I have never changed my brake fluid, or brake pads, on my 2004 Toyota matrix with 160k miles. My test strips show the fluid is fine, my mechanic says I don't need to change it, and my maintenance manual says nothing about changing the brakes fluid and regular intervals.
Can brake fluid still damage the system even if it checks out well with the test strips?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
The general rule of thumb I've always seen is to flush out the brake fluid every 3 or 4 years since brake fluid absorbs moisture over time. Admittedly I sometimes let that schedule slip a bit but do change it regularly.
Presumably your fluid was tested at the master cylinder. It would be interesting to draw some out at the wheels and see if it still checks out. (Water is heavier than brake fluid so will tend to sink to the lower parts of your brake system.)
It makes sense to me I'm going to change it.
- Even though the strips show fine, at that mileage I would change it.
