Brake Fluid

[lyledowney]

Hello everyone, my friend just went to canadian tire and they explained that he had regular oil in his brake fluid and that he would need to replace all the seals in the brake system. I don't know too much about brake systems but the seals do look like they are swelling. The mechanic said that the job would be around $1500 is that true? Is there a differnt way to work around this issue? Does that sound like a true issue or just a mechanic coming up with a line to make more money?

Thanks Alot!

[Merlin Beerens]

well....who would have put the regular oil in there.??

[Nathan Tralenberg]

this could happen...if someone was careless and knew nothing about their car!....oh, and go somewhere else other then canadian tire.

[TroyHill]

This happens more than you think (I run 'back parts' for a can-tire here) and although its not common to see it can happen. As for price it sounds high, but I wonder what the cost for labor/parts seperate is. My advise is go get another quote elseware.

[lyledowney]

They said someone was an idiot for putting it in there! I think it was great canadian oil change...hahahaha! Does anybody know a good cheap way to fix this because there is no way we can prove it was the oil change place?

[lyledowney]

Oh and another thing..... is it a bad idea to drive the car is this condition? How long before the brakes are finished off?

[Dilvinder Grewal]

man, the great canadian oil change place in chilliwack is the worst from wat iv heard they've messed up a few times on others things as well, dont recomend them at all :evil:

[lyledowney]

That is where my friend took his car! I wonder if they would pay to get it fixed. Is there any good ways to prove it was them?

[John Hartman]

if you have the bill and it shows that they topped up the brake fluid, it might be taken care of.

A few years back the owner was a pretty good client of mine, he always brought his wifes stang convertable in for work.  Not sure if its the same owners.  Seemed like a good straight forward guy.

You can always ask anyways.

As for $1500 good god man!!  No bloody way.

4 calipers and a master cylinder. replace the rubber lines.  flush out all the rest.  Flush it really well.  Oh, do you have ABS?  Not sure whats inside there...

If they won't cover it, it looks like a brake upgrade eh?

[Kimyee Lai]

Complete brake caliper rebuild kit will cost you around $120US or so for all 4.  Just as a FYI.

[Marty van den Bosch]

$1500?? :shock:

Bleed the lines, and properly replace the fluid with new.
Drive for a bit and inspect regularly for a week or two afterward.
A brake-line leak is pretty easy to spot - so is a low brake fluid resivoir.

Odds are better that you got a tiny bit of regular oil in there.
Can it harm the seals? - Sure
Did mixing some regular oil in with the brake fluid completely destroy the seals? - Unlikely.
Or, for a bit of work, and some piece of mind - do what Mr lai said, get rebuild kits and repair them.

[lyledowney]

I have gone to a couple of machanic shops and they have both said because my friend marcus ha ABS system it is going to be around $1500 to $2200! They said that there is around quarter of a liter of oil in the system and he would need to replace everything to make sure there is no more oil in the system! What would happen if the seals would break? Would the breaks just stop working or would you still have a bit of braking power? Would it be a good idea to flush the system out even if my friend can not replace all the seals? He has a 1994 chev cavalier RS and it is just not worth spending the $2000 to get it fixed.

[Marty van den Bosch]

According to most forums (google), having motor oil put into the brake system can cause seals to swell over time.
The longer you leave the oil in there, the greater the damage to the seals.
If a seal fails, oil will seep from it and you will start losing brake fluid.
If it were my car, I'd flush and fill system then keep an eye on it for a week or two.
If he is going to roll the dice to save a heap of cash, his best bet is to flush the brake system ASAP. - The sooner the better.
Hell, do it a second time once again a week later just to clear out even more.
Brakes make your car stop, which can save your life so be throurough and inspect regularly.

[Chris Andrews]

Well said, Marty.  

And with that, I'm going to close this thread.   I've had enough of this thread.   PM me if you feel otherwise........