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Need long life brake fluid for 2011 which will likely never see another brake fluid flush...

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by cdherman, Jun 3, 2022.

  1. cdherman

    cdherman Junior Member

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    My daughter is setting sail with her/my 2011 Prius. Its had all of the usual high mileage stuff done, plugs, transmission fluid changed, EGR cleaned out, new water pump etc. She's taking the car a long ways away, and it will probably never come back, as she will fly back for holidays/visits.

    I never did brake fluid. Its relatively dry here, and I checked for moisture along the way. But I really should flush the system.

    It probably won't get done again for a long long time, or ever.

    I want the LONGEST life brake fluid. Toyota say DOT 3 is fine. I've read a number of places that DOT3 fluid is actually less hygroscopic than DOT 4 or DOT5.1.

    Prestone advertises their MAX DOT 3 brake fluid to be good for 100,000 miles. No idea what they do to make it last longer.

    Money of no object. I just want longevity.

    Thanks for your thoughts.....
     
    #1 cdherman, Jun 3, 2022
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how many miles did you get out of the oem fluid?
     
    #2 bisco, Jun 3, 2022
  3. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    If money is no object, take it to Toyota and have them do a brake fluid change.
    They use techstream and will (should) do it correctly.
    Buying all the "special" fluid is really a waste of money.

    Brake fluid should be changed every 2 years, some say 3 years.
    Moisture WILL be obsorbed by the fluid, no matter how dry you may think it is where you live.
    There is always moisture in the air.

    You've taken care of everything else, don't skimp on the brakes!

     
    #3 ASRDogman, Jun 3, 2022
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    FWIW: Toyota Canada says to change brake fluid tri-yearly or 48K kms, whichever comes first. They recommend DOT3. Toyota dealerships here have the Toyota brand DOT3, and it's around $7~8 CDN per pint.

    Any dealership should be capable of doing this, for not much over $100.

    Good video for DIY'ing the non-techstream method:



    Two methods are described in the Repair Manual, excerpts attached. Note, the order of doing it varies in the repair manual from the video linked above. I went with the repair manual order. The manuals description of the order is VERY stilted; it's basically this:

    upload_2022-6-3_11-22-20.png
     

    Attached Files:

    #4 Mendel Leisk, Jun 3, 2022
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2022
  5. cdherman

    cdherman Junior Member

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    It has 130k miles on it and the fluid was never changed. I realize that manufacturers recommend more frequent changes. I tend to run all my vehicles to 10 years before changing. Its dry for lots of the year around here. There are many many people that never change the brake fluid. They wait till something breaks. I have a tester and nearly every vehicle tests fine. Only one that doesn't (and that I really NEED to change) is my 65' Ford F100. Its got brake fluid that is 20 years old, and does not have a modern sealed brake cylinder.
     
    #5 cdherman, Jun 3, 2022
    bisco likes this.
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i think i would just put oem back in. my 2012 with 80k still has the original fluid, and my '05 dakota with 30k still has the original as well. never tested them, but the pedal feels fine. it is not dry here, except in winter.
     
    #6 bisco, Jun 3, 2022
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2022
  7. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    :confused::confused::confused::eek::eek::eek:o_Oo_Oo_O:barefoot::barefoot::barefoot::sleep::sleep::sleep::sleep:(n)(n)(n)(n):coffee::coffee::coffee:
     
    #7 ASRDogman, Jun 3, 2022
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what can i say? i'm an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' kind of guy. comes back to bite me on occasion, but not often enough to make me change my ways
     
    #8 bisco, Jun 3, 2022
    burebista and CR94 like this.
  9. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I use Motul like in my ABS motorcycles. Some the best out they're yep I'm dot5 or better. Works just fine in my prii and never changed color .
     
    #9 Tombukt2, Jun 5, 2022
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