[hikingnut62]

I was reading through the manual for our 2014 Honda Accord and noticed it recommended replacing the brake fluid every 3 years. I have owned three Hondas (1990, 1995, and currently a 2004) that all had/have over 250,000 miles. I have never done anything with the brake fluid with those three cars. Never topped it off. Never bled them. Never had issues. The only thing I've ever done is made sure the fluid stayed between the Min and Max lines (which it always has).

Is there any good reason to change the brake fluid in the newer model Hondas that didn't apply to the older Hondas I've owned/own???

 

[mtts60]

Yes. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts water. This water rusts your brake lines from the outside, and from the inside. It also reduces the fluid's ability to handle heat, making boiling more likely.

And then there's this. It applies to cars just the same: Harley-Davidson Recall For Brake Concerns

 

[Hudouc]

Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water. The water can breaks down, rusts, corrodes, brake components from the inside out. With modern vehicles having more delicate electronic brake components, you are more likely to run into issues if you don't keep the brake fluids fresh. I can't prove it, but I'm betting that the lack of brake fluid flush is a contributing factor to many of the VSA module fault that we see on the forum as the water damages the VSA solenoids from the inside out. In addition, brake fluids have a much higher boiling temperature than water, the water content in your brake fluid can also limit your brake performance. You just got lucky that you've never had a problem before.

 

[262105]

If you've never done it and had no problems your fortunate.

Debris from seals and the interior of the brake lines and master cylinder all collect in the brake fluid over time. That debris works against the seals in your master and brake calipers. Brake fluid is also hydroscopic meaning it attracks water. Sometimes leaks develop, sometimes not, but brake performance can be effected. Spongy brakes, frozen calipers, uneven caliper performance are just a few of the problems that could occur.

If your a heavy footed braker, like hard stops often, you may also be cooking your brake fluid and intern reducing its lubricating and protection performance.

When you do get around to flushing, refilling and bleeding your brake system take a good look at the old fluid and your new fluid and you will see the junk I'm talking about. DOT4 is a better choice than DOT3, higher boiling point. Other DOT brake fluids are not used in your Honda and may be detrimental to your brakes seals.

Cheers

 

[Mr. Slowly]

All those cars and miles but never a seized caliper, huh? Beyond lucky. It took me frozen calipers on 3 axles between 2 different cars to learn this lesson. And I still got boned in the first week with my 8G Accord because I hadn't made the time to undo the sins of the previous owner yet.

 

[KW2004Accord]

Sounds like my BIL "I have never changed the brake fluid on any of the cars I owned, some 10 years old". My mechanic uses test strips to gauge the water content in the fluid. I always change the fluid about every three years, get a much better brake feel with the new fluid.

 

[Yal]

I hadnt changed my fluid for 8 years. Finally got round to doing it this summer. I can tell you without a doubt it made a significant difference. The pedal pressure and feel is so much more progressive and better. Could I have continued with the old fluid? Yep. But Im so glad I changed it. You dont even realize how much performance you've lost because the degradation is gradual and slow over time.

 

[acutee]

Yes, there is a good reason, Build Quality is NOT the same. Take A/C condenser for an example, old models had a wide open lower grille with just slim bar in the middle going across and rarely anyone reported an issue with condenser leaks; it can take any beating it get thrown at. In contrast, 9th gen for example, the grille opening is a lot narrower with the honeycomb grille, and people reported condenser leaks left and right; it's paper thin. Of course I wouldn't ignore everyone's suggestions, just like Yal said. From my experience, the oem fluid that came with the car is junk, so get rid of it as soon as you can.

 

[Hudouc]

Yes, there is a good reason, Build Quality is NOT the same. Take A/C condenser for an example, old models had a wide open lower grille with just slim bar in the middle going across and rarely anyone reported an issue with condenser leaks; it can take any beating it get thrown at. In contrast, 9th gen for example, the grille opening is a lot narrower with the honeycomb grille, and people reported condenser leaks left and right; it's paper thin. Of course I wouldn't ignore everyone's suggestions, just like Yal said. From my experience, the oem fluid that came with the car is junk, so get rid of it as soon as you can.

