According to the Maintenance Minder, my 07' Accord V6 EX-L with 25,000 miles is coming due for a B12 service in Atlanta. I don't need the "2" as I just changed the engine and cabin air filters myself. But one of the dealers I checked with says I need to change the brake fluid too.
I always do all the factory-recommended maintenance-- but usually take a pass on the extra stuff the dealers push.
So--- do I need to change the brake fluid or no?
Shaun wrote in news:hv37oj$ad4$ snipped-for-privacy@news.albasani.net:
Look in the Owner's Manual for the definitions of the various services.
Is brake fluid listed for the B12? If not, then you don't "need" to do it, but it's certainly a good idea.
What does the owner's manual to your shiny $25,000 toy say?
Hint: it's in there.
Honda always specifies 3 years for brake fluid. It's not the miles, honey, it's the years.
And yes, it's in the owner's manual.
Thus spake "Elmo P. Shagnasty" :
Yeah, it's not how many times you use, it's how long you've had an opportunity to use it. If the car sat in the garage for three years, you'd REALLY want to change it.
Absolutely, normal (DOT3/DOT4), i.e., non silicone (DOT5), brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts water. Why do we care? Water boils at a lower temperature than brake fluid and forms gas bubbles, meaning brake fade. It's also corrosive.
I don't know what Honda is recommending these days, but I bleed the brakes on my 2003 Accord sedan every 2 years (same as I used to do to my
1969 Porsche 911 many years ago).
you change it - like it says in the manual. as others have said, it's due to moisture absorption.
and following from a different thread, it is odd how others refer to the manual for this because when it comes to the topic of engine oil maintenance, complete /disregard/ of the manual is the norm. for that one topic, there is some kind of weird logical disconnect like witch-doctry where, despite all scientific evidence to the contrary, 3k mile oil changes are their law. and learning to dip the oil hot, like it says in the manual because that's how it's calibrated? it'll /never/ happen.
Thus spake Tony Harding :
Most of the guys I race with (not AX, but road race) use silicone because it does have higher heat tolerance. But they also change fluid as much as three or four times a day.
do they change engine oil three or four times a day too? if that stuff is deteriorating so quickly, it's entirely inappropriate for that application.
besides, silicone fluid is poor for lubricity and is more compressible than glycol ether fluids. non-silicone dot 5.1 meets or exceeds dot 5 silicone in all performance aspects, esp temperature, only without the disadvantages.
Dillon Pyron wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Silicone fluid is a bad idea for most road-going motorists.
DOT3 and 4 fluids absorb moisture. Since moisture ingress is inevitable, absorption is a /good/ thing. I tell why, below.
Silicone fluid (DOT5) does NOT absorb moisture. Instead, water immediately sinks to the bottom of the brake system, and is left in direct contact with the metallic parts. Since most road-going drivers change their brake fluid anywhere between a century and never, rust is the inevitable and relatively quick result.
Rust is inevitable with DOT3/4 fluids too, but at least those fluids need to surpass their saturation points before corrosion becomes a danger. This can take over five years, so you've got a bit of a buffer.
And water turns to solid-state below 32 Deg. F also. Who wants ice plugs in the brake system.
snipped-for-privacy@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (M.A. Stewart) wrote in news:i1lm40$hq3$ snipped-for-privacy@theodyn.ncf.ca:
Nobody, of course. But I'm not sure you'd end up with ice plugs; probably more like a few crystals here and there.
One thing I've discovered over these many years is that modern brake systems are astoundingly tolerant of all manner of internal and external abuse, such as inept servicing, severe wear, dirt, air, sand, gum, rust, you name it. And even once they actually /fail/, they usually still do work to a degree sufficient to stop the car in a timely manner.
It's actually kind of difficult to force a modern brake system to completely give up the ghost and refuse to stop the car.
Pffft It can be done with side cutters in about 5 secs.
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