike... Anyhow... takeaways from a pro wrenching past: not only is DOT3 least of the 3 glycol-based fluids to absorb water, it's cheap too... which is why unless litigation makes your mfr's lawyers uneasy... your car will have DOT3 as OEM most sportbikes are DOT4, esp if they're race replicas (sport ATVs too, ex. Honda TRX400EX or Yamaha 660 / 700R Raptors). Any others, DOT3. probably upgraded in the past 20y to 5.1 tho... but tbh I haven't cared since selling my last moto in the 2010s weren't electronic moisture testers back in my day (late '90s - 2010s), and if so, certainly not for $12. Thinking of getting one for the 5G have not seen a single metric motorcycle use DOT5; it's a pretty unpopular fluid in general ime (think Harleys used it for a while). Not sure what genius decided to name it '5.1' rather than '4.1'... but probably results in a population of shadetrees wondering why their '70s muscle-buckets have dragging brakes and a sticking pedal, from bottles of 5 in it (only good thing about 5, is it won't peel your paint off if spilled) almost as if someone designed 5.1 to be used expressly for non-road-legal racecars, knowing the brakes'll get propa-hot, and svc intervals very short and not missed. DOT3's long svc life before needing swapped, is great for those who buy appliances and just put gas in it for 10+ yrs lastly... only swap to 5.1 in your DOT3 / 4 vehicle, if you plan on a) swapping it as often as your moisture sensor says to, which'll be a lot, and b) if you're actually going to get your brakes hot regularly in that interval. Maybe you cross the Rockies on a particularly infamous pass with a steep grade the other side, commuting to work Sure, get 5.1 in your CX-5 and prepare to get dirty (trusting your brakes that many times to a 20-yo fartcan devotee in the local dealer service dept, makes my skin crawl). Otherwise, just a swap to 4 covers just about any sane situation a diligent driver w/ any sense will encounter, and doesn't shorten the svc interval nearly as much. If I didn't need 5.1 dropping down the stair-steps of James Street in Seattle, pounding on my race-prepper SV650 down to get to the ferry terminal 5x a week, humid arsecrack of summer... you won't need it in your RAV4
Another one of Toyota's "lifetime fluids." They're aptly named because they want the average owner to experience a lifetime of car payments.
Actually, Toyota recommends 24 months brake fluid exchanges. It's a dealer money maker. It does no harm to the car. It, however, lightens the owner's wallet. The brake fluid marketers state that the remaining container of brake fluid needs to be discarded once the small amount is used. This results in user's buying small containers with repeat purchases giving the sellers with a higher profit margin. Brake fluid will not continue to absorb moisture in a tightly capped container except the miniscule amount in the air pocket before capping. Brake fluid in a tightly capped container does not degrade with age. Water vapor us not absorbed through the walls of the container. If that was so, brake fluid would be sold in glass or metal containers.
The dealership's service writers may recommend 24/mo brake fluid changes; but the OEM manual only states to "check it". Can you post or give us a link to a USA OEM Prius manual the states to change the brake fluid every 24 months? I know other OEM's had stated 24-36 months, in their OEM manuals for change intervals. FWIW: I do mine every 3-5 years; but I've bought used cars with 150K+ miles and more than 10 years old; the fluid looks like it's never been changed. I'll see floaters and scaling in the reservoir. IMHO; I don't believe these new electronic ABS systems is going to put up with that kind of abuse. Just my 2-cents......
What procedure do they recommend when the say, "Check it?" I don't often buy used cars. The last one was back in 1987. I always buy new at close to the base model and over maintain it, while keeping it for 10-15 years or more, Only about 25% if owners religiously even maintain their cars close to that recommended in the owner's manual.
English is my second language; but I don't know what procedures dealerships use when they "check it". I'm sure there's a written procedure for that, since large scale companies usually has written procedures to prevent lawsuits and is usually the basis for firing someone for not doing their job and/or following such procedures. I do know the difference between "check it" and replace. (ie.. Replace oil & filter every 10K miles.) I'm sure if you didn't do that; you'd VOID your warranty. Just saying....
