Servicing & Brake Fluid

[sproutdreamer]

My 2008 T25 owners warranty and servicing booklet is contradictory with respect to Replacing Brake Fluid. In the schedule for servicing it only shows I= inspect brake fluid rather than R= replacement fluid but shows in a list of Additional tasks as Replacement of Brake Fluid needed every 2 years. The servicing was regularly done up to 53k miles but although some servicing notes record things like air filter, cabin filter and spark plug changes there is no record of brake fluid changes.

I tend to keep as far away from garages/dealers as possible so I am not sure how they interpret the service schedule recommendations.

Coming up to 9 years old and 70k all running very well I have lots of other stuff going on and I would rather not spend a few hours replacing the fluid, particularly if it has been done at previous services or paying through the nose for a garage to do it and probably end up with spongy brakes because they have not bled them properly.

So what is the best guess-will it have been done and is it essential anyway as years ago people never replaced fluid as a routine.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Up to last year, under Toyota's fixed price service scheme, a brake fluid change was an extra cost maintenance option and wasn't included within the service schedule. So any previous owner may not have opted for that maintenance option.

Toyota revised the service scheuldes in 2016 and a brake fluid change (due at 2 years or 20,000 miles) is now included within the schedule for the Full service.

If yours hasn't been changed since the car was new, I would say it is well past its best.

[fordulike]

If you are not sure that any brake fluid change has been done since new, then be careful.

Yes, the fluid may well be past its best after all this time, but you also run the risk of snapping caliper bleed nipples, usually because they have seized.

I had a similar predicament with an 8 year old Nissan Almera, that hadn't had the fluid changed for 6 years. I took it to the Nissan garage for a fluid change, to be told that the technician had tried to loosen the bleed nipples with a regular spanner, but they were seized. They told me that the technician could try with other tools, but at great risk of the nipples snapping. That would require new calipers. I decided not to have the technician try, as it wouldn't have been cost effective replacing calipers.

I drove it for 2 years after that, until I traded in.

I'm glad Toyota include it in their servicing schedule, coz at the very least, it prevents seizure of bleed nipples.

[Konrad C]

On 2017-6-3 at 3:25 PM, fordulike said:

If you are not sure that any brake fluid change has been done since new, then be careful.

Yes, the fluid may well be past its best after all this time, but you also run the risk of snapping caliper bleed nipples, usually because they have seized.

I had a similar predicament with an 8 year old Nissan Almera, that hadn't had the fluid changed for 6 years. I took it to the Nissan garage for a fluid change, to be told that the technician had tried to loosen the bleed nipples with a regular spanner, but they were seized. They told me that the technician could try with other tools, but at great risk of the nipples snapping. That would require new calipers. I decided not to have the technician try, as it wouldn't have been cost effective replacing calipers.

I drove it for 2 years after that, until I traded in.

I'm glad Toyota include it in their servicing schedule, coz at the very least, it prevents seizure of bleed nipples.

Two years ago, I changed the brake fluid on my old '98 Avensis. All bleed nipples undid okay. The previous time they were touched was 8-10 years before, when I had to change a wheel cylinder - the other wheel cylinder had been replaced by myself, before I actually owned the car, back in 2003. Yet I had a Vauxhall Cavalier and snapped a wheel cylinder bleed nipple. As it needed changing, it was less of a problem.     

[sproutdreamer]

Thanks for comments & info. I think the reminder about snapping bleed nipples is a good reason for me to do it myself. Having plenty of time to spare and take it slowly I would be less likely to sheer off a nipple and if I did the car is at home where i could repair the caliper at my leisure or just leave it for a while and put penetrating oil on it!

[Harry Carri]

Hi,

I think the brake fluid is worth changing or at least testing if it has been in for two or more years.

I paid the price for assuming previous owners servicing was up to schedule on a 3.5 tonne tipper I used to own. The brake fluid had become corrosive and eaten through a seal on a brake cylinder so had to fork out for a new one. Lesson learnt for me.