When was the last time you changed your brake fluid? Yes, that’s right,
your brake fluid. Not just topped it off, but changed it? If you answer
“never” or “years ago”, you may wish to consider that failure to do so
every couple of years can be an expensive oversight!
The problem is twofold: conventional brake fluid is hygroscopic (it
absorbs moisture from the atmosphere) and water causes corrosion. A
third consideration is that constant heating and cooling (which happens
when you use your brakes a lot) also causes eventual deterioration of
hydraulic fluid. Most British sports cars these days, we surmise, are
either restored (or at least very clean) and saved for occasional use
only, or they are worked very hard as everyday drivers! The former
spend most of their time parked, driven only occasionally; the latter
are driven often and the brakes get lots of use.
If your car does a lot of sitting around, every time you take it out,
there is a chance that one or more wheel cylinders will have stopped
working due to corrosion. Eventually, you will have to rebuild your
brakes again, even though you have put very few miles on your car. With
today’s costs for wheel and master cylinders, changing brake fluid
regularly seems a much more attractive alternative.
Perhaps the most attractive alternative, however, is making your next
change the last one you’ll need to do! How is this possible in light of
what we said earlier? By replacing your conventional brake fluid with
silicone brake fluid.
There have been many views put forth about this product, but two are
inescapable: it must work as brake fluid or it never would have
received DOT 5 approval, and, it physically cannot absorb moisture.
This latter point was confirmed in a test performed by two members of
the Society of Automotive Engineers, with the results published in SAE
Paper #780661. They reported “After two years of service and 56,295
miles, the physical properties of the (silicone brake) fluid were
unchanged, and the water content was 0.00%. System wear and corrosion
were non-existent.”
In the interests of long-term safety and economical maintenance of your
valued car’s brake system, it would appear that substituting silicone
brake fluid for traditional, polyglycol-based fluid is an excellent
decision. The side-bar to this story is a reprint from the flyer which
accompanies the silicone brake fluid we now sell, answering the most
commonly asked questions about this excellent product.
No, it’s not snake oil, and it won’t make bad brakes work well, but if
you’ve got good brakes and you want them to stay that way, consider one
last brake fluid change - to silicone brake fluid!‰
1.
What’s so good about this stuff?
Answer: Nobody ever thinks about brake fluid- until the brakes go bad.
Mainly, silicone brake fluid doesn’t absorb moisture, which is the
cause of most corrosion, pitting, wear, and deterioration in your brake
system. It’s also nice that it lubricates, (the old stuff doesn’t) it
preserves, (the old stuff doesn’t) and it doesn’t harm paint (the old
stuff - ever see it spilled on a fender? Moan...).
2.
Is this stuff compatible with the old fluid -or do I have to disassemble...and replace...ad nauseam?
Answer: It is compatible with all automotive brake fluids and all brake
system parts in all autos - foreign, domestic and antique. Believe it!
3.
What’ll it do to foreign (read British) systems?
Answer: Make ‘em last forever! No, seriously - the best preservative
known for natural rubber is (you guessed it) silicone! Your British car
never had it so good!
4.
Must I get all the old fluid out?
Answer: As much as possible - get that old stuff out! The sooner the
better. It’s not as hard as you might think to get out 97% or so.
5.
Will this stuff cure my leaky brakes?
Answer: Now, gee... This isn’t snake oil. No, this won’t reverse the
aging process created by your old brake fluid. Be sure your system is
in good condition. Now, put our silicone brake fluid in and it will
stay that way indefinitely.
6.
Isn’t this stuff a little more expensive?
Answer: You’re kidding. Checked out the cost of a brake rebuild lately
- if you can find the parts for that orphan? We’ve got one test car
with 8 years and 137,000 miles on it and the hydraulic system is brand
new! There’s no wear, there’s no corrosion, the hoses still pass burst
tests as new, everything’s new! We don’t know - it may last forever!
Now if we were all engineer types we’d be talking “cost effectiveness”,
“safety considerations”, “life cycle costs”... while tearing our pocket
off to get our billfold out. Quick - this may be the best money you’ve
ever spent!
Working on automobiles is inherently dangerous. Moss Motors, Ltd. is not liable for injury or damage due to incorrect installation or use of their products. All products are sold with the understanding that the safe and proper installation and use of the products is the customer’s responsibility. Follow factory workshop manual procedures and instructions, but use current shop safety standards and common sense. Some tasks will require professional advice or services which Moss Motors cannot provide.If you have a specific comment or question and you'd like an immediate reply from Moss Tech Services, don't post here - please first email: BritishTechnicalSupport@mossmotors.com Please include the Title and Location of this tip if applicable.
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