Brake Fluid Light turned on...WHAT DO I DO!!!

[CJ_Boxster]

just kidding, I do have a legitimate question...What local Autoparts sell Dot4 brake fluid?

Local to Southern CA, in or around the torrance area.

[insite]

probably all of them. DOT4 is pretty common. if you're going to flush, though, why not run some ATE or Motul?

[CJ_Boxster]

No time for that now, Ill just top her off. How often should i have to put more fluid? I drive spirited at least once a week around the curvy road in PV.

[CJ_Boxster]

Found some SynPower dot4 fluid at autozone, on sale for 2.99! also picked up the other headlight bulb to get my lamps to match colors, also got some power sterring fluid...notice it was low afew weeks ago.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by CJ_Boxster

No time for that now, Ill just top her off. How often should i have to put more fluid? I drive spirited at least once a week around the curvy road in PV.

Just FYI you should flush the whole system every 2-3 yrs.

[John V]

You should NEVER have to add more fluid. Just flush it once a year (minimum). water + braking system = disaster for calipers and master cylinders.

No reason to run ATE or Motul or any of the high dollar fluids unless you're doing serious tracking.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by John V

You should NEVER have to add more fluid. Just flush it once a year (minimum).

That's not true, as the clutch disc and brake pads wear the fluid level in the master cylinder will go down and adding some quality dot 4 fluid is fine. Also, once a year flush is too often unless you are doing track work on a regular basis. For standard driving, a flush every two years is more than enough and what Porsche recammends.

[John V]

Originally Posted by Adam

That's not true, as the clutch disc and brake pads wear the fluid level in the master cylinder will go down and adding some quality dot 4 fluid is fine. Also, once a year flush is too often unless you are doing track work on a regular basis. For standard driving, a flush every two years is more than enough and what Porsche recammends.

If you ever let your brake pads and rotors get worn to the point that you're adding a significant quantity of brake fluid, you should be worried about a lot more than your brake fluid level. The Boxster's master cylinder reservoir is HUGE as anyone who has done a fluid flush will tell you - it would take an obscene amount of pad wear to lower the level enough to require adding fluid. That said, obviously it should be checked regularly just like any of the fluids.

I would suggest to anyone who thinks that flushing the fluid once a year is sufficient (for year-round driven vehicles) to do a brake-fluid condition test after a year's use. You'll be surprised at how much water the fluid absorbs in normal use. With how expensive calipers are and how cheap and easy a fluid flush is, it's cheap insurance.