Brake Fluid question
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Instructor
Joined: Mar 2008
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Brake Fluid question
I was considering flushing my '02 with DOT 4 but the guy at Auto Zone told me it would eat the seals. He recommended that I switch to the Porsche brake system if I wanted DOT 4.
Can I put DOT 4 in my '02 without damaging it?
Can I put DOT 4 in my '02 without damaging it?
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
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From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
People who work at chain parts stores like AutoZone or Shucks/Kragens have no real training in things mechanical and for the most part are completely clueless when it comes to anything they don't sell . They are basically trained to take your car information, plug that into some sort of parts selection software and when the get the part number, they go get it off the shelf.
Then they ring up the sale using the register's calculating feature to make change because they probably couldn't figure that out for themselves.
A DOT4 fluid will work fine in your car but a good grade of DOT3 fluid is all you need for street use. Even things like autocross won't really require a DOT4 fluid. Castrol LMA is a good DOT3 fluid and the Ford Motorsports HD fluid (yes, FORD
) is a good choice as it has a wet boiling point that is toward the top end of DOT3 wet boiling points.
I'll bet the parts boy couldn't tell you what components make up the "Porsche brake system" if you asked. And he most likely would have no idea how it would be installed on a C5.
Then they ring up the sale using the register's calculating feature to make change because they probably couldn't figure that out for themselves.
A DOT4 fluid will work fine in your car but a good grade of DOT3 fluid is all you need for street use. Even things like autocross won't really require a DOT4 fluid. Castrol LMA is a good DOT3 fluid and the Ford Motorsports HD fluid (yes, FORD
) is a good choice as it has a wet boiling point that is toward the top end of DOT3 wet boiling points.I'll bet the parts boy couldn't tell you what components make up the "Porsche brake system" if you asked. And he most likely would have no idea how it would be installed on a C5.
