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Brake Fluid Flush - How much would you pay?

26K views 23 replies 20 participants last post by  URDRWHO 
#1 ·
I've reached 30k and the dealer keeps bothering me about getting the brake fluid flushed.



They want $135. That seems way steep to me.


What would you pay for a brake fluid flush?


Thanks!
 
#2 ·
They want $135. That seems way steep to me.
That seems reasonable to me ... if they're actually flushing the entire system and not just topping up the fluid reservoir. Labor required should be 3/4 to 1 hour, and allow at least $10 for fresh brake fluid.
 
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#3 ·
Be aware that most dealers only syphon out the old fluid and replace it.

If they are syphoning out the old fluid, replacing it and then bleeding the system until the fresh fluid arrives at each brake nipple $135 is a reasonable price.

Seagrass
 
#4 ·
I don't think dealer will do that route, what their concern is to make money. They just syphoning the old fluid and top it off.
 
#5 ·
#9 ·
It does say R in that column (for replace). Footnote says that if it's in a mountainous region, every 15K.

There is also a nice table of that stuff in the warranty and maintenance booklet.... if you can't find the paper copy, logon to mysubaru, go to the service section where you view the service history... scroll way down and there is a link to the PDF for your model year... table is near the end of the document.




To the original post - if that's a full flush with new fluid, that price is not unreasonable. about 16oz of fluid would be needed, no special instructions for bleeding of the ABS module or anything like that - just a standard bleed until fresh fluid comes out at each wheel.
 
#12 ·
I really doubt any legitimate dealer is just going to take out some fluid in the mc with a turkey baster and replace the fluid. I did it on my wife's benz and the proper way with any modern abs system is to use a pressure bleeder on the MC and go to each caliper to bleed until new fluid reaches it.

The motive bleeder cost me $135 alone, so if you don't want to do it yourself, I don't think what they are charging is that bad if done correctly.

I prefer to do all my own maintenance so I bought the right tool for the job.
 
#14 ·
I am not so sure at least with the MB write ups I have seen on those forums you need the pressure bleeder (and most modern ABS systems). To comply with that warranty the price was a small price to pay. I also maintain 7 cars in my household so I use it often.
 
#18 ·
I paid $140 and noticed no difference in brake feel. I suspect they changed the fluid in the master cylinder and didn't bleed the system. Car was only in service bay for 30 minutes and that included an oil change and system inspection.
 
#19 ·
Out of curiosity I searched the Phoenix area for brake system flushes. Found one dealership running a $80 coupon deal (normally $99) Here's what it said in the ad "This includes brake fluid flush service where we remove the old expired brake fluid from the system and replace it with fresh new fluid approved by Subaru and the Department of Transportation." I don't know if there's enough weasel words in the statement to interpret this as removing just MC fluid but it sounds like it's a system flush
 
#20 ·
Don't be too trusting of dealerships, I've worked in service departments my whole life, it is usually a total crapshoot. Whether they actually flush the system or just swap the fluid in the master cylinder depends on how dirty the fluid is, who is working on the car, what kind of day they are having, if the service department is busy, if you are having other work done, etc. I wouldn't blindly trust that they will do an actual flush. That said, all I do with my own cars is drain and refill the master cylinder once a year. The master usually makes up 40-60% of the system's capacity anyways. Changing out just the master cylinder is certainly better than doing nothing at all. And honestly if you do that, you are probably doing more than 90% of people out there. You can do it yourself even if you aren't the least bit mechanically inclined, and it takes all of 5 minutes.

It is true that the worst fluid is near the calipers themselves, but it can be bled out easily. Crack the bleeders and just let the fluid closest to the calipers drain out until it starts appearing a little cleaner. I won't explain the whole process, there are a million YouTube videos on it (EricTheCarGuy has a pretty good one, on a Subaru ironically). My point is, you don't need to flush the entire system, just get the worst of it out.

Also, the second worst area for fluid contamination is in the master cylinder, so again, if you change only the master cylinder fluid, it's a lot better than doing nothing.
 
#21 ·
If you do can do an oil change, you can flush your brake fluid. I have a Motive Black Euro bleeder plus a Motive Nissan/Subaru machined adapter. This kit from AMZN will work on the Subaru without the need for another adapter cap. I will replace the brake fluid in our 17 Outback close to next Fall. Flushing/replacing brake fluid is good maintenance. If you are not comfortable, dealer prices in the @$150 range is not unreasonable once every 2 to 3 years; just make sure they flush the fluid out of every caliper bleeder.
https://www.amazon.com/Motive-Products-Bleeder-Japanese-Korean/dp/B0119DDIE6/ref=sr_1_15?crid=6OO3D6H4555&keywords=motive+power+bleeder&qid=1553567414&s=gateway&sprefix=motive+%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-15
 
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#22 ·
I'm a pretty religious fluid changer and live in a pretty hilly area. I do a legit flush (each caliper gets fresh fluid to it) not a top off or drain/fill reservoir. I do mine at every brake/rotor change. And that has been plenty good for lots of cars through my life.

$135 I would make sure they aren't just drain/fill reservoir.
 
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