# Brake Fluid & Power Steering Fluid Flush



## rushinn (Oct 30, 2017)

Got a 2006 Nissan Altima. The dealership told me I need to get a brake fluid flush and a power steering flush, because both fluids are dirty. Each service is $150. Is this essential, or can I skip this maintenance? Will it affect my car's performance by much?

Thanks!!


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

You should be able to get the brake fluid changed at most garages for under a $100. For the power steering you can easily do it yourself with a turkey baster, which you use to suck the fluid out of the white plastic reservoir left side back of engine. Even better if you add a few inches of plastic tubing to the end to go deeper and get more out. Then add either new power steering fluid or transmission oil to the proper fill mark on the reservoir. Do this a few times over a couple of days and you will pretty much have renewed the fluid. (Check you owner's manual for right type of fluids).

Neither service is immediately urgent, but plan on getting both done in the next couple of months. Changing the fluids is the best maintenance move you can make to prolong the health of both systems. If they get too bad it can lead to some expensive repairs and safety issues.


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## rushinn (Oct 30, 2017)

Thank you for your help! I will do the necessary maintenance!


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

For the power steering, use genuine Nissan power steering fluid, Nissan-matic Type "D" automatic transmission fluid, or Dexron III/Mercon transmission fluid. Do NOT use clear/yellow/amber power steering fluid available at most auto parts stores and department stores; those are not recommended in Nissan systems and are generally used in domestic vehicles (US). 
Dealers and many franchised auto repair facilities (and some independents, to a lesser degree) often try to push "flush" services, whether they are required or not. As vehicles are being made with fewer maintenance items and extended service intervals, along with longer warranties, auto repair shops have tried to make-up some of their lost income by offering a lot of these fluid exchange services, including engine oil flushes, trans fluid flush, coolant flush, brake fluid flush, P/S flush...basically, anywhere there's a fluid, they are trying to sell customers a flush! I know because I used to work for such places. Also, keep in mind there is a difference between the manufacturer's service requirements and recommendations and what a dealer suggests is required at specific service intervals. When in doubt or just to be sure, check your vehicle's owners manual. If you don't have one, you may be able to find a downloadable manual in our "knowledge base." 
Recently, meaning the last decade or so, manufacturer's have been starting to recommend brake fluid services more frequently. This is because the ABS actuators can, through normal operation, wear and release small amounts of copper into the fluid. They even have test strips now to test for copper in the brake fluid. Also, over time, some condensation can occur in the brake lines, so it is a good idea to flush the system, but honestly, there are a lot of people who don't ever do it unless a part of the hydraulic brake system is being replaced, like a caliper or master cylinder. I'm guilty of that, as well. I will, however, use my vacuum brake bleeder to suck the fluid out of the reservoir and replace the fluid once a year, but that's still not as good as flushing the lines. 
The same goes for the power steering fluid. You can do the "turkey baster" method, which is better than doing nothing at all, but still not as good as properly bleeding the system, which entails removing the return line to the reservoir (capping the reservoir fitting) and having somebody start the engine for a few seconds and shut it back off, while somebody else catches the old fluid in a container and adds new fluid to the reservoir at the same time to keep it from running dry.


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## rushinn (Oct 30, 2017)

Thank you for your input! I am not at all car savvy (I don't even change my own oil), so I don't trust myself with the power steering flush. I was going to go to a garage for the brake fluid flush since it's quite a bit cheaper, but they didn't offer the power steering, so I was going to go back to the dealership for that. I'm way past standard maintenance - 133,000 miles - and I didn't see anything in the manual for that high a mileage. For what it's worth, the dealership (I go to a Nissan place) did say the fluids are dirty, and not just that I need a periodic flush, so hopefully they are not just trying to make money off me.


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