How to Check Brake Fluid

Proper auto maintenance is important to most of our West Covina customers. And it should be. Some types of maintenance are crucial to the safe operation of your vehicle, like checking your brake fluid, for instance. Your brakes won’t work properly if your brake system doesn’t have enough fluid. And we all want our brakes to work! Your safety is important to the Service Team here at Mercedes-Benz of West Covina. So, we’ve put together this handy guide on how to check brake fluid. We’ll also discuss what color is brake fluid supposed to be.

How to Check Brake Fluid in Three Easy Steps

Checking brake fluid is done pretty much the same way on most automobiles. So, this guide on how to check brake fluid should apply to whatever car you drive. But check your owner’s manual for specifics on your vehicle. However it’s done on your car, we can all help keep our Covina roads safe by regularly checking our brake fluid.

• Locate the brake fluid reservoir. The brake fluid reservoir is usually a small, shallow plastic container with a wide cap that sits on the top of your engine (specifically the master cylinder).
• Check the level of the fluid. There should be two lines on the outside of the reservoir. One should say “Minimum” or “Min.” The other should say “Maximum” or “Max.” Since the reservoir is made of partly clear plastic, you should be able to see where the fluid level is from the outside. If the fluid sits below the minimum line, you will need to fill it.
• Open the cap and check the color of the fluid. The color of the fluid can tell you whether your brake fluid is contaminated with dirt or oil. Either contaminant can damage your brakes or cause them not to work properly. Dirt specifically can clog up your brake lines, preventing the flow of brake fluid. What color is brake fluid when it is contaminated? It will often be dark brown or black when contaminated. What color is brake fluid when it’s not contaminated? It will be clear with a slight yellow tint. If your brake fluid is contaminated, it’s time to get it flushed.

Explore the Other Tips and Tricks on Our Website

If you’re like most of our La Puenta customers, you like to keep informed about how to properly maintain your vehicle. So, if you enjoyed this guide, you may also enjoy, “How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?” and “Why is My Car Overheating?”, among other helpful articles. Our helpful Service Team wants to help you keep your car running safely on our Glendora area roads. So, feel free to contact us today if you need any assistance to service or maintain your vehicle.