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May be you cannot remember when you lastly did this! If this is the case, then it is time you began paying greater attention to this common task, whose negligence can have fatalistic consequences. Every day attention and constant maintenance checks is the only guarantee you have of keeping you car smoothly running. Nothing is as important as changing your car's brake fluid. But when exactly should you do this? After long use, the fluid becomes dirty and begins to thicken. When it reaches this stage then you ought to know that it has expired and needs to be changed. You don't have to be a mechanical genius to do this. But anyway, if you are uncertain, then here is a step by step guide on how to do this. To change the brake fluid of your car, you need some basic equipment such as: the type of fluid best suited to your car make, a brake bleeding kit or a vacuum, a drip pan and a cleaning rag. Do not guess the type of fluid your car needs. You can get this information from a garage, an automotive store, or from the owner's manual. * In a suitable place, pop the hood of your car and locate the brake master cylinder. It is located on the driver's side of the car next to the engine.
* Uncork the cap on the cylinder and check the color of the fluid. Normally, this should be of a light, brownish color. If, however, it is dark and thick that should be the indicator that it needs to be changed.
* Use the vacuum pump to suck out all the old fluid out of the master cylinder. Use a canister as a receptacle when draining the cylinder. Ensure the hose goes all the way to the bottom or else you risk leaving some of the old fluid
* Once the draining has taken place, use the rag to block the mouth of the hose to avoid oil spillage on your car. Make sure you completely drain off the cylinder and then use a clean rag to wipe it so that dust and unwanted dirty do not stick around it.
* Fill up the cylinder to where it is indicated ``full'' then remove the wheels of the vehicle and use the bleeder pump to remove all traces of the old fluid. Next to each tire there is a bleeder valve that should be loosened a bit using a wrench. Let the fluid drain off till it is clear.
* Top up the master cylinder in order to compensate for the fluid drained off through the bleeder valve. Repeat the process for all tires.
After you are through, test your car. At first the brake pedal will go all the way to the floor. Keep pumping until it firms up. This process should be repeated after every 2 years.
Bogdan Escu is a writer for Fabryo, a company that deals with antigel and diluanti
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