Brake Fluid service and what work you do yourself

entropy · Post by **entropy** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:14 pm

Hi Guys,

I'm a week into X5 ownership and had the car booked into BMW indie for brake fluid change as the light just came on.

I was showing the car to my mechanic friend and he said its a bit of a rip off at dealers etc and that 9/10 they will just top up the brake fluid and just reset the service.

My friend had look at the brake fluid which is all nicely topped up and tested brakes while driving and said i'd be wasting my money and he reset it for me.

just wondered what your thoughts were on the above plus on the other inspections/oil changes?

Suppose it does make you wonder what they change especially when they are busy.

weirdfish · Post by **weirdfish** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:22 pm

If you are asking whether or not to replace all the brake fluid, or just simply top up, then my opinion is for what it costs you might as well get it done properly, I have just had mine done, as well as another small job, and the bill was tiny.
Don't forget, brake fluid will deteriorate over a period of time, as well as absorb moisture, if you've ever bled brakes on a car that hasn't had the fluid changed for quite some while you will know what I mean.
Just my opinion of course.

X5Sport · Post by **X5Sport** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:23 pm

The brake fluid change is recommended because the fluid is hygroscopic and the presence of water in the fluid gives rise to an increased risk of the fluid boiling and causing gas bubbles in the system so reducing brake efficiency. A simple road test is very unlikely to find that.

Personally I would not miss out on that one given it's a 'Safety Critical' system. The check includes removing all the wheels and looking at the condition of the hoses and brake pads/discs. Topping up the reservoir and resetting the light is 'cowboy mechanics'. Also you cannot replace the fluid yourself as you need special equipment to 'cycle' the ABS Modulator. An Indy with the right kit can do it though..

Leaving it unchanged on a 2-tonne vehicle is, in my opinion, somewhat unsound advice by your contact.

Oil changes are definitely something you can do yourself, as are the various filters.

The rest depends upon your own competence, toolkit, DIY skills and feeling about having 'official' stamps in the service book.

weirdfish · Post by **weirdfish** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:34 pm

Hygroscopic

entropy · Post by **entropy** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:44 pm

ok thanks guys,

my indie said the price for Brake fluid change is Â£55 so might as well get it done by the sounds of it. better safe than sorry and peace of mind.

scooby1doo1 · Post by **scooby1doo1** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:50 pm

Thought brake fluid was a 2 yr service or best part of 2 yrs.

Sent from the Iphone via talktapa

entropy · Post by **entropy** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:59 pm

yeah does say every 2 yrs. The car has full bmw servicing stamps but only has 1 brake fluid stamp in 2005. which is a bit of a bummer because all service stamps are there

shadrack · Post by **shadrack** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 8:04 pm

out of interest, how do you reset the brake fluid reminder as some of you will know after my disastarous brake blleding seshion at xmas after a complete brake pipe renual which took no more than 4 people to solve i had about 6 complete brake fluid changes in the space of a week so therefor think if not allreag=dy reset i can safely say mine could be!!

fenj66 · Post by **fenj66** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:01 pm

im not entirely convinced about the need for special equipment to cycle the abs system to enable a diy fluid change...

i did my own last year on my own just with the aid of one of those vacuum brake bleed kits like the mity vac.
as long as you DONT let any air get into the abs system just by keeping the reservoir topped up as you go, it was very straightforward to do (assuming your au fait with basic brake bleeding of course).
i watched as the old dark liquid was gradually replaced by clear new dot 4 from each caliper and have had no issues what so ever apart from noticeably improved brakes ( i dont think mine had been changed in a long while).
but if you do let the main reservoir run dry and thus air into the abs system then yes, i would agree that specialist equipment could be required to clear it.

by the way, scanner 1.4 will clear the brake service interval as well as time service and oil/inspection service.

Raj · Post by **Raj** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:17 am

I agree with the fenj. You can happily bleed the system with out any issues as long as you don't let the fluid drain out and end up with air in the abs system. It's only if this happens then you have to be able to release the valve using the diags software.

weirdfish · Post by **weirdfish** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:30 am

fend/raj, are you 100% sure that all the old fluid that is in the abs valve module will be cleared by just doing a standard fluid change, I was always led to believe that the unit had to be activated to do this, but of course I will stand to be corrected.

Raj · Post by **Raj** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:04 am

[quote=""weirdfish""]fend/raj, are you 100% sure that all the old fluid that is in the abs valve module will be cleared by just doing a standard fluid change, I was always led to believe that the unit had to be activated to do this, but of course I will stand to be corrected.[/quote]

Pretty sure. Was under the impression that the valve was open to start with hence why when draining system you can end up with air trapped in there. Maybe Jason or the like could chime in.

X5Sport · Post by **X5Sport** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:56 am

I based my reply on these TIS notes which refer to needing the BMW DIS system connecting. If it can be done without then that's a bonus....

fenj66 · Post by **fenj66** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:59 am

i cant be sure that all the fluid in the abs system gets changed. but im of the opinion that the abs system must be open for fluid flow because when i changed my worn pads recently and had to wind in the caliper cylinders for the new pads - the master reservoir began over filling and i had to remove some fluid. even if it didnt get flushed, i would think the hard work done by the fluid is at the caliper ends where the temp rises and falls very quickly, so hopefully not a problem.

weirdfish · Post by **weirdfish** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 10:18 am

Still not convinced, maybe I will ask my local indie next time I'm there, could it be that the valve module only operates at certain times and in certain circumstances within the braking cycle.
And the level will rise in the reservoir even if it by-passes the module, it has to go somewhere. Also, there is the fact that there won't be the all important stamp in the service book, and seeing as these cars are getting quite some mileage on them, and can be very expensive to repair, it is nice to see the stamps, it just means that the owner/s have taken the time and money to try and look after the car.

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