Stealership Recommends... Taken with grain of salt?
10-08-2009, 06:30 PM
#11
The tech gets paid for their time and knowledge of the vehicle. And it is nowhere near the "shop rate". Do it yourself if you don't like it. You can do your own legal battles, dental work, surgery, wood working, welding, etc if you can't do something as well.
-BMW Dealership Person making a living without a guilty conscious
Last edited by GoodysGotaCuda; 10-08-2009 at 06:53 PM.
10-08-2009, 06:36 PM
#12
JK Super Freak
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If its not listed in the owners manual as a recomended service at a specific mileage and the dealer says it needs to be done, then it's just a typical lying dealer's money grabbing bullshit.
They are looking for a sucker. Don't let it be you.
They are looking for a sucker. Don't let it be you.
10-08-2009, 06:49 PM
#13
Changing your oil is not necessary. Changing your trans fluid is not necessary either...you want something to last as long as possible, and perform to the best it can..you maintain it. I doubt you will find someone that disagrees with that. If you are in a high humidity part of the country, the brake fluid can only handle so much water before it will boil it causing air pockets (which compress). I for one whom can get my brakes pretty hot out here going down off-road grades...would rather not have brake fade/pressure drop due to boiling brake fluid. So i change mine. Nobody said that the dealership told him "do this, or something in your system will fail". People here are assuming that is the case. It is done for the reason I listed, for performance of the braking system. Plain and simple.
I do not feel it should be based on your location, not quite time. Brake fluid will get very dark, almost black when it needs to be changed. There is a reason why new brake fluid is yellow, and old fluid is dark/black. It's not in a burning engine or hot transmission...Think about it. I will likely change mine to DOT 4 at the end of the year, just because I can.
Boiling point
Brake fluid is subjected to very high temperatures, especially in the wheel cylinders of drum brakes and disk brake calipers. It must have a high boiling point to avoid vaporizing in the lines. This vaporization is a problem because vapor released into the lines is compressible and would result in an inability of the hydraulic fluid to transfer braking force. Quality standards refer to a brake fluid's "dry" and "wet" boiling points. Wet boiling point, which is usually much lower, refers to the fluid's boiling point after absorbing a certain amount of moisture. This is several percent, varying from formulation to formulation; in higher levels, the moisture itself can boil separately from the base fluid. Glycol-ether/dot three/dot four brake fluids are hygroscopic (water loving), which means they absorb moisture from the atmosphere under normal humidity levels. More modern fluids (e.g. silicone/DOT 5-based formulations), are hydrophobic, and can maintain an acceptable boiling point as they absorb moisture over the fluid's service life.
Brake fluid is subjected to very high temperatures, especially in the wheel cylinders of drum brakes and disk brake calipers. It must have a high boiling point to avoid vaporizing in the lines. This vaporization is a problem because vapor released into the lines is compressible and would result in an inability of the hydraulic fluid to transfer braking force. Quality standards refer to a brake fluid's "dry" and "wet" boiling points. Wet boiling point, which is usually much lower, refers to the fluid's boiling point after absorbing a certain amount of moisture. This is several percent, varying from formulation to formulation; in higher levels, the moisture itself can boil separately from the base fluid. Glycol-ether/dot three/dot four brake fluids are hygroscopic (water loving), which means they absorb moisture from the atmosphere under normal humidity levels. More modern fluids (e.g. silicone/DOT 5-based formulations), are hydrophobic, and can maintain an acceptable boiling point as they absorb moisture over the fluid's service life.
Most automotive professionals agree that glycol based brake fluid, (DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5.1) should be flushed, or changed, every 1-2 years.[1] Many manufacturers also require periodic fluid changes to ensure reliability and safety. Once installed, moisture diffuses into the fluid through brake hoses and rubber seals and eventually the fluid will have to be replaced when the water content becomes too high. Electronic testers and test strips are commercially available to measure moisture content. The corrosion inhibitors also degrade over time. New fluid should always be stored in a sealed container to avoid moisture intrusion.
Last edited by GoodysGotaCuda; 10-08-2009 at 06:57 PM.
10-08-2009, 09:48 PM
#14
JK Enthusiast
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For the OP, when it comes to flushing your brake system, you really have to consider what your cargo is. My three Grandsons are way to precious to take a chance with. I may not flush it at a certain interval, but at the first sign of the fluid getting dark, it'll get changed. Every time I take a look under my cars for any reason, I'm checking for signs of leaks from the brake lines. Whether it be from the fittings, seals, or damage from stuff flying up from the highway.
Google brake fluid and power brake bleeders. You'll find all sorts of information and products. If you want to save the money and not have to pay the dealer, there are ways to flush them from the cheap tube and mason jar to the power flush systems, which are said to be prefered because they don't damage the seals in the master cylinder. For the cost of what the dealer is charging you for one flush, you could get a profesional power flush system that is a one person job. And you can use it many times.