I just looked through my 2010 Warranty and Maintenance Guide and (unless I missed it) there isn't any instruction in mine to check the brake fluid ever. But the question—What procedure do they recommend when the say, "Check it?"—might be on point, given what my Warranty and Maintenance Guide says about engine/inverter coolant (which I've posted about before because it's amusing). My WMG says only to "inspect" Engine/Inverter coolant, and that comes up every 15,000 miles or 18 months. Every time it comes up to "inspect" the Engine/Inverter coolant, there's a little raised footnote number, and matches a footnote at the bottom of the page, where it says to refer to the "Explanation of Maintenance Items" at the back of the guide for how to "inspect", and the section at the back goes through draining and refilling the coolant.
The longest I’ve owned a new car without checking or changing the brake fluid is 11 years and 87k. No troubles while I had it, but perhaps someone else’s problem down the road?
Not a surprise to me as a former tech... but that's more the rule than the exception, esp as generations pass. Not a diss, just my exp: cars are expressions of lifestyle to younger gens, as long getting hands dirty or learning about cars is kept to bare, pushbutton minimums. Not all, but defo a trend ime. Kudos to all here who aren't in that ballooning global population*. Mostly have exp on powersports vehicles vs. cages, as one massively exceeded the other for exp w/ brakes... but leaving brake fluid to moulder that long in any series production vehicle, will probably lead to water pockets somewhere in the system, as the fluid reaches its saturation point. This water will rust / corrode componentry in these pockets wherever they settle, usually low points as water is denser than brake fluid. Doesn't even need to be past the saturation point -- even slightly below it w/ no visible pools, the water content of the fluid can react and corrode, just less than genuine pooled water. Have seen brake pistons w/ rings of rust, despite most modern cars (post-EFI, '80s) having brake calipers mounted high and rearward, such that water has a place to pool away from the seals (corner of caliper). Leave that DOT3 too long tho, and this water will touch the pistons and rust -- meaning torn seals once the pads get to a service-limit thickness (also likely when you don't care about your brakes). Then you have a situ where one hard pull will force rust past the seals, shoot old fluid out and get thrown up onto the rotor as a lubricant -- hope this doesn't happen as you're going downhill, because you will fill your shorts. Maybe people were more diligent about their brakes, pre-10-airbags to dull impact of consequences Also -- hard brake lines are narrow for a reason; it's the least amt of brake fluid necessary to reliably operate properly-maintained brakes, esp in rear -- so when water does stop being absorbed there, it'll do so far quicker than in larger reservoirs of fluid, like the calipers -- thus rusting them internally, threatening catastrophic failure one day... faster in the Rust Belt. (what 'reliably' means, depends on mfr: if you're Porsche, it'll have lots of margin of error baked into the engineering of the brake system. If you're GM or Ford or Mopar, who knows? As those marques have large cadre of exp'd lawyers, enough to justify chiseling safety margins out of suspension and brakes, to save pennies ). I'm of the ilk to maintain my vehicle (as a former tech, no excuse ) for both myself and the next guy, as am a devotee to the idea karma's a b****. Maybe your exp doesn't make this cost : benefit worth it, and not criticising that, as cars aren't getting any cheaper. But I sleep much better at night knowing some new parents I'd sold my car to, aren't g onna be balled up over a cliff because I was too lazy to bleed my brakes every few years (usually brake bleed bolts are located where water pools -- if any water appears bleeding air from the brakes, you need to swap the fluid, as it's done). Same justification for rolling all my windows up and down twice, every trip to the store -- salt air corrodes high-exposure, high-load, low-mass cheap ferrous parts in a window lift mechanism rapidly... cycling keeps the whole mechanism lubed w/ OEM grease much longer, preventing corrosion that kills expensive OEM lift motors (and defers longer, the PITA it takes to replace them). Saves me headache, and also the next guy) * love how Finland forces everyone to take very stringent car-knowledge and practical driving courses in order to be licenced for the road, from how to handle black ice at speed to how to change tires and owner-serviceable vehicle fluids. Makes for more baked-in enthusiasts, thus the old motorsports adage 'if you want to win, hire a Finn'
