Brake Fluid Replacement Appropriate For All Vehicles
By LARRY HECKER & BRETT WINBERG

As a follow up from last week’s issue that addressed the issues of testing your brake fluid, we have come up with some additional information to pass on to you and your customers from the Automotive Maintenance & Repair Association (AMRA).

The AMRA recommends to all vehicle owners that brake fluid be tested for contamination at OEM recommended brake system inspection intervals and that a brake fluid replacement service be performed, for most vehicles, when testing shows that copper content exceeds 200 ppm (parts per million). The AMRA Maintenance Service Task Force reached its conclusion after extensive study of industry data, including a review of SAE Papers, US Government reports (NHTSA & NIST) and independent laboratory studies, among other resources.

It is a known fact that brake fluid is designed to protect against corrosion of the system materials it contacts, and that those corrosion inhibitors deplete over time. The data showed that this increased presence of copper contamination predetermines the rapid growth of iron contamination and corrosion that has been shown to impede future brake system performance.

AMRA has not excluded moisture testing as a procedure to determine whether or not the brake fluid should be changed. The Task Force continues to seek additional information from brake fluid manufactures and other technical experts to identify the point of vaporization that may seriously affect braking efficiency and safety.

AMRA’s Task Force presented its recommendation, along with others, and with extensive supporting materials, to members of the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA). NACCA’s members include regulators and enforcers of consumer-oriented laws, including those that affect automotive and truck repair. For more information on this subject send an email to: amra@motorist.org

Testing Strips Update
Wagner® Brake no longer offers their test strips. However, Wagner has come back with a unique piece of testing equipment for testing moisture in your brake fluid. The piece of equipment is accurate to +/- 1% and is very simple to use. It is a hand held device that gets it power supply from the vehicle 12V or 24V. This system measures DOT 3 and 4 Brake Fluids, but it is not recommended for DOT 5. The part number to this piece of equipment is: Wagner #F300450 and be purchased from most auto parts suppliers.

We have also found a company that does offer the testing strips for the simplicity of testing your brake fluid. This company is called FASCAR®. FASCAR® is a simple visual test to determine contamination level of a vehicles brake fluid. Just dip the strips reaction zone into the brake fluid and compare it to the rating chart. Strips retain their color so it can be stapled to a work order. Quick and accurate - Test takes only 30 to 120 seconds.

We found many sites offering these test strips by simply searching for the phrase “brake-fluid test strips” in your favorite search engine.

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