Hi,

Brought my 2012 Equinox in for an oil change and some other items (wipers, nothing big) and they came by to tell me my brake fluid was dirty and that the service recommendation was to change it every 24k if you had anti-lock brakes. Of course, checking the owners manual doesn't show any such a recommendation. I had no lights codes or anything, just getting oil changed at 27k.

The explanation was this: "The fluid picks up water, and the anti-lock hardware is harmed by water, so replacing it every 24k keeps your ant-locks in good condition."

This was at the dealer I bought the car from and the sales manager is a friend so they have been pretty straight with me. But this one, I'm looking for 3rd party input.

Did a google and a forum search and this question wasn't readily evident.

Thanks

John

 

Brake fluid does absorb a small amount of water/moisture over time. It's not a bad idea to change the brake fluid if it looks dark. However, it is not necessary to do as regular maintenance either. I can't say I've ever heard of ABS actuators or any other hydraulic brake parts failing simply because there was moisture in the fluid.

 

ditto
its a hard sell imo. Nothing will fail. the fluid won't boil due to water absorption. It is very hydroscopic but the darkness of the fluid, imo , comes from the rubber seals in the system. 2years is the recommended exchange interval from the fluid manufacturers. Transmission, diff, tcase , engine oil and coolant are the ones that are critical. ...Power steering and brake fluid not so much.
Brake caliper service is much more important that brake fluid service...both of which are not in the service manual.

 

When changing the brake pads, pushing the calipers in pushes the fluid back into the reservoir... if you use a turkey baster and suck that out and dump some new fluid in, you should make it 20+ years.

 

What would be a Brake*caliper*service ?

 

cleaning the brake caliper pins and brackets and applying silicon brake lubricant. the pad must be able to move freely in the brackets. deglaze the pads if they are squeaking. if you live in the rust belt its a yearly cleaning.


If you have drum brakes, remove the drum, wash off the dust with brake cleaner, apply lube to the backing plate pivot points and clean and lube the star wheel adjuster and adjust it up if needed. clean and lube the hub flange that the drum rides on.