Why does nobody talk about how easy it is to mix up brake fluid types in a hurry

I was doing a brake job last week on a 2012 Civic and my buddy handed me a bottle he swore was DOT 4. Turns out it was DOT 3 (he grabbed the wrong one from the shelf) and I didn't notice until I had already topped off the reservoir. Now I gotta flush the whole system, which is like an extra 45 minutes of work plus the mess. That stuff can damage seals if you mix incompatible types, especially in newer cars with ABS modules. I always thought I was careful, but a dimly lit garage and a similar looking bottle caught me off guard. Has anyone else ever mixed up brake fluid types and gotten away with it, or am I the only dummy here?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbaraw163d ago

Read DOT fluid standards are clearly marked in the manual but nobody checks.

matthew8643d ago

Yeah "nobody checks" is pretty accurate. My buddy Dan grabbed some cheap DOT 4 fluid off the shelf at an auto parts store. Threw it in his truck without even looking at the bottle. Blew out a seal on his rear caliper two days later. Cost him way more than the five bucks he saved.