Hi all

My 2010 Octy 1.4TSi Elegance is due for service in May (2 years variable) and the service book states brake fluid should be changed, but the dealer states it's optional and may not need changing.

Anyone able to advise me if it is advisable to have it changed. The car has only done 14K.

Thanks

May be modern cars are more demanding on their braking systems but the brake fluid in my 12 year old, 150,000 mile Peugeot 306 was original when I sold it and never noticed any difference in braking performance, although I suspect as it was likely to be progressive I might have missed it?

Saying that I have the fluid changed on my Octavia's as according to the service book. When they are few years older and well out of warranty I'll probably never change it again.

Edited 16 April, 201214 yr by silver1011

Even after two years I noticed a difference in pedal feel after a change

Isnt it now changed when the car is 3 years old then every 2 years after that? the fluid on mine was changed when it was 3 years old.

Thanks guys for the quick replies - dealer said that it was 2 years recommended by Skoda for pre 2011 models but has since changed to 3 years. That might be dealer talk for "give us some more of your money" but as they have quoted me 39 quid to change it I think I will get it done. Better safe than sorry.

Cheers

I think 2 years is a pretty generl thing not just Skoda / VAG.

I've always had mine done. Brakes are not something to make do with.

Mine were done at 2 years old from Dealer.

mine is 3 years on a 59

Mine was changed on the 2nd variable service at 18k/40 months. I asked them to change the fluid as they didn't offer to do it when I booked the car in. It's has a full Skoda history so they should have known it hadn't been done. Having said that I didn't notice any difference in the brake pedal afterwards.

This is a really difficult call along the lines of "you told me I didn't need to change it, and now I'm dead". It's a bit like the cam-belt controversy - "you told me to leave it, and now my engine is broken".

I can't say that I've noticed any difference in the brakes before and after a fluid change. It's true that brake fluid absorbs water, but they are both incompressible fluids, so they will transmit force in exactly the same way.

The main point is that water will boil at a lower temperature than brake fuid, and the resulting water vapour is highly compressable. Vapour in the brake lines will not transmit the brake force from the foot pedal to the brake calipers, and the brakes may then feel ''spongy'' or fail completely. So if you get your brakes hot enough to boil the water in the fluid, e.g. in an emergency or by riding them down a long hill, you may end up dead instead of stopped.

You can't tell if brake fluid is absorbing water by looking in the reservoir to see if the level has gone up, because it should fall gradually as the pads wear and the brake pistons move outwards. If it moves a little bit, how much of it is due water absorbtion and how much is due to the expected fall?

Another thing to bear in mind with water absorbtion is that (unlike brake fluid) the presence of water in the brake hydraulic fluid may cause corrosion. Examples of this include pitting of the brake piston cylinder walls, which in turn may damage the moving piston seals, resulting in leaks or binding.

It's your call/responsibility. I had an old Astra that I kept for 12 years that never had a brake fluid change in my ownership, and the brakes worked faultlessly throughout. It then was scrapped, not sold on.

How does the clutch feel, as that's operated off the brake fluid too.

I'd say that you should probably do it at 2 to 3 years and get the clutch bled at the same time, so that it's got new fluid in it too.

Changing break fluid at regular intervals is something that has been done for years, and usually recommeded by most manufacturers.

Interestingly enough my last car, a Nissan Primera 2.2dci, was 7 year old and never had a brake fluid change. The brake fluid was tested at every service with some sort of break fluid tester that tested the boiling point and contamination.

Thanks guys for the quick replies - dealer said that it was 2 years recommended by Skoda for pre 2011 models but has since changed to 3 years. That might be dealer talk for "give us some more of your money" but as they have quoted me 39 quid to change it I think I will get it done. Better safe than sorry.

Cheers

I was told the same thing. Your change was £6 cheaper than the ludicrous £45 I was charged. Perhaps they work slower in N.Yorks?

If the brake hydraulic fuid has absorbed a significant amount of water moisture it can lead to a condition called brake fluid "vapour lock". What happens is that if the brakes are used hard or long enough to heat the brake fluid sufficent for the fluid to boil then the water moisture will boil and change to steam which will then expand and apply pressure to the brake system .This expansion may not apply sufficient pressure to apply the brakes hard but can apply sufficient pressure to cause the pads to drag against the brake discs. This will cause more heat to be generated raising more steam which will cause greater brake pressure and if the fluid can't cool quick enough the brakes can eventually lock solid. This situation is probably more likely to happen on long down hills or with a heavy laden vehicle.

Most new VAG model manuals now specify the brake fluid is to be changed after the first 3 years and then at 2 yearly intervals.