I have 2011 TTS w/ 9500 miles/ 2 years old as of 4/13 and was wondering if it really needs brake fluid changed, especially where car has never been tracked. I know manual says every 2 years regardless of mileage, so I'll have it done when I have yearly oil change ( which may also be unnecessary). I know it's short money, $139.95, but is it really necessary?

 

Absolutely IS necessary.....Brake fluid is a desiccant and absorbs moisture over time. The moisture in the fluid turns to vapor under heat and braking becomes less effective, as well as causing potential corrosion in the brake system.

Now is anything going to blow up after 2 years and 1 day?? Absolutely not...

Hope that helps....

DC

 

Agree with second poster, its a must do. It's relatively cheap insurance. Not that hard to do yourself and save some $$$. Buy a pressurized brake bleeder and a weekend afternoon.

I have an older Jeep which I neglected to change the fluid in and ended up replacing the master and all slaves cylinders, complete flush and more then an afternoon of work.

 

Car not tracked? Changing brake fluid in a 2 year old car? Not necessary. But recommended. I would be more concerned with mileage. 10k is a better interval than looking at time interval if you ask me. Having said this people change every 5 years with no issues. Use high quality oil for less changes.

 

To be clear and accurate....The reason the maintenance is suggested by time, and not mileage by the engineers, metallurgists, and chemists employed by Porsche is because of the chemical properties of brake fluid. Not how many miles your car roles, but how long a desiccant chemical is allowed to absorb moisture. Miles are almost irrelevant...time is..

So for the OP's benefit, it is factually incorrect to say 10,000 miles is a better gauge than the time interval. I would trust the experts who developed the maintenance schedule, or Google it and learn about brake fluid and what a desiccant / hygroscopic is and how it works....

Here is a link : LINK

Do whatever you are most comfortable doing, but as mentioned prior, this is very cheap insurance when compared to replacing major brake components.

Good luck....
DC

 

i say yes it is, and thats a bargain, my stealership charges $200...the basic maintenance on these cars keeps them running so very well...my 08 has 25k miles and goes in once per year for whatever it is supposed to have according to porsche and has been bulletproof...only additional thing i have had to do is a new battery

so spend the dough on the brakes every 2 years, its short $ in the long run

 

I see you want to be **** about this. I have 2004 996tt x50. I change brake fluid every 4 years. I track car 10 times per year. Car has 100k miles. I have no failed brake components. Go figure... ;-).

 

The purpose of these forums is to provide accurate information to posters and help with correct information. So if by "****" you mean I want to keep the information accurate and not misinform by allowing ignorant (incorrect) information to spread...Then yes, I am ****.

As I mentioned in my first post, nothing will necessarily decompose or be destroyed at exactly 2 years, but the word "MAINTENANCE" is about mitigating the risk of failure. If mileage is the gauge, and time does not matter, then why is there a cautio to discard opened brake fluid after it has been sitting on a shelf (with no mileage)?? Hygroscopics suck the moisture out of the air....Oh yeah.

At any rate....Do what makes you happy with your car.

 

Don't worry I will.

But as you are right you are also wrong. It is like there is absolutely no scientific evidence that changing engine oil at 6k (much earlier than specified by Porsche) will prolong car's engine life but many people just do it nonetheless. The newer the car the more **** people are about It. The 2 year change by Porsche enginers takes into account abslolute max abuse of the system. Normal driving without heavy track use (heating/cooling cycles) with high quality oils, the proposed fluid change is overkill. That's all I am saying. But each to their own as you say. Ps. I used to be totally **** then one day, I woke up. :-).

 

^^^^

most scientific/engineering specifications come from the size of 2 standard deviations around the mean.

one outlier is a lucky one, while another outlier in the opposite direction is NOT so lucky.

Stick within the mean or 1 SD and you're fine....

 

oil every 6k.. your nuts.. i did mine every 3

 

Actually on second thought I think Porsche owners especially the ones with turbo cars should do it at every gas refill. .

 

Track 10 times a year and you only changed brake fluid every 5? I don't even track, but I've read the tech sheets and they require a brake flush before every DE and within at least 6 months of the event. Seems overkill to me, but I think you need to present an invoice or some evidence for every event. How did you get around that one.
Oil change at 6k or 3k? With modern synthetics? At least every 12 months I say. Tends to be around that mileage for most of us. Otherwise 10k on an oil change I would not even consider to be a big deal.

 

I actually said 4 years. There is no rule in Europe of a brake system flush proof before track events. I use racing line oil, and have zero issues with a 100k hard driven car. OP asked if the service interval is necessary for a street driven car? Some people told him absolutely. They went further by saying if he wont stick to Porsche's interval he is putting his system in jeopardy. I disagree. But as I said, each to their own.

 

Thanks for the informative responses. I'll be changing the brake fluid every 2 years regardless of mileage just to be on the safe side.