Brake Fluid Cap

[moriarty]

I had misfortune to use Arnold Clark for service a couple of months ago, they phoned at time and said that due to being 3 yrs old brake fluid should be changed.
I asked them to do it, if their online booking was any good I would have requested it anyway.
Got car back and locking wheel nut key was missing, I was told it wasn't possible due to their QA check system. Turned out a separate mechanic did the fluid change and although car was checked after service it hadn't been rechecked. The service manager was very apologetic and dropped it off at my home.
Today whilst checking oil level I noticed the brake fluid cap was missing, found it on the plastic scuttle panel.
It looks like I've had no cap on brake fluid since the service 9 weeks ago. Not impressed.
However, the car was MOT'd at a different garage 4 weeks ago and it passed. Wouldn't they check condition of master cylinder and have spotted that cap was off?
Will be phoning AC tomorrow as think fluid needs re-changing.

 

[BigJase88]

Yeah thats shocking. The fluid will be goosed now

 

[RUM4MO]

Yeah thats shocking. The fluid will be goosed now

Not really if you mean having the fluid reservoir cap not fitted means that the fluid will have absorbs atmospheric moisture - if you look these caps tend to have either a vent or a slot cut down the threaded portion of the cap, so the fluid will still be okay if it has already been replaced.

What worries me more is that is where my older daughter should be taking her 2019 Cupra later this month or early next for first MOT and year service! I'd rather take care of the brake fluid change for her though if she allows that!

 

[RUM4MO]

@moriarty I'd think getting back to Uncle Arnie about this will just increase your blood pressure more, aim to use a proper VW Group Indie in future like AVW in Edinburgh or another local VW Group Indie.

To date the only problem that my older daughter has had with Uncle Arnie was down to his crap website that, when she was booking her Cupra in for its year 2 service, advised that she could save herself some time by using their branch at South Gyle/Sighthill - which she did to avoid unnecessary inconvenience - I was a bit annoyed when I discovered that and that they actually serviced the car there, so its service history will not have been updated - too late now, but something she needs to avoid this year, of course at last service Covid might have been a issue so most normal ways of doing things were still being swept aside.

 

[moriarty]

The car was coming up to end of warranty and I wanted it to go through a Seat Dealer in case any warranty work was needed, as you'll know Arnie is the only one without going to Fife or Stirling. I used Morrison in Stirling a few years ago but even from West Edinburgh it's a pain to get there and a long walk into Stirling town centre.
I recommend AVW to someone at work with an older Passat who couldn't face the main dealer again (Western I guess). Will bear them in mind for next service when car is 4 yrs old as have used a few times in the past and was very happy with AVW.

 

[SuperV8]

That's rubbish. I would be more concerned about dust and dirt entering the brake system.
I would suck all the fluid out of the reservoir and replace with new.

 

[RUM4MO]

That's rubbish. I would be more concerned about dust and dirt entering the brake system.
I would suck all the fluid out of the reservoir and replace with new.

Brand new turkey baster and some DOT4+/DOT4 ESP to the rescue then - and some saw dust to absorb the removed fluid into before binning it.

 

[moriarty]

The Service Manager was very apologetic and offered to redo the fluid change as a precaution.
It shouldn't have happened but at least they were willing to do put things right. Booked in next week.

 

[moriarty]

I ordered a cheap brake fluid tester from Amazon yesterday, checked the Leon and got a Red change now light, same on my Morris Traveller that last had fluid replaced 5 yrs ago. An airtight but previously opened can of fluid was less than 1% moisture.
Allowing that a £8 moisture gauge won't be brilliant, it looks like the Leon brake fluid needs changing.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B082QQ5NPR?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[BigJase88]

I ordered a cheap brake fluid tester from Amazon yesterday, checked the Leon and got a Red change now light, same on my Morris Traveller that last had fluid replaced 5 yrs ago. An airtight but previously opened can of fluid was less than 1% moisture.
Allowing that a £8 moisture gauge won't be brilliant, it looks like the Leon brake fluid needs changing.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B082QQ5NPR?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

New age brake fluid is crap. Good for the planet.

Old skool brake fluid that the Morris had originally is the proper tackle.

Same with new water based paints etc. Everything is good for the planet but not as good as it used to be.

Castrol Flick Easing Oil awsome stuff. WD40 [junk]

 

[RUM4MO]

I agree about the normal basic WD40 but there is also a release oil marketed by them, my real issue with people using normal basic WD40 to ease seized assemblies is, the area around that assembly was dry and so a creeping easing fluid would creep in and do its job, once you have wetted that area with an ordinary lubricant then I would not expect that any proper release fluid would be able to creep in to where it is needed.

By the way, in the original picture, the fluid in the open reservoir did not look like recently replaced brake fluid - it was a bit dark and maybe not too clear for my liking, so maybe that job never really got past the point where the reservoir cap was removed and placed to one side - and so maybe that was where AC went wrong.