When should brake fluid be changed?

20 February 2019

Brake fluid is an integral part of your vehicle, but one that can often be neglected or forgotten about. But without brake fluid, essentially, your vehicle has no working brakes. Learning when to change brake fluid will be beneficial to the health of your vehicle, and will help you remain safe on the roads. Find out everything you need to know today.

What is brake fluid?

Brake fluid is designed to transmit the pressure from your foot on the brake, to the master cylinder. This is then transmitted to the calipers that clamp on the brake pads, which, in turn, stops your wheels.

How often should brake fluid be changed?

It’s recommended by most manufacturers that brake fluid should be changed around every 24 months, or 24,000 miles – whichever is sooner. However, this will differ from each vehicle, so it’s best to consult your vehicle handbook to find out how often your specific manufacturer requires the brake fluid changing.

There are also other instances where the brake fluid should be changed. For example:

• Any time major brake replacement has been performed – this ensures that the brake system will continue to work effectively as designed
• Any time the tests show the fluid is a fail or near-fail
• If you notice any of the following things: a low pedal; a ‘spongy’ or dropping pedal; or a high, firm pedal. This could indicate your brake fluid is low, or contaminated with water, which would result in the brake fluid needing to be changed.

How to change brake fluid

Changing the brake fluid involves draining the old fluid and then refilling the new brake fluid to the correct specification. You don’t need to worry about the old fluid – this will be safely disposed of by your local Setyres garage. Need your brake fluid changed? One of our fully qualified experts at Setyre can do this for you.

Find out more about brake fluid and our full brakes services, as well as our Setyres branches online today.