i used to think it was silly too. but i am a believer now.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Gentlemen, its actually a very good practice to do a periodic change of brake fluids. every time you use your brake fluid is the means of putting pressure on the line which then pushes the cylinder or what I call the piston on the caliper brakes which then cause the break pad to stop the rotor Disc from spinning, after an extended time of usage, the fluid will some how loose some of its viscosity much like a motor oil, and most of the rubber particle in the system goes through and gets mixed with the fluid therefore making the color of the fluid from colorless to dark, purity of the brake fluid has been contaminated, in Germany and Japan, in order for a car to renew its registration, it is a must to have the fluid change. Always remember that the breaks on your vehicle is the MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR CAR.

sorry the word sue should be "use" and the word after fluid should have been "its"

there is a place at the bottom of the page called edit. click there to make those little changes.

after that you can delete the entire second message.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Every once in a while, old threads like this are brought back up because they are the ones that bring the most controversy. Change your brake fluid? It's right up there with coolant changes - something people really overlook, but shouldn't. And then, every now and then, you have a handful of people saying how their great grandmother's 1958 Edsel ran on its original oil, brake fluid, tires and gas for 30 million miles.
Yes, there are some conditions in which brake fluid changes are not needed as frequently (or at all) - for example, if you live in Las Vegas, it's not really humid there, so your brake fluid might last 15 years longer than someone who lives in Seattle, where it always rains. Also, older style brake fluid reservoirs (the ones with the metal lids) don't let much, if any air in the system, because the top has a rubber seal that acts as a diaphragm, preventing a vacuum when the pedal is pushed, where modern clear reservoirs have a cap with a vent hole. That adds a few years on as well.
I recently changed the brake fluid for the rear lines on my Jeep (around October/November). It was the original fluid - in there since '92. It worked fine! But damn, it was the color of coffee, and the texture of bottom-of-the-pot coffee. You know, with all the grounds in it. I can feel a firmer pedal now.
And you are one of the rarities. Most people with well over 400k on the clock have changed each fluid you mentioned (except maybe power steering) at least 2 times. Have you ever looked at the color of your ATF or brake fluid compared to new? If you did a brake fluid change, it would probably scare you when you look at what you were driving around with.

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Actually , Jack D post attributes his brakes systems longevity to frequent fluid changes..

As you say , there are those small percentage of the populace who never change fluid and have no problems, they also never catch a cold , never lose a nights sleep, never drain the water heater etc..and they get by just fine due to LUCK...what they lack is Common Sense and Wisdom.....but when you are lucky, you don't need either.
I am not .

I own a Mercedes and I own a 20 year old Toyota.

I have seen way too many calipers seize/rust/leak because of lack of fluid flush in the old toyota to believe that MB is bluffing when they say flush fluid every 2 years.

in fact toyota recommends doing that too, for every 5 years or so - the owners before me just didn't do it and I now have 4 newly rebuilt calipers on my Toyota.

like many said, brake fluid is hydroscopic (or whatever u call it) and over time the water just accumulates from the reservoir's contact with air around it. Especially if you live near the coast or somewhere that rains a lot you will notice the brake components going on you if you own a car for any long period of time. There are a few ways around this, I believe DOT 5.0 (that silicone thing) is not hydroscopic and can be used for as long as you want (also have a super high boiling point compared to DOT3.0) but the down side is you have to flush the system as you replace your brake fluid from 3.0 to 5.0 as they are not at all compatible. (5.1 is compatible, but I don't think that's silicone based)

Take care.

I'm a chevy mechanic that has fallen in love with MB. I checked and flushed the brake fluids on my 68 chevy caprice every 2.5 years too. it just makes good sense to at least have a mechanic look at your brake system once in a while anyway. they might find a frozen wheel cylinder or bulging lines something...your pontiac had to have been garaged kept or in dry storage to keep the lines from collecting moisture damage from the elements over time to last that long.

MB appears to want to make sure their owners stay on top of the maitenance of their benz to get the most out of them, which in turn bolsters the MB brand for longevity and reliability.

I wish chevy owners cared as much.

http://www.motiveproducts.com/

Did they go out of business? Their land line is no longer connected, and their 877 number just goes to voice mail. it has been like this for the last week.

Before I place an online order, I wanted to ask a few questions and get another hose for my european bleeder.

Anyway, anybody know?

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Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

I know someone who got a Motive bleeder a couple of weeks ago. Maybe Motive only sells wholesale now.

They start at $49 at froogle.com

I got mine through a Porsche outfitter. I had to raid eBay because the on-line store required a valid Porsche VIN for purchase.

Sixto
87 300D

That's reason enough to look elsewhere for a different product.

__________________
Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"

Those were my thoughts exactly.

__________________
Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

Why would they require your vin? Its not like the master cylinder reservoir has changed?

__________________
Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

They just moved.

Contact the Motive Team
1.877-592-7253

Brittany from Motive Just called me back. They are still in business. She said that she was out of town toward the end of last week.

ALL IS GOOD WITH MOTIVE.

__________________
Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.