How to check brake fluid?
It is advisable to check the state of the brake fluid every 10,000 km. As a general rule, brake fluid should be replaced every 50,000 km (or every 2 years).
Your vehicle's service manual will give you more precise information about how frequently the brake fluid should be checked and changed and what type of fluid should be used.
If you find anything out of the ordinary, contact your usual garage.
Checking brake fluid recommendations: as brake fluid is a hazardous fluid, we recommend you to bring the used cans to a toxic waste center for disposal.
Before you begin:
- Refer to your service manual in order to locate the brake fluid reservoir. Its location depends on the type of car you have. The brake booster is on the driver’s side of your vehicle, usually up near the firewall. Just in front of that, sitting on and connected to the brake master cylinder, is the brake fluid reservoir, usually a plastic canister like the one shown here. Older vehicles don’t have a plastic reservoir; instead, the master cylinder is a little metal box with a lid that you must remove to check the fluid level.
- Make sure that your car is on a stable and horizontal surface.
- Ensure that the engine is cold – i.e., switched off – before taking a reading.
How to check the brake fluid level:
- The brake fluid container is made of transparent plastic so you can directly check its level by looking at it.
- Visually check the fluid's level. It should never be below the "minimum" level. Your brake fluid should not get used up when your vehicle is in use.
- So if the level falls, it means that there is a leak in your circuit.
- In this case, we recommend that you go to your garage mechanic immediately so that they can find the leak.
- This will avoid problems braking and prevent serious risks for both you and other motorists.
Now that you've seen your brake fluid container empty, here is ELF's brake fluids for your car!