annual break fluid replacement

[apvbguy]

have you seen this? apparently Nissan recommends that the break fluid be replaces yearly/15k miles

http://insideevs.com/heres-nissan-recommends-changing-leaf-brake-fluid-annually/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[kaikara]

They recommend replacing the brake fluid yearly on the severe schedule. On the normal schedule it is every two years or 30,000 miles.

There has been much discussion on this and even on severe schedule yearly replacement of the brake fluid probably doesn't have to be done. Every two years is probably not even needed unless you have done huge mileage. IMO it is a bone thrown to the dealerships because there is so little maintenance to do on an EV. There are testers or test strips that can be used to test the fluid. There is no point in replacing something that is still perfectly functional.

 

[EVDRIVER]

have you seen this? apparently Nissan recommends that the break fluid be replaces yearly/15k miles

http://insideevs.com/heres-nissan-recommends-changing-leaf-brake-fluid-annually/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Was posted in 2011. Seems excessive unless you live on an island and use the ABS daily.

 

[garsh]

IMO it is a bone thrown to the dealerships because there is so little maintenance to do on an EV.

Exactly.

There are testers or test strips that can be used to test the fluid.

I bought a pack of Fascar Strip Dip brake fluid testing strips. I just tested it last week. My 2.5 year-old Leaf scored a '10'. EV's are pretty gentle on brakes.
My 5 y.o. minivan, however, scored a 100. I'll probably get the fluid replaced in it next year.

 

[Bob]

This is just a theory, but as of 2010, when the Leaf manual was written, there weren't a lot of "Leaf*miles" accumulated. In other words, Nissan didn't have a lot of history on long term brake life on many EVs like the Leaf.

So perhaps they wrote the maintenance recommendations being very conservative, in the interest of safety.

Today, with >100K Leafs on the road and many Leafs with >>50K miles, the data could be available, but Nissan has no reason to go back and check brake fluid life. They won't sell more cars by revising the maintenance interval to longer time between brake fluid changes. It will cost them time and money to study brake fluid life. So they leave it as is and don't give their support team any reason to change their story.

You could theorize that they have a reason to cover their eyes, but that assumes malicious intent rather than just cheapness and unwillingness to perform another study. We will probably never know for sure which it is.

Can anyone share their data with us about what was found when they had their brake fluid changed? How many miles were on the car and was the old fluid tested? And was the car in a humid climate like Miami, or a dry climate like Phoenix?

Bob

 

[Slow1]

Of course the worry here is that if I don't follow the recommendations then if any part of the brake system fails I may have to argue if it is in warranty or not....

 

[TomT]

At three years (the last time I tested it) it was a 10... My last ICE was a 30 at three, when I sold it.

I bought a pack of Fascar Strip Dip brake fluid testing strips. I just tested it last week. My 2.5 year-old Leaf scored a '10'. EV's are pretty gentle on brakes.
My 5 y.o. minivan, however, scored a 100. I'll probably get the fluid replaced in it next year.

 

[downeykp]

It's a waste of money. Other threads have talked about how long the brakes last because of regeneration. This is just Nissan's way of making money on a car that requires very little maintenance.

 

[TomT]

They would have to prove that was the reason for the failure... I seriously doubt they would even check the frequency.

Of course the worry here is that if I don't follow the recommendations then if any part of the brake system fails I may have to argue if it is in warranty or not....

 

[EVDRIVER]

It's a waste of money. Other threads have talked about how long the brakes last because of regeneration. This is just Nissan's way of making money on a car that requires very little maintenance.

Brake fluid life has noting to do with the regen saving brake wear, they are not related and EV vs non-EV is has no relevance in this case. I believe the LEAF uses a pump system on the brakes which could shorten the fluid life quicker. This is more of a system design and function issue. My truck fluid was fine after 7 years but my LEAF fluid changed quite a bit in the first year due to high moisture levels. Regardless I did not touch it even after 3 years.

 

[downeykp]

That might be well and true, but there is no way that the fluid needs to be changed every 15,000 mi.

It's a waste of money. Other threads have talked about how long the brakes last because of regeneration. This is just Nissan's way of making money on a car that requires very little maintenance.

Brake fluid life has noting to do with the regen saving brake wear, they are not related and EV vs non-EV is has no relevance in this case. I believe the LEAF uses a pump system on the brakes which could shorten the fluid life quicker. This is more of a system design and function issue. My truck fluid was fine after 7 years but my LEAF fluid changed quite a bit in the first year due to high moisture levels. Regardless I did not touch it even after 3 years.

 

[Stoaty]

My truck fluid was fine after 7 years but my LEAF fluid changed quite a bit in the first year due to high moisture levels. Regardless I did not touch it even after 3 years.

If the fluid had high moisture levels, why didn't you change it? I thought that was the whole reason to change brake fluid--to keep the moisture level down.

 

[jelloslug]

What is the recommend replacement interval on other Nissan vehicles?

 

[EVDRIVER]

My truck fluid was fine after 7 years but my LEAF fluid changed quite a bit in the first year due to high moisture levels. Regardless I did not touch it even after 3 years.

If the fluid had high moisture levels, why didn't you change it? I thought that was the whole reason to change brake fluid--to keep the moisture level down.

Because I was lazy frankly Just did my 05 truck thinking it was trashed and was told it was fine. My oil was a constant horror from heating and cooling in the high humidity, low use and short trips due to owning many EVs over the years.