Should I have the brake fluid changed in my Ford Focus?
I have been driving for 45 years. Normally I buy new and trade in or sell after four or sometimes five years. I do a low annual mileage, a max of 10,000 and as little as 6000 pa. I recently put in my Focus for its 2-year service and turned down a request to change the brake fluid “recommended by Ford.” I have never in all these years of driving changed the brake fluid. Years ago when doing my own servicing I checked the moisture content. Should the garage be doing this before requesting permission to change the fluid? Have I been lucky in all these years? Should I be asking the garage to do a moisture content test?
Yes. They can check moisture content and can also run a check on contaminants. But it's more profitable to simply charge the customer £60 for a change of fluid, sometimes a lot more than £60. Contaminants in brake fluid can damage the valves in the ABS module.
Answered by Honest John on
