Brake Service / Brake Fluide Change

[charleswrivers]

Pretty sure there’s a clause in your lease agreement that says you must keep up on your maintenance.

Never leased a car but I wouldn't be surprised. Dealers would want a car to turn around as a CPO w/records or at least a 'lease return'. However, I don't see how that would require it being done at a dealer. Having it done by any SAE certified mechanic-having place should count. Keep the proof. It's been a long time since I paid someone else to do a brake flush, but it was around $100.

I'd shop around. $300 is a rip-off.

Some people probably never replace brake fluid and are ok. Day to day driving with a random panic braking occasionally even probably won't challenge old, scummy fluid with a high water content. If you ever drive aggressive though, you might find your fluid boiling and your brakes effectively failing when you need them most. It's a little crazy to me how people will drive cars on worn suspension and brakes that are ill maintained. Just because something can still stop at all doesn't mean it stops well anymore.

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[TimberWolf]

Just do it yourself. It is pretty easy, if a bit tedious.

 

[CivicXI]

If you can turn a wrench, you can flush brake fluid.

 

[tacthecat]

...and have jack-stands or a lift, and the proper tools, and the time and patience, and etc. Good brakes and tires (and seat-belts and air-bags) are the only thing between you and your family and danger.

 

[TimberWolf]

I wouldn't trust these Honda brakes to just any hands. Would you request the shop foreman/top tech to do your brakes at a Honda service dept?

You make it sound like this is brain surgery. There is nothing special about the Civic brakes. Brake flushing is pretty simple and straightforward. And they most likely have a machine that automates most of it.

 

[CivicXI]

I wouldn't trust these Honda brakes to just any hands. Would you request the shop foreman/top tech to do your brakes at a Honda service dept?

No I meant I wouldn't ask anyone at Honda to do it because its so simple.

I literally have my wife sitting in the car and me under it going:

*Turn bleed valve open*
Me: Push
Wife: Holding
*Turn bleed valve close*
Me: OK
Wife: Holding
*Turn bleed valve open*
Me: Push
Wife: Holding

And every 3-4 cycles, I refill the master reservoir.

Takes less than an hour and I know I did it right and in the correct order.

 

[TimberWolf]

No, I am conjuring up Murphy's law as far as if it can go awry, it oft will! Don't care if they automate, their bill rate as far as hours is what is important. And if you overpay at a Honda dealer, you better bet a senior tech is doing it, I don't care if I have to request a shop foreman, himself.

That's hilarious. You realize that the Civic is like the 2nd or 3rd cheapest car that Honda sells in NA? Unless there is absolutely no other work on the slate, the top tech is not going to be pulled from more challenging jobs to do routine maintenance on an econobox. But yeah, keep dreaming about how awesome and complex these Civics are.

 

[TimberWolf]

Then why are you here, on a predominant Honda Civic site if you don't like a Civic or don't think it is the next best thing since sliced bread?!

Where did I say that I don't like Hondas or Civics? I love my Civic, but I'm under no illusion on what it is. I'm also under no illusion on how much my dealer cares about my car.

 

[TimberWolf]

This is why millennials stay unemployed because of the attitude of MOST managers that you convey.. A typical manager remark, "I like how you are doing BUT, BUT BUTbutBUT... pfft, don't care for the flock..

WTF does that even mean?

 

[charleswrivers]

I don't know. He likes his brakes though...

Doing a brake job really is one of the easier things to do on the car and there's nothing special about this car compared to any other car. The Civics great and all, but you don't need a shop foreman to swap rotors/pads/change fluid. 'These Honda brakes' are the same old same old. Nothing at all special about them.

I don't take my car to the dealer for service. Same as the Odyssey. They don't care about my vehicles as much as I do... and I have a vested interest in my own things and given the closest dealer is ~45 minutes away, I can accomplish most anything in far less time that the time it takes to go to the dealer, to say nothing of waiting around and overpaying for service.

 

[Rickmeister 48]

Here is what the dealer I WAS going to charged for a brake fluid flush,lot cheaper than 300.00.
While I don't trust them,long story, but their prices are all up front in this pamphlet, I would think all dealers would have them and would grab one in case they conveniently forget what their services cost,lol

 

[Rickmeister 48]

What is the importance of bleeding in a certain sequence? As long as you get the air and old fluid from all the lines, does it really matter? Sorry if this is a little off topic.

 

[charleswrivers]

$99.95...

It's been a long time since I paid someone else to do a brake flush, but it was around $100.

Checks with chart.

The plot thickens... what in the world was that other $200 paying for? All the boys to go to lunch?

 

[charleswrivers]

What is the importance of bleeding in a certain sequence? As long as you get the air and old fluid from all the lines, does it really matter? Sorry if this is a little off topic.

I was always told you go from furthest to closest to ensure if you pull any air in the system, you get it out. If you start closest there was a risk you'd move on to a further spot and the air would stay in the close leg. As long as you don't let your master cylinder empty, or don't let air go back into the system through where you're bleeding from... it probably wouldn't matter... but doing it in the correct sequence provides a little more assurance. Air in the brake lines equals brakes being spongy and not working well. It can actually make the little ABS computer... thing... stop doing it's thing. I do know if you let your master cylinder empty and let air into the ABS unit, it's supposed to be a PITA to work out. Never done that but I've heard it takes a long time to recover from.

 

[TimberWolf]

What is the importance of bleeding in a certain sequence? As long as you get the air and old fluid from all the lines, does it really matter? Sorry if this is a little off topic.

There isn't really any important reason to do it in a particular sequence. However, it does make sense to do the shortest route first, since that is the route that the majority of the old fluid needs to travel before getting evacuated. That includes the fluid in the reservoir, master cylinder, and ABS module. Once that fluid is replaced with new fluid, then the only old fluid left is within the individual brake lines. At that point it doesn't matter what sequence you use as long as you keep track.

Even if there is air, it still makes sense to first go the shortest distance since that is the quickest way to get the air out of the system.

In fact, the fastest way to replace the fluid is to open all the brake bleeders at once and force the fluid from the top. That way is much faster than doing it one bleeder at a time.

Edit: found this:

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