Break Fluid

Is yours functionion properly? 

When it comes to vehicle maintenance and auto fluids, brake fluid seldom comes to mind.  Owners focus first on motor oil. They know regular oil changes are a necessity.  Second, owners are concerned about engine coolant. Neither tainted oil nor coolant, however, will compromise vehicle safety as much as degraded brake fluid.

All modern light duty vehicles have “hydraulic” brake systems in which fluid is used to translate force at the brake pedal into stopping power at each disk or drum wheel brake.    Today’s brake fluid is composed of polyalkylene glycol ether.  The properties of this fluid that make it right for the job are: its relative incompressibility (making the brake pedal firm and not squishy); appropriate viscosity, (it is slippery enough to lubricate moving parts, yet thin enough to flow quickly); a high boiling point and compatibility with all the parts of a brake system.  

 Stopping a vehicle creates a lot of heat.  To prevent brake failure, the brake system must absorb and dissipate this heat.   Because it is in contact with many mechanical components of the brake system, brake fluid works to absorb the heat generated by braking friction.  The higher the fluid’s boiling point, the more heat it can absorb.  Modern brake fluids are “hygroscopic”. They readily absorb water.  Water infiltrates any brake system.   As brake fluid ages (and becomes more tainted with water)  it degrades and its boiling point decreases.  A lower boiling point increases the risk that your brake fluid will loose its incompressibility under braking (it will boil).  If this happens, your brake pedal will become spongy, and no longer capable of transmitting enough force to the wheel brakes – a very real safety issue.

While it is true that certain brake repairs will result in some or most of the fluid being changed, at Nu-Tech we have found that flushing and changing brake fluid results in far fewer hydraulic system repairs.  It becomes even more important when a vehicle is equipped with ABS, traction control, or stability control.  Most of the electro hydraulic units included in these systems are not repairable.  When old brake fluid corrodes and ruins the function of these units be sure you are sitting down when you get an estimate for their replacement.  For years, European Auto makers have insisted that their vehicle’s brake fluid be changed every two years, Most Japanese manufactures have followed suit.  Only American manufactures do not have recommended brake fluid change intervals.  We at Nu-Tech recommend that your vehicle’s fluid be changed every two years; to protect your vehicle against the consequences of degraded brake fluid.    During our brake flush service, we completely flush your brake fluid system and refill it with fluid meeting or exceeding your manufactures specifications.