It's really up to you as to how much you want to work on your Jeep. I had a 99 Silverado that I bought new and sold a few months ago and never changed the oil in it. Always had someone else do it because it was a pita to do. But on my Jeep, I plan to do almost everything myself and have so far. That's one of the reasons I wanted one for so long. I consider it therapy.
Google brake fluid and power brake bleeders. You'll find all sorts of information and products. If you want to save the money and not have to pay the dealer, there are ways to flush them from the cheap tube and mason jar to the power flush systems, which are said to be prefered because they don't damage the seals in the master cylinder. For the cost of what the dealer is charging you for one flush, you could get a profesional power flush system that is a one person job. And you can use it many times.
It's really up to you as to how much you want to work on your Jeep. I had a 99 Silverado that I bought new and sold a few months ago and never changed the oil in it. Always had someone else do it because it was a pita to do. But on my Jeep, I plan to do almost everything myself and have so far. That's one of the reasons I wanted one for so long. I consider it therapy.
10-08-2009, 10:58 PM
#15
JK Enthusiast
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For the OP, when it comes to flushing your brake system, you really have to consider what your cargo is. My three Grandsons are way to precious to take a chance with. I may not flush it at a certain interval, but at the first sign of the fluid getting dark, it'll get changed. Every time I take a look under my cars for any reason, I'm checking for signs of leaks from the brake lines. Whether it be from the fittings, seals, or damage from stuff flying up from the highway.
Google brake fluid and power brake bleeders. You'll find all sorts of information and products. If you want to save the money and not have to pay the dealer, there are ways to flush them from the cheap tube and mason jar to the power flush systems, which are said to be prefered because they don't damage the seals in the master cylinder. For the cost of what the dealer is charging you for one flush, you could get a profesional power flush system that is a one person job. And you can use it many times.
It's really up to you as to how much you want to work on your Jeep. I had a 99 Silverado that I bought new and sold a few months ago and never changed the oil in it. Always had someone else do it because it was a pita to do. But on my Jeep, I plan to do almost everything myself and have so far. That's one of the reasons I wanted one for so long. I consider it therapy.
Google brake fluid and power brake bleeders. You'll find all sorts of information and products. If you want to save the money and not have to pay the dealer, there are ways to flush them from the cheap tube and mason jar to the power flush systems, which are said to be prefered because they don't damage the seals in the master cylinder. For the cost of what the dealer is charging you for one flush, you could get a profesional power flush system that is a one person job. And you can use it many times.
It's really up to you as to how much you want to work on your Jeep. I had a 99 Silverado that I bought new and sold a few months ago and never changed the oil in it. Always had someone else do it because it was a pita to do. But on my Jeep, I plan to do almost everything myself and have so far. That's one of the reasons I wanted one for so long. I consider it therapy.
8 years ago, not so long as some) i've been doing all my maintenance like brake pads, engine oil, air filter, etc, easy stuff. I'm planning on continuing to do everything i can do myself on my rig. I just wanted an opinion on how it was done, and how often people do it. I've never heard of a throttle body service, as far as fluids @ 36k i'm flushing everything, its a used jeep and i'm not 100% sure how it was driven. I have a nissan frontier 2000 in my driveway with 115,000 miles, never had a brake fluid flush, or power steering, or trany fluids, or diff fluids changed. ever. Still drives, but like its going to fail any day now. I don't really care that much for that truck but my jeep i'm planning on keeping it till it dies or me. I didn't know brake fluid changes could be such a hot topic
but i guess the most logical approach would be to do it on a conditional basis, or peace of mind. p.s. I was never going to actually do anything at the dealership that involved me paying them anyway :P i just thought it was interesting. I asked them EXACTLY "So is something wrong with the brake/TB/Air Filter?" they respond "No we didn't notice anything but we feel it should be part of your regular 30,000 mile maint"
LOL yea, and i think your lifetime powertrain warranty should be transferable bub! but that ain't happening either~
Much respect for dealership techs though, they know their brand cars to a degree most of us will ever get too, Who hates lawyers but wishes their son/daughter was one? On the same note what if your best friend was a Jeep Dealer's best Tech? :P hate the system, don't hate the players.
10-09-2009, 03:18 PM
#16
JK Junkie
Not necessary.....MY OPINION, don't anyone get their panties in a wad. Also changing diff and transfer case fluid recommendations- make work for dealership service departments. MY OPINION ONLY- Debate won't change my or your opinions....If I was fording streams and slurping thru mud on the weekends I'd change the stuff- but dry 4 wheeling and commuting won't degrade any fluids until there is a tremendous amount of mileage on the jeep- REMEMBER my opinion....