Brake Fluid service at 1 year (10K miles) - yes or no?

My wife and I both have 2015 Leaf's. Her one year service was last month. The dealership strong-armed her into doing the brake fluid flush (which the manual recommends for "severe" driving). They charged close to $200 for it. They said it was "essential" because of the regenerative braking feature.

My one year service is coming up. I don't think my driving is "severe." I drive always in Eco - and almost always in B mode. I try to anticipate when I have to slow down and will (usually) coast to a stop (sometimes a complete stop) without touching the brake pedal. In short, I use regenerative braking all the time - but don't actually use the brake pedal nearly as much or as often as I do with my gas automobiles.

I can see how if I used the brake pedal a lot, I might need the brake fluid flush at 1 year (about 10K miles). But, given my driving style, do you think I need that service? I actually think my brake fluid in the Leaf may be in better shape than the brake fluid in a gas car that has 10K miles after one year.

And, out of curiosity, was the service manager at Nissan correct when he said that the brake fluid is used whenever you are using regenerative braking - even if you aren't touching the brake pedal?

Thanks for helping to answer this question (and sorry to reveal my ignorance in how regenerative braking works).

I didn't do it, and most people here have not. The regenerative braking should be LESS hard on the brake fluid if anything. After all the regenerative system doesn't use the brake fluid and replaces a LOT of friction braking. I would not only not get the brake flush done, but I would find a new dealer for service.

I have not done this either. My 2011 works perfectly fine. Brake fluid service is just a way for Nissan to make money on a car that really does not have any maintenance. Outside of tire rotations and a cabin filter there is nothing more to do.

Brake fluid absorbs moisture from air and needs to be changed periodically to minimize deterioration of the hydraulic system (includes the ABS system and pressure pump for power assist). How often is the question. Every 2 years is probably conservative in my dry climate, but the pedal feel is firmer after the service and it keeps the warranty intact. $200 is a lot more than my dealer charges so I suggest you shop around. Your dealer is also misleading you when he claims that regeneration uses the brake fluid--brake fluid is strictly for the friction brakes.

Nissan probably specifies the frequent fluid service to minimize their liability in case of brake fade on long downhill drives without regeneration.

Gerry

Given that brake fluid is hydrophilic (attracts water) and rarely used in a Leaf compared to an ICE vehicle, it needs to be changed on the basis of time more than use. (In fact it is not used in regeneration, but not used as much Because of regen.) I think the 2 year flushing recommendation makes sense, but $200 is out of the ball park. Its not a process special to the Leaf and I am sure if you shop around you can find a qualified, quality shop to do it. Those who rightfully say the Leaf's brake fluid doesn't need changing due to lack of use discount the hydrophilics. I don't. I agree with Nissan's two year recommendation. I feel the dealer did a "ca ching" in your wife's case and lowed themselves to the level of Jiffy Lube.

I'd threaten to sue them for making fraudulent claims unless they refund a significant portion of that 200!

Second you can buy break fluid moisture testers for pretty cheap.

Does it need to be replaced? Yes

How often? Depends on climate and break use (Lots of down hill, and hard stops.

How hard to do is it? Very easy once you under stand the process, just a pain int he rear some times.

Special tools? a wrench and a container some tubing and a check valve and a couple bottles new fluid.

Usually can be don in under an hour with just your self and some jack stands and a jack.

Every three years is just fine...

TomT said:

Every three years is just fine...

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+1 on that; I have my non-Nissan local mechanic check the brake fluid to see if it needs changing when I have him rotate the tires ... as the OEM tires wear out so quickly, I get free rotations as I bought them from him as well; can't remember what he charged in the past for a brake fluid flush, but wasn't anywhere near that for my ICE cars --- another mark up dealers do is for the auto transmissions fluid change but at least we don't need to worry about those with the LEAF.

Brake fluid has all to do with condition, like antifreeze. What affects it is the absorption of water, and if the fluid gets dark in color. New and "good" brake fluid should be clear or yellowish in color. When it starts looking like iced tea brown, then it may be time to think about changing it. The other factor is how much water the fluid absorbs. That can only be measured by a "brake fluid tester". Here is a link to buying one so that YOU can tell the mechanic that you don't need a brake fluid change...

http://www.amazon.com/Brake-Fluid-Tester-calibrated-fluids/dp/B005HVG4GQ

Being charged $200 for fluid ONLY, high. If they charged for checking other systems, then the $200 would not be out of line. Checking things at the dealer costs $$.

I found this as a good comparison to what it costs...

https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/brake-system-flush

good luck. I am a long time home mechanic and have been servicing my many cars for 40 years. I would tell all leaf owners to be careful about any "recommended services" that any mechanic tells you to get. If you look at the recommended services for the Leaf, almost all are "check" services. Check brakes, wiper wash fluid, 12v battery, brake fluid levels. Also, there are almost no things you HAVE TO DO ON THAT DAY. Tell them you will think about it before you put down money.

