Brake Fluid Flush! DIY or Dealer??

[rteichman]

When I had my PPI done they also said to have the brake fluid flushed. Your explanation gives a good reason for doing it. HOWEVER, I would like to point out that my 14 year old Miata with 130,000 miles on it never had the fluid flushed and never had a brake problem. I can say the same for my 16 year old Mercedes (one of the original ABS cars). As a matter of fact, this Porsche is the first car I ever owned that I have heard the recommendation to change the brake fluid so frequently. Why do Porsche's need this more often than other cars?

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

But, in addition to becoming moisture laden, Brake Fluid (primarily Glycol esters) will react with the metal in the system, Copper in the Brake Lines in particular. This reaction leaches Copper Ions from the metal which will react with the Oxygen and attack the Ferrous parts. ABS increases this effect because

[RandallNeighbour]

Considering the costs and danger involved with NOT flushing your brake lines every two years, I'd say it's certainly a good preventative measure.

Now about doing it yourself, I would imagine it's no harder than any other car. If you're up for it and willing to buy the tools necessary, you'll find that working on your boxster isn't any harder than any other car when it comes to brakes. Replacing the pads is really simple!

Let us know what you decided to do... do it yourself or have a shop do it.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by rteichman

When I had my PPI done they also said to have the brake fluid flushed. Your explanation gives a good reason for doing it. HOWEVER, I would like to point out that my 14 year old Miata with 130,000 miles on it never had the fluid flushed and never had a brake problem. I can say the same for my 16 year old Mercedes (one of the original ABS cars). As a matter of fact, this Porsche is the first car I ever owned that I have heard the recommendation to change the brake fluid so frequently. Why do Porsche's need this more often than other cars?

Hi,

Without ABS it isn't as critical, but still very critical. Porsches don't need it more often than other cars, they all should be changed every 2 years. The SAE did a study of New Cars 18 mos. old. They found the moisture content averaged 4% with a low of 3% and a high of 7%. With DOT 4 Fluid, a 4% Moisture Content lowers the Boiling Point of the Fluid to about 218 Degrees F. To put this into perspective, this means you're only slightly better off than if you ran pure water in the system.

You may not have thought you needed it, but I'm certain that your maximum braking efficiency was severely reduced. Not to mention, that your Brake Hardware was probably excessively worn because of this.

It's true you may have a Car for a lifetime and get away with it, but that still doesn't mean it's a recommended practice. It's just as critical as an Oil Change, maybe more so considering the safety implications. It's a pain to do, but not really too bad and it's not too expensive, much less than replacing a single Brake Component...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[xclusivecar]

Very easy DIYer Project. Can be a bit messy at first but after caliper number 2 you will have it down! The Boxster was my first brake flush. Used just less than 1 liter of fluid and bought a Motive power bleeder to do the job. This way you won't have to mess with pushing in the brake pedal.

Originally Posted by rteichman

When I had my PPI done they also said to have the brake fluid flushed. Your explanation gives a good reason for doing it. HOWEVER, I would like to point out that my 14 year old Miata with 130,000 miles on it never had the fluid flushed and never had a brake problem. I can say the same for my 16 year old Mercedes (one of the original ABS cars). As a matter of fact, this Porsche is the first car I ever owned that I have heard the recommendation to change the brake fluid so frequently. Why do Porsche's need this more often than other cars?

rteichman, Mercedes recommends this same 2 year service. With a coupon, Mercedes charges $89. We have it done religiously. Small price to pay every two years to stop properly! And protects against a costly ABS repair.

[Adam]

Is the motive power bleeder better than just bleeding the brakes by pumping the pedal and having a little help from a friend? I thought the power bleeder was only for folks that truly "do it yourself."

[xclusivecar]

I say get one...no friend needed! Super easy to use. Fill with fluid, pump to correct pressure, attach drain hose to bleeder valve, slowly open valve and watch old fluid just rush out!. Close valve. Move to next valve. Get the correct order of bleeding by doing a search and the correct pressure for the bleeder before starting. Have rags handy to immediatly wipe any little drips you encounter. Your friend can then have a beer and watch instead of being under your dash!

[deliriousga]

Originally Posted by Adam

Is the motive power bleeder better than just bleeding the brakes by pumping the pedal and having a little help from a friend? I thought the power bleeder was only for folks that truly "do it yourself."

It can save you huge headaches from accidentally pumping too much fluid out of the reservoir and getting air in the line. Once air gets in, it's a big pain to get it out. It also makes it very quick since you can just put 1 litre of new, unopened fluid (ATE Gold for me) in the power bleeder and catch the old fluid in the can you just emptied. Once it's hooked up, you just pump it to 10-15psi and go around each wheel, stick a tube on and open the bleeders (including the clutch).

928 Specialists has the Motive power bleeder for the best price I've found ($39). Just search "motive" on their site and you'll find it. It fits all Porsche models (except maybe a 40 year old 356).

[xclusivecar]

A little annoyance with the Motive Bleeder is the brake fluid reservoir cap can't just be screwed on...you need the screw the entire bottle as you screw or unscrew the cap. Did I do something wrong last summer or is there a workaround?

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by xclusivecar

A little annoyance with the Motive Bleeder is the brake fluid reservoir cap can't just be screwed on...you need the screw the entire bottle as you screw or unscrew the cap. Did I do something wrong last summer or is there a workaround?

Hi,

I agree the stock Motive is a Pain. But, there is an alternative. There is a swivel Cap you can add which eliminates the issue entirely. Motive sells it for $38.00, but I got mine here for $25...: http://www.zimsautotechnik.com/acatalog/Metal_Swivel_Cap_for_Motive_Products_Power_Bleeder .html
Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[blinkwatt]

Does anyone know of any local shops like Napa,Kragen etc. that sell Ate Super Blue brake fluid over the counter?

[rteichman]

Originally Posted by bmussatti

Mercedes recommends this same 2 year service. With a coupon, Mercedes charges $89. We have it done religiously. Small price to pay every two years to stop properly! And protects against a costly ABS repair.

Interesting, I had my 1988 190E and my 1996 E320 religously serviced by the dealer. In the over 5 years (12 for the 190) and about 100,000 miles I put on each while I owned them, not once did the dealer do or recommend a brake flush. Maybe it was done as part of a x,000 mile service, but it was never listed on the receipt (and the other services were).

I'm not arguing against doing it, just relating my experiences with other cars.

Rob

[Adam]

My Mazda 929 has 199,000 miles and the original brake fluid. I should probably change that lol. The boxster gets all the attention.