The fluid looks low but I’ve done all routine maintenance on the car besides the brake pads and brake fluid. They still function fine; still drives fine. The only thing I could notice is the brakes are a bit spongy, but I never really noticed until today because I press so gently on the damn things. I’m wondering what kind of long-term damage could be going on I don’t know about, or if I’m just lucky.
I also drive mostly highway every day, so I’m sure that factors in as well.
Bragging about not doing maintenance isn’t the flex people think it is.
Ash said:
Bragging about not doing maintenance isn’t the flex people think it is.
It’s so weird. New brake pads are cheap and easy to replace. And I think there is a brake line recall so you also get fresh brake fluid for free if you have a Ford dealer do the work.
As the pads wear and the piston moves closer to the rotor, the fluid from the master cylinder is displaced to fill the caliper, so as your pads wear, it is normal for the brake fluid to drop.
That said, put some fluid in it and have the brakes checked by a competent professional, just like the owner’s manual, factory service manual, and every common sense DIY video and tutorial tell you to do.
It’s a car, a 5k lb hunk of metal hurtling at 60mph; remember E=MC²? Mass x acceleration squared = force? That’s the math they’ll use to figure how hard you slammed into the mother of 4’s van because you don’t pay attention to your flying physics hammers friction feet, think about that long-term damage. Get it serviced.
@Fintan
Look at the distance from your front inside spokes (rims) to the calipers. New brakes keep that distance between the two very, very close. As the pads wear, they move away from the calipers. If you have more than 1" of room between the caliper and inner spoke rims, you are on your last bit of brake lining.
Lower level is normal because there is more fluid needed when brakes are used. You can top it up a bit by yourself.
Regarding changing the oil (I’m from the Balkans), 99% of people never changed their oil - nothing happened.
Now… If you race it, you could boil the water in oil and make a disaster (but come on, it’s Fusion).
You can do the brake job, a proper one, on all 4 calipers, but it takes time, and you can break the bleeding valves.
If you go to a shop, I can bet that they will just take the old oil from the reservoir with a syringe and top it up with new oil (the oldest trick in the book).
What have I done in that very same situation?
Bought a bottle of oil, took as much as I could with a syringe, and topped it up.
Half a year later, I repeated the process. I still have some of that oil.
*(It absorbs water from the air; thus, there is no point saving it.)
Problem with topping off the fluid with worn pads means when you get new rotors and pads it will overflow, and brake fluid is harsh on painted surfaces.
Depending on the wheels, you can usually measure the pad remaining without removing the wheel.
My 2015 non-hybrid needs rear pads at 102,000 miles, but the fronts are still around 6mm left. However, I am replacing both because it goes down mountain passes and the brakes get overheated and chatter until cooled again.
Check your rear brakes. These cars wear out the rear more than the front.
I have a 16 Energi Titanium with 98,xxx and the pads and rotors still look pristine. I try to coast a lot so I get high mpg. I think my avg right now is 42.2 or something. I love that car.
Keller said:
I have a 16 Energi Titanium with 98,xxx and the pads and rotors still look pristine. I try to coast a lot so I get high mpg. I think my avg right now is 42.2 or something. I love that car.
I think this is a different scenario. The Energi uses more regen, thus less braking.
I’ve never flushed my brake fluid in any of my cars including my 22 year old one. They function just fine.
Wade said:
I’ve never flushed my brake fluid in any of my cars including my 22 year old one. They function just fine.
Exactly, I get maintenance, but many take it too far. You spend so much on unnecessary preventative maintenance that you could have saved the $$ down the road for when an out of your control issue occurs.
Wade said:
I’ve never flushed my brake fluid in any of my cars including my 22 year old one. They function just fine.
If you’re not doing any harsh braking, you’ll be fine, but eventually they take on a lot of water which could be prone to freezing or boiling over.