brake fluid and coolant change

[mark.t]

ok ...cars just hit 70,000 miles and due for a A service according to assyst...looking at brake and coolant last change...in service book the car E300 td was reg on 05/05/98 so is nearly 7 years old

the brake fluid was done on 02/03/02 @29,000 miles

the coolant according to the service book has not been changed

ok on page 38...39 of my service book additional work by years

replace brake fluid every 2 years ....

replace coolant every 3 years ...observe coolant composition.

ok when I purchased the car on the 25/11/03 it had a B service from the dealers as a part of the sale but they changed nether the brake fluid or the coolant..should they of changed it and possibly why wouldn't they if they where following the service manual ... don't want to get ripped off at its next service which is booked in at a dealers any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated

 

[grober]

Good question! I have often wondered about this too. In the past when I asked I was told they test the brake fluid for water content and if its ok fine. The coolant question is more complicated since the life of later coolants is supposed to be up to 15 years. Again they test for antifreeze effectiveness how I dont know?? PH measurement??? Reading other posts on other forums the concern seems to focus on the anti-corrosion properties rather than than the antifreeze properties. Maybe MERC should update its service books to take account of new practice . Alternatively maybe they wont do these fluid changes unless you specifically ask?? Its a bit of a mystery

 

[Dieselman]

o

replace brake fluid every 2 years ....

replace coolant every 3 years ...observe coolant composition.

ok when I purchased the car on the 25/11/03 it had a B service from the dealers as a part of the sale but they changed nether the brake fluid or the coolant..should they of changed it and possibly why wouldn't they if they where following the service manual ... don't want to get ripped off at its next service which is booked in at a dealers any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated

They should have changed the fluids but don't as they are a cost option.

They definately should be changed to stop corrosion and seal perishing.

The most common cause of head gasket failure is corosion of the gasket or head.
If you change teh brake fluid every two years almost certainly no work will be required on the brake seals for 15 years or more.

The antifreeze checks just check the specific gravity so are only checking the antifreeze percentage. There is no proper test for the corrosion inhibitors, which break down over time.

Change the fluids.