On my 2011 Prius maintenance schedule, there is plenty of direction about inspecting brakes; however, there is no indication of when to flush and replace the brake fluid. My wife travels 60 miles/workday, but hits her brakes about 6 times/day. I would expect that normal braking would result in pad replacements more regularly than we are going to have. I did most of the 60K inspection, but took the car to a trusted, local mechanic for undercarriage inspection and a professional look-see. They indicated that the brake fluid should be replaced every 3 years, and I OK'd a flush and refill. Is there any professional guidance on the replacement interval? I know there are a lot of opinions, but I wonder if there is any published authority. Thanks!
Brake fluid should be changed at 100k miles. But it wouldn't hurt to do it more often at every 3 years. Some people never change their fluid either. So do what you wish. Toyota recommends at 100k
As for brake fluid flush, I'd examine the fluid in the reservoir, and flush it when it appears cloudy or darkens. As long as it is clear and original color, I'd leave it be. The main thing you're concerned about is contaminants (water, particles) that could impact the ABS components.
I agree with FuelMiser above. Brake fluid should be CLEAR in color when healthy. You can purchase brake fluid test strips here: that test the health of the fluid. I usually change the fluid in all of my vehicles every 3 years or so in my area. Remember the brake fluid changes color due to contaminants and with the absorption of water.
Brake fluid at the brake calipers takes a beating on all cars. Granted the Prius is easy on the brakes, it too gets beat-up, albeit not much. When I performed the brake fluid flush (100K miles), the initial fluid from the rear brake drum cylinder and front disc brake calipers came out a little dark vs new fluid. Using the color of the fluid in the master cylinder reservoir is a bad way to gauge the service life of the fluid in the system. It's easy enough to change if you have the mini VCI cable and the tech stream software. DOT 3 Brake fluid is CHEAP, why not change it out very so often? Art's Automotive makes a compelling reason to flush out the brake fluid every so often. Link. Art makes a compelling point using Toyota's own service schedule: Lexus RX400h has a 30,000mile brake flush recommendation. Toyota Hughlander Hybrid, no such recommendation. It is your car and money, but compelling points to consider.
With Hondas my experience has never been over $100. I saw a newspaper ad from Open Road Toyo within the last couple of years, think it was around $80. A caution, the last time I got a Honda done, they handed it back to me with one rear corner disfunctional, and two bleed caps awol. You need to be careful, vigilant. Ask if they've test driven it, etcetera.
I remember someone posted $100 or $150 for Prius brake fluid flush at a dealer near them. Even if you don't have a lot of tools, the mini VCI is invaluable. I was able to turn the HV Battery fan setting to the highest level, so now I know what the battery fan sounds like, as this is a common occurrence when the HV battery goes bad amongst other things. Going rate for Toyota dealers to read codes in my area is $100-$150. You can buy the mini VCI cable from Amazon ($27) or eBay. You just need an old windows XP(32bit) or Win 7(32bit) laptop; Mac laptop needs some Windows emulation software. You will now have the same ability to get the same info as the dealer. Hit up friends who are in IT, as they probably have access to old obsolete laptops lying around. Craigslist and eBay has lots of old laptops for sale. Tigerdirect.com and NewEgg.com has off lease laptops for sale on a regular basis. This tool could be used on all Toyota's (and Lexus I believe). The most recent tech stream software version would be required for the latest Toy/Lexus model vehicles. Your friends w/ Toy/Lex vehicles will love you when they need to have a code read. This might put things into perspective. Reading codes: ($27 + laptop) vs dealer fee.
DOT3 fluid is a minimum standard. DOT4 meets the DOT3 standard and is compatible when mixed with DOT3. Just don't use DOT5, which is non-compatible with DOT3 or DOT4.
Hmmm, $70 for test strips. You already have the car up and the wheel off to get that small amt of brake fluid out. Why not just flush it out. And if you are using miniVCI, no reason why you shouldn't flush. Wrongmart has a gallon of DOT3 for $15 or $20, depending on brand you choose; $70/$15=4.6 flushes, $70/$20=3.5flushes.
I'll be taking my 2010 in for the 90K service soon. Should I also get the brake fluid flushed? The dealer's website (Autonation) shows a charge of $69.95 for this service.
Yes, but verify they don't do like some Dealerships and just turkey baste out the master cylinder. Make sure they hook up the computer and do a "total flush".
Brake fluid should be changed based on time interval rather than mileage, usually every three years. The fluid absorbs moisture, and as it does so the boiling point lowers, making the brakes less resistant to fade. You can get by without changing it if you never brake repeatedly (unless you're using a fluid that is known to corrode, like Castrol, and must be changed every few years), but if you're a "better safe than sorry" type, it's a good idea to change it.
