How To Check Brake Fluid Philadelphia PA

Your vehicle is made up of many important and essential parts including your brake system. Your brake system wouldn't be functional without brake fluid. That's why its so important for drivers in Philadelphia, Doylestown, Mechanicsburg and Flemington to check their brake fluid regularly.

To help you check your brake fluid correctly and efficiently, we at Fred Beans have put together this detailed brake fluid guide. Read ahead to learn more about the important of checking your brake fluid and how to check your brake fluid right at home!

Why You Should Check & Change Your Brake Fluid

As we mentioned above, your brake fluid is an essential part of your brake system, one of the most important parts of your vehicle. Without working brakes, you can't drive safely. Getting in the habit of checking your brake fluid regularly and changing it on a manufacturer recommended schedule, which is usually about every two years.

Brake fluid is one of the fluids in your vehicle that's highly toxic meaning it has the potential to cause accelerated wear on the parts it works with. Changing your brake fluid every two years can not only keep you safe but it can also preserve your parts so that you don't have to have them replaced as often.

Step-by-Step Instructions

While many of the systems and parts in your vehicle can't be easily checked at home, your brake fluid isn't one of them. Following the instructions below, you can

  1. Start by checking your owner's manual. Depending on the model that you have and if your vehicle is equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS), you may need to pump the brake pedal before you begin the process of checking your brake fluid.
  2. Open up the front hood and secure the hood.
  3. Before you open the brake fluid reservoir, clean off the top and sides of it. Even a speck of dirt falling into the fluid could be detrimental.
  4. Open the reservoir and look in through the top. Don't draw this step out because brake fluid should not be exposed to open air for too long. Moisture from the air can seep in to the fluid in as little as 15 minutes which could completely ruin the fluid.
  5. Determine there the brake fluid level is. As a general rule of thumb, the line shouldn't be below half an inch from the cap.
  6. After you've checked your brake fluid level, you'll want to check the color of your brake fluid. The color of your fluid tells you what condition its in - if its dark, this means it's deteriorating.
  7. Top off your brake fluid if its in good condition but is a little low. If your brake fluid is in bad condition, read ahead to learn more about what you should do.

Need Some Help Checking Your Brake Fluid?


We at Fred Beans hope this guide to checking your brake fluid gave you all the information you need to get the job done. However, if you get under the hood and discover that your brake fluid needs to be replaced or you're having some other issues that need to be looked at by a professional, we can help!

Drivers in Philadelphia, Doylestown, Mechanicsburg and Flemington should give us a call today with any questions they have or to schedule a service appointment.

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