What's involved in replacing the brake fluid on a 2004 S60 AWD 2.5T? Mileage is at 39k. How much does a dealer charge for this service? Is it necessary?

 

Time is more essential than mileage when talking brake fluid. Manual states every 2 years. This is a little conservative. The DOT4 fluid that Volvo recommends does absorb moisture faster than DOT3 fluids. However, wet boiling point is also higher, so it is kindof a moot point. As you may be aware, moisture in the system is bad because with temperature it can create vapor in your brake lines causing loss of braking. Since your at 4 years, I would suggestyou get it done.By replacing the fluid, you remove moisture that corrodes metallic parts of the system, replenish thecorrosion inhibitors in the fluid, and remove air that has entered the system. When I did mine,it resulted in a firmerpetal feel. The brakes were always good, but were even better after the fluid exchange. I used the ATE Type 200 fluid which meets the specs and which I believe may be the OEM fluid

 

I think I may be flushing my system this weekend. Is anyone familiar with what size brake bleeder valve is used on the S60 FWD? I would like to get a set of speed bleeders but they don't list Volvo on their web site.

 

Good for you in seeing the wisdom of a fluid change! It is a good idea to change every year. If you watch any form of racing on the telly, you can be assured that those vehicles have the fluid changed prior to EACH race! There is a valid reason for doing the change!

Any of the pressure devices will work for your vehicle. Most all modern vehicles use the same size master cylinder cap. I nifty idea in changing fluid is to use ATE Super Blue for the first change and ATE Gold (200) for the second change. By doing that you can see the colour change which indicates that the 'old' fluid is out of the line. BMW also can sell you an excellent fluid. Do not keep un-used fluid as it will attract moisture. You will need more than one quart to perform the change.................I purchase two 1 litre bottles. Bleed the right rear first............then the left rear..............then the right front............lastly the left front.

r.

p.s. You will be surprised to see the 'crud' that comes out of your caliper into the catch bottle. That will make you a firm believer in annual fluid changes!

 

Thanks to all who replied. Is this a job that is best left for the dealer or something I can do myself? I've never tried this before but I do my own oil changes, sparkplugs, bulb & filter replacements. Can someone direct me to instructions on how this is done? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Hard-no. Critical to safe operation-yes. So, if you are not that confident about it, it is best left to a tech.

If youjust need to exchange fluid,a gravity bleed works fine. Take off the master cyl. reservoir cap, exchange fluid if desired with new fluid, then crack each bleeder until it just starts to flow, let it flow until new fluid comes out-keeping master cylinder topped off. Do each wheel, farthest first. When done with all 4 wheels, top off master cylinder. Takes me less than a quart doing it this way.

 

Just an update to my original posting. I decided to take my car to the Volvo dealer for the brake fluid replacement. Total charge was $83. I don't think that was too much when I compare it to how long it would have taken me to do the job since I have never tried it before. Thanks for all the replies.