Brake Fluid Change Not Required?

[Art_in_CO]

The maintenance schedule for my 2019 Laramie 1500 does not show anything about changing the brake fluid.

Every other vehicle I own, or can remember previously owning, requires replacing the brake fluid at least every 4 years. It's really not an expensive service.

What are other members of this forum recommending and/or doing?

Thanks.

 

[18CrewDually]

Every 2 years or 30k miles. There's no such thing as over servicing the system.
Opinions are all over the board about the subject. Some will tell you once a year others will act as a brag and tell you in 15 years they never changed it. What they don't tell you is they had siezed pistons on calipers or a bad master cylinder in that time frame so it actually did get flushed at some point.
I'll say good for you for thinking about it. Many don't and wonder why they have problems and black contaminated resevoirs of fluid.

 

[Jay P]

Brake fluid is hygroscopic so as stated above it's a good idea to change it. Living in Colorado with the dry climate does help make it last longer.

 

[ibike]

Saw the neatest thing a day or so ago. Kinda takes the guesswork out of the equation.
BSBMIEQM Brake Fluid Liquid Tester, Auto Brake Diagnostic Testing Tool, Hydraulic Fluid Liquid Oil Moisture Analyzer with 5 LED Indicators, Auto Brake Diagnostic Testing Tool for DOT3 DOT4 Brake Fluid https://a.co/d/7xuaL0L

 

[Daw14]

Yes it still needs serviced , your 4 yr interval seems like a fine plan that I would recommend.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Interesting - I went 23 years with my Silverado and never gave it a thought.

 

[Dean2]

Saw the neatest thing a day or so ago. Kinda takes the guesswork out of the equation.
BSBMIEQM Brake Fluid Liquid Tester, Auto Brake Diagnostic Testing Tool, Hydraulic Fluid Liquid Oil Moisture Analyzer with 5 LED Indicators, Auto Brake Diagnostic Testing Tool for DOT3 DOT4 Brake Fluid https://a.co/d/7xuaL0L

Spot on! Use the tester.

Here in Alberta, only time I change the fluid is when the brakes get done and that is usually about 120,000 miles. Tester has never shown any water accumulation. I refuse to do, "just in case", maintenance, it is a waste of time and money, and it is not good for the environment.

 

[NETim]

Every time I've flushed the brakes in my vehicles, the old fluid is nasty, yucky rusty brown. I have to think the dark brown color is indicative of rust.

Every 2 to 3 years is what I shoot for.

 

[18CrewDually]

Saw the neatest thing a day or so ago. Kinda takes the guesswork out of the equation.
BSBMIEQM Brake Fluid Liquid Tester, Auto Brake Diagnostic Testing Tool, Hydraulic Fluid Liquid Oil Moisture Analyzer with 5 LED Indicators, Auto Brake Diagnostic Testing Tool for DOT3 DOT4 Brake Fluid https://a.co/d/7xuaL0L

It's your fault now that I'm $12.78 short to my savings.

 

[ibike]

It's your fault now that I'm $12.78 short to my savings.

Me too!

 

[Dean2]

Been using one for years. Considering the cost of brake fluid and the work to bleed modern brake systems, they are a great investment.

 

[ibike]

Interesting - I went 23 years with my Silverado and never gave it a thought.

Yeah. I’ve never changed brake fluid either and I’ve driven some old worn out cars. Maybe replacing brake parts have saved my butt over the years?

 

[ibike]

So being just plain ole mean sometimes, had a bit of fun with a navy buddy once. He came from New York City and I guess he just never needed a car. Finally bought and got his license when he turned 23. Told him to be sure and change the air in his tires every ten thousand miles, or they would rot from the inside out.
Later he told me the shop said he really didn’t need to do that.

 

[Jay P]

So being just plain ole mean sometimes, had a bit of fun with a navy buddy once. He came from New York City and I guess he just never needed a car. Finally bought and got his license when he turned 23. Told him to be sure and change the air in his tires every ten thousand miles, or they would rot from the inside out.
Later he told me the shop said he really didn’t need to do that.

I spent time on Submarines. Every summer we would get midshipmen assigned. After we got underway we would get them all dressed up in a rain suit and life jacket and tell them they were going to get the mail from the mail buoy.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Every time I've flushed the brakes in my vehicles, the old fluid is nasty, yucky rusty brown. I have to think the dark brown color is indicative of rust.

Every 2 to 3 years is what I shoot for.

*Typically* not rust unless you see brown floaty flecks. Contamination from rubber seals and hoses as microscopic bits of rubber let go and water absorbed into the fluid is the primary contributor.


OP-
I change mine every 3 years or so on most vehicles, 2 years on my manual car that shares brake fluid with the clutch. It's cheap, it's easy, and brakes aren't something I try to save a penny on. Fluid that has absorbed water now has a lower boiling point, meaning hot brakes become spongy brakes sooner. Nobody has ever wished they had less braking power available to them...

 

[NETim]

I spent time on Submarines. Every summer we would get midshipmen assigned. After we got underway we would get them all dressed up in a rain suit and life jacket and tell them they were going to get the mail from the mail buoy.

We sent a newbie radioman to every ship on the pier in search of fallopian tubes.

 

[Dean2]

We would get the trainees to unwind the built up stress in the vault combinations. We would have them wrap a 2 foot long string around each of the combination dials on the vault and on the combination protected storage comparments inside. They then had to pull on the string like a starter rope on a chaimsaw and spin each dial 6 times to the left to free them up.

My other favourite was to send them over to the competing bank and ask them for their ledger. Only problem was, one time our trainee ended up talking to their trainee and he actually came back with the ledger. Laugh was on us that time.

 

[Ramfanski]

Every 3 years for me

 

[runamuck]

In my 60 years of driving and owning many cars and trucks I have never had that done on anything but the couple of old fixer-upper cars I owned in my early days. not even the '07 4x4 avalanche I drove for 10 years. my harleys on the otherhand get flush and new every few years especially the ultra classic that has antilock brakes.

 

[Hanover Fiste]

The Brake Fluid Tester, being under $15, and probably made in China--I question the accuracy of the instrument.

I've been a Metrologist for >30 years; just because a manufacturer says something is "+/- X%" accurate doesn't mean it really is when tested.