Maybe true in some cases, but build quality has absolutely nothing to do with why you should change brake fluid. All brake fluids are manufactured to a standard, there's little variation within the same types, the only major variation is between types.

 

[Deathstick]

Brake fluid is cheap guess what isnt... I see people go bonkers over oil change schedules but never see anyone get into a heated debate over brake fluid. Be smart and change it or have it changed because the ABS system is still full of old stuff and you need a tool that can flush it out. Well unless you are ok with contaminating your reservoir with old fluid. I could be compelled to look for old pics of my S10s brake fluid that when before I bought it was green, I did some work on it before I bought it. I had to replace some break lines guess why? I could not flush my ABS and now my rez is green again...

 

[acutee]

Maybe true in some cases, but build quality has absolutely nothing to do with why you should change brake fluid. All brake fluids are manufactured to a standard, there's little variation within the same types, the only major variation is between types.

The poor quality of the brake system won't be able to withstand the moisture in the fluid and it will fail sooner, calipers seized for instance, water breaks down brake components; hence changing the fluid sooner is better. Axles snapped, that's poor quality, not protective coating.

 

[visionguru]

...
Is there any good reason to change the brake fluid in the newer model Hondas that didn't apply to the older Hondas I've owned/own???

Yes, newer cars have more sophisticated stability control with ABS. Absorbed water in brake fluid shouldn't affect brake performance, only that corrosion could result in costly repairs of the whole system.

The brake fluid change interval is 2 years on my Audi.

 

[emeron]

Bottle of DOT4 is $4.80
Give me your venmo I'll send you 5 and you can keep the $0.20

 

[hikingnut62]

Wow! I was not expecting all this feedback. I guess I have been extraordinarily lucky with my past cars. Thank you all for your replies and the detailed explanations. Makes a lot of sense. I'll be making an appointment for my '04 (just over 250K miles) and '14 (almost at 100k) tomorrow. Seems I've been tempting fate way too much. lol

Thanks for that offer emeron. I have some credit at my Honda dealer, so I'll use up some of that credit getting some brake fluid for both cars. The manual calls for Honda Heavy Duty brake fluid DOT 3.

 

[262105]

Use, or ask for, DOT4. it's backward compatible with DOT3 but offers a higher boiling point (a good thing) and is a newer formulation with better water resistance. DOT4 or not you still need to swap out your brake fluid at regular intervals.

 

[hikingnut62]

Use, or ask for, DOT4. it's backward compatible with DOT3 but offers a higher boiling point (a good thing) and is a newer formulation with better water resistance. DOT4 or not you still need to swap out your brake fluid at regular intervals.

The Honda manual makes no reference to DOT4 (although it does specifically say not to use DOT5). I called my Honda dealer and all they carry is DOT3.

Should I have them test the fluid before just telling them to change it? My understanding is there is a way to test the brake fluid to tell if it needs replacing or not.

 

[emeron]

The Honda manual makes no reference to DOT4 (although it does specifically say not to use DOT5). I called my Honda dealer and all they carry is DOT3.

Should I have them test the fluid before just telling them to change it? My understanding is there is a way to test the brake fluid to tell if it needs replacing or not.

Yes, there's a mysterious device inexplicably called a "brake fluid tester". Costs 7 dollars..

 

[BLCKFLSH]

I never changed the brake fluid in my first Accord, and after 8 years I had to replace the master cylinder. I flushed the fluid in the next Accord and never had to change anything. I'll keep flushing it every three years now. I don't test it, but I can see with my own eyes that it's nasty.
If the fluid is over 3 years old, my guess is the dealership will tell you it needs to be changed, regardless what the test results are. Then of course you will get an extra charge for the test.

 

[hikingnut62]

Yes, there's a mysterious device inexplicably called a "brake fluid tester". Costs 7 dollars..

You're using all these big words now lol Whoda thunk

 

[sequoiasoon]

I had a '93 Corolla, never changed the fluid for many years. Brake trouble light started coming on in turns. Fluid was about 1/2- 3/4 full. The float sensor and dirt would move on the turns and trigger the low fluid warning. It had a photo sensor at bottom of reservoir. Flushed it out good and no more issues.

I now have a Motive Power bleeder that gets used for brake jobs.