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Quick question about brake fluid.


The Joshua Tree
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On a Focus 1.8 petrol 2008 which dot brake fluid should you use, is it dot 4 ? I'm not sure what's already in there as i've not had the car long, is it ok to put new stuff in with the current stuff ?

Would you buy any particular brand ?

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4 minutes ago, The Joshua Tree said:

On a Focus 1.8 petrol 2008 which dot brake fluid should you use, is it dot 4 ? I'm not sure what's already in there as i've not had the car long, is it ok to put new stuff in with the current stuff ?

Would you buy any particular brand ?

Dot 4 should be fine Rob. How ever as you don't know what's currently in there, it would be wise to drain existing brake fluid and then fill with new Dot 4. That way you wont risk mixing different Dot fluids. Also you would be good for a couple of year before having to change the fluid as it is hygroscopic meaning it absorbs water which reduces the boiling point of the brake fluid.

The Dot categories refer to boiling point of said fluid

Boiling points

Minimal boiling points for these specifications are as follows (wet boiling point defined as 3.7% water by volume):

Boiling point ranges [2]
  Dry boiling point Wet boiling point
DOT 3 205 °C (401 °F) 140 °C (284 °F)
DOT 4 230 °C (446 °F) 155 °C (311 °F)
DOT 5 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
DOT 5.1 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
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My vote goes for a full drain to Avoid mix and match. Dot 4 is pretty much the ford standard.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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seems a bit extreme lol. Thousands of cars serviced everyday and the mechanic doesn't necessarily 'know' whats in them but knows what should be in them and no harm done. 

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4 hours ago, The Joshua Tree said:

Focus 1.8 petrol 2008 which dot brake fluid should you use, is it dot 4 ? I'm not sure what's already in there as i've not had the car long, is it ok to put new stuff in with the current stuff ?

In my Focus manual, the standard brake & clutch fluid is "Super DOT4". This is actually the same as DOT5.1.

DOT4 & DOT5.1 can be mixed, so it is ok to add 5.1 (Super DOT4) even if it has DOT4 now. But you would only get the benefit if it was all DOT5.1

DOT5 can not be mixed with any other type, it is a different fluid altogether.

See: www.opieoils.co.uk/pdfs/tech-articles/Brake-Fluid-Explained.pdf

 

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That is a very good point. Would you risk it without a full service history? Brakes should not be played with in my opinion.

 

13 hours ago, stef123 said:

seems a bit extreme lol. Thousands of cars serviced everyday and the mechanic doesn't necessarily 'know' whats in them but knows what should be in them and no harm done. 

 

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I don't know why people are so scared of brakes...as long as you check there are no leaks afterwards and have a solid pedal that's really all there is to it...

 

You'll be fine putting in either DOT4 or Super, though Halfords doesn't list Super for everything Ford so I'm not sure when the changeover was.  It is recommended to be changed every 2 years and if you're changing the cylinders (or adding calipers?) you'll lose so much fluid doing it you might as well change the lot while you're there as I doubt it's been changed in the last 6 years anyway lol.

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I just pump it out and add super dot 4. Also the PSF all the same time every year.

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2 hours ago, The Joshua Tree said:

i go with the second one looks ok you have to replace it every two years

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6 hours ago, Rainydays said:

That is a very good point. Would you risk it without a full service history? Brakes should not be played with in my opinion.

 

 

I don't consider it risking anything. I quite often work on brakes and clutch systems and top up with the required fluid.

As for brand, I generally use pagid stuff as a 500ml bottle from factors is £1.80 lol.

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38 minutes ago, dezwez said:

i go with the second one looks ok you have to replace it every two years

 lol , you really want to be spending £18 on a small top-up bottle of brake fluid ?  ( £13.14 + delivery £5 + vat  £3 )

 

forget that , get  fords own stuff at less than half the price , plus you can pick it up at any dealership parts desk.

its pointless buying fluids by post , shipping costs a bomb

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I wouldn't order it online, i'd buy it from a local place that stocks it as like you say the postage is too much. I was just using the links to show the fluid.

It's actually on eBay for £11.47 with free delivery

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Castrol-15037E-React-Performance-Dot-4-Brake-Fluid-1-Litre-/282230029633?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

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