roblatus

My Octy is two years old at the end of the month and i think i am right in saying that it needs a brake fluid change.

Now i am thinking of getting some uprated fluid put in this time seeing as i have my remap now. If i go to my main dealer to get it done can i secify a higher spec fluid or will they just stick with the normal stuff?

What spec if the "standard" fluid and what would be a good upgrade?

Also any idea as to how much it will be?

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1998 Mazda Roadster 1.8 RS Spec. spending a lot of time sideways

sparky2

You can have the fluid checked for water absorbancy at the garage by dipping a hand held meter in the reservior as the fluid is hydroscopic and will show if its good or bad, I think its a con to change the fluid every 2 years as modern fluids are improving !

vrs180

The dealer told me that the warranty would be invalid if I did not let them change the brake fluid on my two year old Octy vRS, which had only done 10K

I agree with sparky2, two yearly change intervals is a little bit O.T.T

I was concerned that the brake caliper paint might be damaged during the fluid change but the dealer assured me that they use DOT4 brake fluid which is not supposed to damage paintwork like the lower spec DOT3.

So I reluctantly paid up to have the fluid changed........not sure if it was actually done.....they did not sign and date the "brake fluid change sticker" under the bonnet

paulwakinshaw

TBH a fluid change in our climate is best done every 12 months. Most people will never tell the difference when the fluid is changed (unless there was air in the system before making the brakes soft) until they start using the brakes with some force.

I tracked my car for the first time in September and it had a fluid change in the May, the car had only covered 1000 miles between the new fluid going in and the trackday and I managed to pretty much boil it in the first session! That was with Super DOT4 in an Elise, which weighs 730kg...!!!!

A good choice of fluid would be a good super DOT4 with a high boiling point. they can be bought from most good motor factors or Halfords and are not that expensive. Silicone based fluids are the next setp but are very expensive and it is a bit of a heartache having to bleed your whole system and watching this new expensive fluid being pumped out of the calipers when your are trying to get the last bit of air out!

roblatus

thanks for the replies but what i want to know is what spec fluid do the dealers use? Is it Super dot 4? If not can i still get it done at the dealers but specify a Super dot 4 but one that meets the VW specs?

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1998 Mazda Roadster 1.8 RS Spec. spending a lot of time sideways

TaviaRS

If you want to upgrade, get some Castrol Super RS (or is it RS Super?) it is a Super DOT 4 which has a higher wet and dry boiling point than normal DOT4 that comes as standard. About £10 per litre (you need, IIRC 1.7l) from Halfords.

Dealer will put it in for you.

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A jolly sensible Mercedes E class saloon in a rather fetching bluey grey colour. No it isn't fast, no it isn't modded, and yes, it will still eat your Fabia for breakfast.

Official mobile chicane for Briskoda trackdays

SkodiRS

To add to what Jon has said...dealer can use their fluid change machine as it's compatible with normal DOT4.

Regarding silicon based fluids...don't you have to change these more often?

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Adrian.

roblatus

are there any warranty implications if i use castrol instead of VW/Skoda stuff???

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1998 Mazda Roadster 1.8 RS Spec. spending a lot of time sideways

TaviaRS

Not come across any as yet, mainly as brakes ain't covered by warranty anyway as they are a wear and tear item. I've been running uprated fluid for the last 4 years in mine and 240,000 miles with no problems.

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A jolly sensible Mercedes E class saloon in a rather fetching bluey grey colour. No it isn't fast, no it isn't modded, and yes, it will still eat your Fabia for breakfast.

Official mobile chicane for Briskoda trackdays

sparky2

The only way damp can enter the fluid is by entering the filler/top up reservoir so if you test that, the rest should be OK ! as for them changing your fluid check the bleed nipples on the calipers and they should be nice and clean

roblatus

Phoned my loal dealer up today. They quoted me around £50 for a Standard fluid change which uses standard dot 4.

They said that was all they had, or supplied and it was the only stuff they used anyway but i could provide my own fluid and they would charge me around £30 to do the job.

Went to a local garage and asked for a quote to do the fluid change they quted £23 + vat to do the job using Dot 4. I aksed about Super Dot 4 and the guy said he had never heard of it And that the normal dot 4 had a boiling temp of 200 deg C. He also reckons it could cause problems with my ABS by putting upgraded stuff in because if there were traces of the "old" stuff still left they may not mix correctly.

Also tried a local non franchised VAG specialist, they quoted £64 for a super dot 4 fluid change.


Going to try some other places i think.

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1998 Mazda Roadster 1.8 RS Spec. spending a lot of time sideways

piv34uk

Wrong... brake fluid absorbs water/moisture through the cap and brake hoses i`m afraid, something to do with it being hygoscopic (not hydro). Rubber is porous Most cars i test these days boil the fluid around the 140/150 degree mark.. we normally change it if it boils below 180
Roblatus we normally charge £45 for a fluid change including fluid and vat

Phil

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1)RED ONE, FEW MODS; AND A HEALTHY 237bhp
2)GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, 2ND OWNER OF THE BLACK BEAST, GOD WHAT A HOOT
LACK OF PLANNING ON YOUR BEHALF DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMERGENCY ON MINE

sparky2

OK stand corrected, but the whole point of this is you CAN have the fluid checked without changing the brake fluid ! so I can see in the future that garages will be changing the brake hoses, I can see that if you have a performance car that you are pushing things to the extreme so would need uprated fluid but on your bogstandard car checking the fluid boiling piont should suffice !

Esabogal

The dealer on my country puts DOT 5.1

And replaces it every 2 years or 20k km.

DGW

Interesting. How many dealers are there in Colombia?

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Denis

2002 Octavia 1.8T 4X4 turbo Estate - rebreathed on by Jabba ... 31.93mpg
2007 Fabia vRS - CC, ESP and full leather trim by Seat Surgeons ...48.57 mpg...