3 years / 30k miles - Shop says I need to flush brake and coolant, is this true?

[Feldgary1630]

It seems early in its life to already need to flush the fluids - but from what little I could find on the forum, one person said the brake fluid can absorb water and yes needs flushing 'regularly'.

Dealer quoted 400$

The coolant is probably fine at 30K but as mentioned there are tests available. The brake fluid is another story, every two years regardless of mileage or manufacturer is the best prevention to keep everything working properly.

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[t4thfavor]

First off, $400 is gouging you for these services. Secondly, the coolant should be good for *at least* 100K miles (and possibly 200K, as others have pointed out). The only reason you'd need to flush coolant this early in your truck's lifespan is if it was somehow contaminated by something catastrophic like a blown head gasket.

Finally: flushing brake fluid is not a hard job at all - if you have some jack stands and a few hours on a weekend, you can easily DIY and save a bunch of money. Heck, for what they probably want just to bleed the brakes you can buy all the tools / supplies you'd need to DIY, then you have it all for next time and still have saved money.

You need a piece of 1/4” hose, a 10mm wrench, an empty Gatorade bottle, a bottle of liquid gold priced dot4lv brake fluid, and a 9 year old to push the brakes. That’s it.

 

[Beanoman01]

It seems early in its life to already need to flush the fluids - but from what little I could find on the forum, one person said the brake fluid can absorb water and yes needs flushing 'regularly'.

Dealer quoted 400$

I just had the break fluid exchange performed on my my 2020 Lariat with 30k miles at the dealer.. cost $135. It seemed way to soon but I don't want any issues if something in the braking system takes a dump and there's an extended warranty issue. Better safe than sorry.

 

[svogt302]

I just had the break fluid exchange performed on my my 2020 Lariat with 30k miles at the dealer.. cost $135. It seemed way to soon but I don't want any issues if something in the braking system takes a dump and there's an extended warranty issue. Better safe than sorry.

$135 is a pretty average price....

 

[davewho]

It seems early in its life to already need to flush the fluids - but from what little I could find on the forum, one person said the brake fluid can absorb water and yes needs flushing 'regularly'.

Dealer quoted 400$

I flush my brake fluid every two years. Coolant stays until there is a reason to change it (leak, water pump, etc.).
Brake fluid is hygroscopic meaning it absorbs water in the air. When I serviced BMW cars our standard brake flush interval was 2 years.
Respectfully…

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