[themoose]

I think one of the most neglected maintenance items on most cars is the brake fluid.We religiously change our oil , monitor our coolant level and condition,make sure the transmission and rear differential have plenty fluid but most people totally forget about one of the most important fluids in the car... the break fluid. Because most brake fluid has an affinity for water it's doubly important to make sure that it's changed on a regular basis. When I worked in the automobile service business we often found failures of brake components that could have been prevented with a simple flush and replacement of fluid. I have actually seen steel brake lines that looked perfectly good on the outside but failed because of being rusted from the inside out. The new silicone fluids don't have this problem but they can present issues of their own especially when retrofitting a vintage car. I still like using the standard type fluid in my car but I make sure I flush it out and renew it every two years. I'm attaching a PDF file written by Michael Grant that goes into length about the performance of brake fluid and what happens to the chemical structure as the fluid ages. Its probably more that you really need to know on the subject but what the heck... go ahead and read the whole thing and impress your friend with your newly acquired knowledge.

Moose