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I'm a mechanic by trade and I have NEVER flushed brake fluid nor power steering fluid in any car I have EVER owned.
The other poster is correct...if you have NEVER had a tranny flush and have high miles then DON'T DO IT. Unless you like walking
Also never let a tire service company offer to do maintenance. Heck, the upsell now is ridiculous, and sometimes shady practices like making the customer believe they are actually in danger without a brake flush is just plain wrong.
find yourself a good friend or shade tree you can trust for advice. Take your car to a commercial shop if you must, but at least educate yourself or take along someone who knows cars...
there are a lot of snakes out there!
My father in law just paid Firestone over $600 for something he didn't need whatsoever. If I had known there was an issue (he didn't say anything, he rarely does) I could've fixed it for about $40 in parts.
He was sold the ocean, and he whipped out the checkbook and paid willingly
made me sick when all he needed was a vacuum line fixed and not the 4 other sensors that he was told MUST be changed. BS!!!!
Certainly seems to be. My owner's manual actually does call for the brake fluid to be replaced every 3 years, the tranny fluid drained and filled every 45K (not flushed) but no mention of the power steering fluid. I had my wife's car at NTB recently for new tires and they said the brake fluid needed changing every two years and the fluid looked like it needed it. I had done it myself six months earlier. Wankers.
You can feel brake fluid go bad *if* you're getting your brake fluid hot. The fluid absorbs moisture from the air. The moisture boils off leaving air pockets *if* you get your brakes hot (say towing down a long grade). These air pockets then make your brake pedal feel spongy or give it more "travel" before it bites. Basically brake fluid doesn't compress but air does.
Since the air bubbles typically rise to the caliper end of the system a quick bleed will typically fix the problem.
Some ABS systems are also sensitive to moisture problems.
Cars driven on track (which gets the brakes hot) have frequent fluid changes and use high temp brake fluid for the same reasons.
If you decide to bleed or flush your fluid yourself, remember you need a helper or special devices (i.e. speedbleeders) to do it yourself. A quick check of how your ABS functions is probably also in order.
that 6000 mile "alignement" is probably a rotation. I get my truck aligned every 20k or so under firestones lifetime alignment.
As fas as tranny flush, I NEVER do them. Why? Because whatever is in the lines form the last customer is going to go through your tranny AND anything that breaks loose from the flush might just clog something and that'd bad.
I just do drain and fills every 30k miles myself.
As far as brake fluid, I just did my brakes on my truck at 75,000 miles. 1st change since new and I just replaced pads. I did bleed most of the old fluid out as it is easy with a helper and cheap to do.
Things to remember:
auto tranny: use manufacturers recommended fluid!
engine collant: same as auto tranny.
Change oil often! 3500 dino oil or 7000 synthetic..
I NEVER take my cars to others for service as I do all the work myself- except warranty stuff or really complext hings....saves me a lot of cash! and time!!!
lol, you can feel your brake fluid go bad? You must have one sensitive foot. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.
You have obviously never ridden a motorcycle. I also make a point of getting the brakes hot to check the fluid in the other vehicle. Having your car stop as quickly as possible is essential to safely driving on the road and not changing your brake fluid regularly is stupid and dangerous. It's only $8 or so for the synthetic high temp stuff, worthy investment that could save you from needing your collision insurance (and then greatly increased rates).
I am actually somewhat experienced in driving high performance cars. I know all about brake fading, and boiling brake fluid. Boiled brake fluid is essentially the only thing (fluid wise) that is going to change the feel in your pedal, and trust me, when that happens you will REALLY feel it. If that is happening to you, you should DEFINITELY be replacing it with better stuff. That doesn't mean your fluid has 'gone bad' though, that means you drive like a lunatic.
This is something that 99.9% of drivers will NEVER experience. It takes some serious braking to do that to a car. If you are driving fast enough to require braking to that extent, you should be arrested.
Again, you obviously have never ridden a motorcycle.
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