Turnover said:

Given that brake fluid is hydrophilic (attracts water) and rarely used in a Leaf compared to an ICE vehicle, it needs to be changed on the basis of time more than use. (In fact it is not used in regeneration, but not used as much Because of regen.) I think the 2 year flushing recommendation makes sense, but $200 is out of the ball park. Its not a process special to the Leaf and I am sure if you shop around you can find a qualified, quality shop to do it. Those who rightfully say the Leaf's brake fluid doesn't need changing due to lack of use discount the hydrophilics. I don't. I agree with Nissan's two year recommendation. I feel the dealer did a "ca ching" in your wife's case and lowed themselves to the level of Jiffy Lube.

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FYI, The correct term is "Hygroscopic".

The fluid attracts moisture from the air and that's why it eventually needs to be flushed and replaced. Too much moisture in the fluid will corrode internal components, and also lowers the boiling point of the fluid, which can be dangerous. If the fluid boils from hot brakes (for example, on a long mountain descent), you can suddenly loose braking.

That being said, this takes some time to develop. The only exposure to atmosphere is via a small breather in the reservoir cap that allows expansion and contraction. I too opt for a 2-year interval. There are test strips you can purchase in an autoparts store that will show you the level of moisture and eliminate guesswork so you don't flush too frequently or too infrequently.

Totally agree $200 is utterly ridiculous. But the yearly battery check is about the only time the dealership service dept. sees the average LEAF owner so I can understand their hunger. :lol:

I could be wrong but I thought the LEAF had a more complex system that in included a pump on the brakes that was harder on the fluid and was one of the potential reasons for changing the fluid more often than a conventional system. I would need to review the service manual to confirm this.

They tried the 1 year change on me. I told them that I did not meet the "Severe" change cycle and they backed down. I did it during year 2, and the cost was $100. Afterwards I felt it was a worthless activity. I would still change every 3 or so years. Are the moisture test strips an accurate indicator of when to change? In any case I also don't plan on doing the yearly $100 battery check after year 2.

I did some investigating and found the following "maintenance guide".

https://owners.nissanusa.com/content/techpub/ManualsAndGuides/LEAF/2015/2015-LEAF-service-maintenance-guide.pdf

They DO seem to recommend the changing of brake fluid every year, regardless of any other factors. If when you had the car serviced, they also did all of the other things that are in the 12 month service (including the cabin air filter), the $200 charge is not excessive.

I guess that $200 per year of service on a no-maintenance car is ok, if it is only just to check and make sure that the rest of the car is in good nick...

Thanks for posting the link to the 2015 manual. For me it spells it out as being less severe level 2 and a 2 year flush. That's what I got from the 2012 manual as well.

I do the brake fluid flush ($80-100 if I recall correctly) every 2 years (two done so far at 4.5 years ownership) whether it needs it or not. Every year is ridiculous.

I know it's an old thread, but I was at the dealer yesterday getting my battery test and recall services. The rep said that the Leaf brake fluid needs to be changed more frequently because it's used to lubricate the regenerative brake system. I thought that there were no moving parts in the regen system (it's essentially just running the engine power backwards). I assume the rep wasn't being accurate. They wanted $170 for it. And $90 for alignment. I declined. They said that they looked at the brake fluid and it looked like it needed to be changed.

forummm said:

...The rep said that the Leaf brake fluid needs to be changed more frequently because it's used to lubricate the regenerative brake system. ...I assume the rep wasn't being accurate. ...

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I think it lubricates the main spurving bearings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLDgQg6bq7o

Go by the book if you must. I would double most of the service points.

Service writer gets a spiff for everything he can get on the ticket. He is just padding his check. Good chance the work would not actually get done as it is unneeded. The over maintenance done at dealers would blow your mind.

EVs will eventually creep in and kill the racket.

I know many folks believe there is a conspiracy as far as brake flushes are concerned however as one who actually works on cars (having done so for the past 45 to 50 years), has been responsible for maintaining commercial fleets of vehicles and associates with the engineers that design and test out brake systems having them as guests at my dinner table I know that the flushes are required and not just some flight of fancy. The intervals were chosen to reduce mean time between failure rates for the most folks so when you skip them you are basically rolling the dice on whether you will be one of the few to get away with it. Some folks may never see the long term results since they do not keep their cars long enough to see them while others take the failures from lack of doing regular brake flushes as normal events and not as self inflicted problems.

If cost is a factor then pick up the $25 to $50 worth of equipment required to do it yourself. I understand that this is no longer considered fashionable in some neighborhoods however you get to understand these systems better when you spend this type of quality time with your vehicles. Those who rely on test strips need to be aware that to do a really empirical test one must draw some fluid from the bleeders and not just from the reservoir however for me since that is so close to the same amount of work as flushing out the system that I don't bother and just get it done.

When I buy a new car the brake components last for years because I do the preventative maintenance however when I purchase a used one that someone has not done the brake flushes on it becomes very apparent due to the preventable brake system issues that they have which regular brake fluid flushes would have prevented.

Since no one believes that brake fluid flushes themselves are a conspiracy, I guess you won that argument, unopposed. ;-)