brake fluid replacement cost

How is the cost of a brake fluid change calculated?

The cost of replacing brake fluid depends on two main factors:

• car models;
• brake fluid price.

The car model, in turn, determines the labor and time costs for the replacement procedure, as well as the required amount of brake fluid. As for the brand of fluid, in the vast majority of cases, the car owner has a choice: to fill in a cheaper or more expensive "brake" within the standard recommended by the automaker.

Car services usually indicate the minimum threshold for this service, that is, the current price tag for the simplest cases. Sometimes a price range is indicated in the price list: from the lowest to the highest price. In specialized car services that serve one or more car brands, the price list can list the cost for each model.

Also, in about every third or fifth case, when replacing the brake fluid, the service station master detects a leak in the joints of the system lines, in cylinders or calipers. In this case, good car services offer the client to additionally eliminate the detected malfunctions.

Average brake fluid replacement cost

Consider only the cost of the replacement procedure itself, without taking into account the price of brake fluid. The following calculations and price examples are averages. Each individual car service uses its own methodology for calculating the cost of work and setting final prices.

Ceteris paribus, the cheapest way to change the brake fluid is a passenger car without ABS and ESP. In such systems, the minimum amount of liquid, and the replacement procedure itself is elementary and takes place relatively quickly. Most car services change the "brake" by gravity. The master hangs the car on a lift (or puts it in a pit) and unscrews all the fittings. The old fluid drains off gradually. The master at the same time replenishes the expansion tank with liquid until a fresh “brake” comes out of the fittings.

This procedure, in the absence of pitfalls during its implementation, will cost an average of 500-600 rubles. If subsequently pumping of the system is required, then the price increases to 700-800 rubles.

It will cost more to replace the brake fluid in larger cars (SUVs or minibuses). Or in vehicles equipped with ABS and ESP systems. Here it is not so much the complexity of the work (the technology itself, as a rule, remains unchanged), but the time spent. More fluid takes longer to drain. The lift or pit remains occupied longer, which determines the increase in the cost of work. In such cases, the price of fluid replacement increases to 1000-1200 rubles.

In cases where the fluid has to be changed in branched multi-circuit or combined brake systems, as well as in the case of trucks or tractors, the replacement price can rise to 2000 rubles.