How Often Does My Brake Fluid Need a Flush?

A brake is used to slow down a vehicle to a stop. When the driver steps on the brake pedal, the force is transmitted from the car to the brake calipers and pads through a fluid. The fluid travels to slave cylinders at each wheel and fills them, forcing pistons out to apply the brakes. Brakes transmit force to tires by using friction. Modern vehicle have a hydraulic brake system on all four wheels. There are two types of brakes; disk or drum brakes.

What is brake fluid?

Brake fluid is a type of hydraulic fluid used in brakes and hydraulic clutch applications in automobiles. It is used to transfer force applied to the brake pedal by the driver into pressure exerted on the brake system, and to intensify braking power. Brake fluid is efficient and works because liquids are not appreciably compressible. Additionally brake fluid serves as a lubricant for all removable parts and prevents corrosion, which allows braking systems to function for longer periods of time.

How often should brake fluid be flushed?

Brake fluid should be changed every two years, this prevents brake failure and maintains the boiling point at a safe level. Periodic flushing and refilling is necessary for car maintenance.

Brake fluid needs to be flushed because the brake system is not indestructible. The rubber in the valves in the components of the brake system eventually deteriorates. These sediments end up in the brake fluid, or the fluid itself gets old and worn out. Moisture can invade the brake system, which can lead to rust formation. Eventually, the rust will flake off, into the brake fluid. These flakes or sediments can cause brake fluid to have a brown, sudsy and muddy appearance. If not flushed this causes a brake system to be ineffective and have decreased stopping power.


Next Step

Schedule Brake System Flush

The most popular service booked by readers of this article is Brake System Flush. YourMechanic’s technicians bring the dealership to you by performing this job at your home or office 7-days a week between 7AM-9PM. We currently cover over 2,000 cities and have 100k+ 5-star reviews... LEARN MORE

SEE PRICING & SCHEDULING

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

Recent Brake System Flush reviews

Excellent Rating

(2,765)

Rating Summary
2,612
91
18
10
34
2,612
91
18
10
34

Patrick

34 years of experience
1579 reviews
Patrick
34 years of experience
Toyota Camry L4-2.5L - Brake System Flush - Austin, Texas
Patrick shows up on time and works fast. He is thorough gives excellent advice. He’s pleasant and takes time to answer questions. I’ve used him many times and will continue to do so.
Jeep Grand Cherokee - Brake System Flush - Austin, Texas
Patrick was amazing and fast and my car running great! No issues. He was great to work with and I feel like the price was very fair.

Pardeep

22 years of experience
1277 reviews
Pardeep
22 years of experience
Scion xB L4-2.4L - Brake System Flush - San Jose, California
Pardeep was very professional. Finished all works in a timely manner. Will again avail of his services when the need arises. Highly recommended.
BMW X1 - Brake System Flush - Saratoga, California
Pardeep is highly competent, professional and neat. Very knowledgable about my BMWs. Never left any traces of oil drops any time when he was done. I specifically picked Pardeep's service every time I booked.

David

16 years of experience
93 reviews
David
16 years of experience
Chevrolet Impala V6-3.9L - Brake System Flush - Concord, California
Great job!! David made sure everything was completed correctly double check make sure there is no leaks, besides the great job that David did I noticed David cleaned up after himself make sure that there was no mess left behind and I would have to say that was one of the top three most important things to me!! I definitely will be using your mechanic for any future Automotive needs and I would definitely promote your mechanic to others that need Automotive work done...
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 - Brake System Flush - Pittsburg, California
David is great. Explains everything you want to know. Very patient with questions. High quality work. A great experience.

Peter

29 years of experience
592 reviews
Peter
29 years of experience
Ford Escape L4-2.5L - Brake System Flush - Northridge, California
Peter was a sweetheart! He arrived promptly and got to work. He explained everything carefully to me so that I could pass it on to my son. The most important items were completed and my son now has to decide the order of the future items he must take care of. We are so glad we had no pressure to get everything done at once, which would be difficult for my son. We look forward to booking Peter again.

Need Help With Your Car?

Our certified mobile mechanics make house calls in over 2,000 U.S. cities. Fast, free online quotes for your car repair.

GET A QUOTE

Related articles

How to Check the 5 Essential Fluids in Your Car
Checking your oil and adding engine coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and windshield washer fluid are essential for maintaining your car.
How to Replace a Hydro-Boost Brake Booster
Diesel engines require a brake booster that is different from vehicles with engine vacuum. The hydro-boost unit uses power steering fluid pressure.
How to Bleed Car Brakes
Bleeding brakes removes trapped air from the car brake system and flushes old fluid and contaminants. Bleed brakes when the brake pedal is spongy.

Related questions

Rain water trapped underneath car
Hi, first off is there any more information about the water you can give us? The car has drainage areas for water to flow through which can get clogged up with debris and leaves. Water will build up and can...
My left rear tire locks up when I push the brakes
You might want to check the installation of the rear brake shoes (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/brake-shoes-rear-replacement) to make sure they were installed correctly. There is a primary and secondary shoe. The front shoe is the primary and the smaller shoe compared to the...
Passenger side tire locked up while driving. But will move fine in reverse.
Hi there. The brake caliper (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/brake-caliper-replacement) seems to have come loose on one side make the caliper rotate with the rotor and sit normal in the reverse direction. Check the caliper bolts and see if one of them had fallen...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (855) 347-2779 · hi@yourmechanic.com