herbzman Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Nissan maintenance schedule does not address brake fluid change but have heard/read that cars with ABS should have a brake fluid change. The moderator on a car repair show I listen to on the weekends recommends the brake fluid be changed every 24 months. Comments? My 350Z is due for 24 month service in Sept and am considering having dealer change the brake fluid. Am I just wasting my money? Is Nissan brake fluid OK or should I go with another brand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djtimo Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 I track my car and change the brake fluid each year and bleed it once every few months. Brake fluid is hydroscopic and over time draw water in and water boils at low temp and cause brake fade. Nissan OEM bake fluid has a dry boiling point around 180degrees C, I swapped mine out to motul RFB 600 which boils around 320 dC i think. I have yet to boil it on track and the OEM fluid boiled in just a few laps! I would change it mate. Will give you better brake feel if it has not been changed for a good while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev-the-Rev Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 I agree. For the relatively small amout it will cost, it's worth it for the peace of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 II swapped mine out to motul RFB 600 Cracking stuff, and is what I've just put in mine. While you're there you might as well put some s/s brake hoses on as well, only about £50 and well worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbzman Posted August 10, 2008 Author Share Posted August 10, 2008 Thanks for replies. Is motul RFB600 fluid available in America? I will check on Google. If not any other recommended brands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Yup, definitely available in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Thanks for replies. Is motul RFB600 fluid available in America? I will check on Google. If not any other recommended brands? Seems to be available over there http://www.raceshopper.com/motul_brake_fluid.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Nissan maintenance schedule does not address brake fluid change but have heard/read that cars with ABS should have a brake fluid change. The moderator on a car repair show I listen to on the weekends recommends the brake fluid be changed every 24 months. Comments? My 350Z is due for 24 month service in Sept and am considering having dealer change the brake fluid. Am I just wasting my money? Is Nissan brake fluid OK or should I go with another brand? Had my 2 year service at Holdcrofts and they changed my brake fluid without me requesting it to be done. So would of thought that the Nissan maintenance schedule does recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 As said brake fluid is hygroscopic - moisture absorbing, so over time the brakes degrade having the fluid changed will either sharpen the brakes or maintain them in good order at least you can be confident there's no air or moisture in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toon Chris Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 The Nissan maintenance schedule shows a brake fluid change every 24 months. Any decent DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 fluid will do. I`m not sure how DOT translates to American standards but basically they are Glycol based fluids - do NOT use silicone based fluids for general road use (and that is standard rule for most cars). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbzman Posted August 11, 2008 Author Share Posted August 11, 2008 My US 2005 SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE GUIDE does not call for brake fluid change at 24 months. Does the UK SERVICE AND MANITENANCE GUIDE call for it? Also the 2005 350Z OWNER'S MANUAL does not give the brake fluid capacity-does anyone know this info? Web sites I have seen offering Motul RBF 600 brake fluid give differing numbers of bottles needed to flush & refill the system-some say 2 bottles are needed while some say 3 bottles are needed. I understand the site may want to sell more fluid than is needed. One of the replies I received on this topic says 2. The OWNER'S MANUAL does caution against adding synthetic brake fluid. I assume that it's OK to replace the factory fluid with synthetic fluid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toon Chris Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 You can use synthetic but if you do you must flush the system out entirely first. This is worthwhile anyway to get all of the crud out of it. Turns out DOT is an American rating anyway . Personally, if it was me, I`d use 5.1 synthetic and 2 litre for a good flush through. You will probably never need the higher boiling point of 5.1 and will probably have plenty of fluid left over, but it doesn't cost significantly more so what the hell... If you feel short of cash you can use a litre of Nissan fluid - oh hang on, I bet that costs the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbzman Posted August 12, 2008 Author Share Posted August 12, 2008 Has anyone in UK on this site checked their maintenance guide to see if brake fluid change is listed at 24 month interval? As I posted previously it's not mentioned in my US maintenance guide. From the posts I've read it appears that Motul RBF 600 may not be the best choice unless I'm running my car on the track as it absorbs more water than lower rated fluids-I am correct on this? It's sold in 1/2 litre bottles in USA. So is Motul 5.1 fluid. Still don't know what the brake system capacity is from this site or other 350Z/Nissan sites. Perhaps 1 lite of fluid is adequate to flush & fill the system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev-the-Rev Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 According to my service schedule, the P2 service interval which is carried out at 2 years or 18000 miles includes the brake fluid being replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbzman Posted August 13, 2008 Author Share Posted August 13, 2008 24 month or 30,000(not 18,000 mile) mile service in US Service & Maintenance Guide does not call for brake fluid replacement, only to check the fluid level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 may aswell throw some braided lines on there while you're changing the fluid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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