The braking on my S-Type seems very soft. I recently had the oil changed and the car inspected, no brake wear was mentioned but they did recommend my brake fluid be flushed ($99). I assumed this was a typical upsell and declined.

A couple of weeks later I had to get my washer pump repaired at the dealer. They too did not say I needed new brakes but that I did need my brake fluid flushed ($139). that got me thinking that maybe I need to do this.

Would changing the brake fluid make the braking feel different? I had thought I would wait until I replaced the brakes but I don't want to spend that much until I really need to.

 

I must reference your other post on oil changes...... Considering how often the car sits, this is no surprise... I need to flush the brake fluid on the Dodge every couple years. Somehow, with all the sitting, moisture gets in the system and if not corrected will do plenty of damage. Sounds to me that your oil change place actually knows what they are doing....

 

Thanks, I think you are right that they know what they are doing. I think I'll take the recommendation and get the brake fluid flushed. Their price is way better than the dealer's too!

 

reddwarf, odds are with the car sitting, you are getting a little bit of air into the brake system. You can do the brake fluid swap yourself. IT is really easy to do. All you need is an 8mm wrench, some 3/16" clear tubing, an old glass jar, and some masking tape. Beyond that, you need a jack, jackstand, and a wrench for the lugnuts.

All you end up doing is getting a corner of the car on the jackstand, remove the tire and then connect the tube up to the bleed port on the caliper and run it up to the top of the wheel well, tape it in place and then let the other end dangle inside the glass jar placed on the ground. Then open up the bleed port and pump the brakes a few times. Add some brake fluid and keep repeating till you see the fluid change color and you get all the air bubbles out. Then close the bleed port and remove the tubing.

The "hardest" part of it all is not letting the brake reservior empty. So, watch and count the number of brake pedal pushes and go from there. The only other tidbit to keep in mind is you want to start with the passenger rear wheel (furthest from the brake reservior), then go to the driver's side rear wheel, then passenger side front wheel, finally the driver's front wheel. As you get closer to the brake reservior, it will take fewer pumps to get the fluid to change color. You should be able to do the fluid change for like $10.

 

Update:

I took the car in to the Oil Change place and got the brake fluid flush. Cost $99 + tax and I got a $ 10 rebate from Valvoline. I have not driven it enough to tell if the braking feels any different. I did notice a bit of squeaking when I stopped quickly so as I have suspected I think it is nearing time to get new rots and pads. Thinking about buying the rotors and pads on-line (maybe EBC brand?) and having a mechanic install.

Any thoughts?

Thanks everyone!