1250 GSA brake fluid change

[Bmgsrider]

Anyone changed brake fluid completely, if so how did you do it, what equipment is needed, does the tank need to be removed?
Needing 12000 mile service soon and the dealer does not include this in service, a friend had his bike serviced where he was told his brake fluid was fine. Both our bikes are two yr old.

 

[malcopopolo]

Your dealer will do it if you ask not that expensive.
Lots of thoughts whether it should be done or not. At 2 years it is recommended but lots of people do not
Personally I have it done at 2 years old and then every 5. Everyone has a valid opinion and we make a choice.

Manufacturer for cars recommend every 2 years but lease companies ignore this.

Our last car which we had for 14 years since new never had it changed. Braking was as good as it was when new.

 

[leadfarmer]

Just looking at this myself, to be honest I don’t think it’s necessary every 2 years, apart from BMWs I’ve never had brake fluid changed in a car or bike

From what I’ve gleaned on the net, the LCs don’t need the ABS flush done like the older bikes so no need for a GS911 (apparently dealers don’t do an abs flush, just a normal bleed)

The fluid needs to be DOT4 LV (low viscosity)

As far as I know brake fluid is not bike or car specific

 

[Colin]

does the ABS light stay on if you do it yourself. and you have to go to the dealers to put it out

 

[Deleted account 221212001]

Although I have bled brakes before on my bikes it can be a total ball ache. I would much rather get the dealer to do it during a service. I’ve just had the 6000 mile service done on mine and they changed the brake fluid front and rear plus the normal oil changes, filter etc. I believe the bill was £280 approximately. I don’t begrudge paying that to know it’s done right.

 

[PhilBoy]

does the ABS light stay on if you do it yourself. and you have to go to the dealers to put it out

Did my own brake bleed rear and front, no service light shows on completion.
Jobs a good un.

 

[Victor c]

If I remember rightly, my last brake fluid change when serviced at Williams in Manchester was £19

 

[Santa-2512]

I had mine done at the dealer as part of my 36k service.

If i recall they vac pull & fill the system.

It's a faf, get them to do it

 

[knutk]

Anyone changed brake fluid completely, if so how did you do it, what equipment is needed, does the tank need to be removed?

Bleeding brakes is a straight forward job. I do not mean to sound condescending, but if you have to ask, I strongly urge you to get the repair-DVD, which explains how to do this job.

As for the required tools, BMW specifies using a vacuum bleeder, meaning you also need an air-compressor.

I know some people that get away with bleeding the brakes without using vacuum. Most of the time, when replacing brakefluid, you pump the reservoir low and then add fluid without introducing any air into the system, and then it's no sweat.
However, if any air enters the system, getting the air out by using the hand pumping procedure may become quite tricky, hence the vacuum.

The tank does not need to come of.

Frankly, if there will be a need of buying lots of equipment in order to do the bleeding, keep in mind that the dealer probably have the required equipment already at hand, and then it's a quick job. It will take several bleedings prior to reaching break-even if the DIY bleeding means buying the tools.

Needing 12000 mile service soon and the dealer does not include this in service, a friend had his bike serviced where he was told his brake fluid was fine. Both our bikes are two yr old.

BMW says to replace the fluid after one year, then with two years intervals.

There are lot's of opinions out there regarding how often changing the fluids needs to be performed.
Most of the statements are based on eye-balling the fluids, and then say it's ok.

We all know what the manual says, and it's not my business to tell anyone what to do.

However, the thing is:
The brake fluid is hydroscopic. You can not tell the amount of moisture that has entered the fluid merely by looking at it. Further, the fluid in the reservoir does not necessary reflect the state of the fluid inside the calipper. There is hardly any circulation of the fluid inside the calipper, as the calipper sits at the end of the line.
Further, you will not be able to feel the deterioration of the fluid before it suddenly boils and makes the brake 100% useless, and if this happens, it hits quick.
Is this an exaggeration ?

Yours truly happens to live in a part of the world with lots of hills, and every year there are accidents happening (cars and MC) that may be traced directly to boiling brake fluid. Latest one I can recall happened less than a year ago and killed 5 people.

I leave it up to each and every one to decide if the modest cost of changing the brake fluid according to recommended intervals is worth it....

 

[AberdeenAngus]

You don't need a compressor to vacuum bleed.
Plenty of hand powered vac pumps around.

 

[knutk]

You don't need a compressor to vacuum bleed.
Plenty of hand powered vac pumps around.

I know they exists.

However, the advantage of the vacuum bleed is that you are able to maintain a steady flow of brakefluid through the system. As long as the fluids are flowing, the air bubbles tend to go with the flow. As soon as the flow stops, the air bubbles stops in their journey towards the bleed nipple and returns to the highest point. Hence, I consider the hand driven vacuum bleeders a total waste of money, as you will achieve the very same by hand-pumping, and bubbles stuck in tricky places will remain where they are.

For replacing fluids in a system with no air in it, I'm sure it works, but then, so does the hand-pumping.

 

[AberdeenAngus]

Hi knutk

Didn't mean the hand-held type pumps which, I agree, can be tricky to maintain a flow. I meant the type with a reservoir normally used for sucking out oil.
Fit an in-line tap, pump it up (down?), crack the valve, and you get a nice constant vacuum.
Works fine for doing brakes. Really useful for sucking out up all kinds of fluids.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-FHP...40&hvtargid=pla-301411251056&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

 

[knutk]

Hi knutk

Didn't mean the hand-held type pumps which, I agree, can be tricky to maintain a flow. I meant the type with a reservoir normally used for sucking out oil.
Fit an in-line tap, pump it up (down?), crack the valve, and you get a nice constant vacuum.
Works fine for doing brakes. Really useful for sucking out up all kinds of fluids.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-FHP...40&hvtargid=pla-301411251056&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

I've no experience with this type. Have you tried it?
Usually when I bleed my brakes with vacuum there is always some false air being drawn through the treads of the bleed nipple, needing a hefty and continuous suction. How do you deal with the false air leak through the threads?

 

[Victor c]

Hi knutk

Didn't mean the hand-held type pumps which, I agree, can be tricky to maintain a flow. I meant the type with a reservoir normally used for sucking out oil.
Fit an in-line tap, pump it up (down?), crack the valve, and you get a nice constant vacuum.
Works fine for doing brakes. Really useful for sucking out up all kinds of fluids.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-FHP...40&hvtargid=pla-301411251056&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

Nice one, never thought about using my vacuum extractor for bleeding brakes. I think I also have a couple of spare plastic isolation valves in my carb balancing kit that will fit the pipe line.

 

[AberdeenAngus]

I've no experience with this type. Have you tried it?
Usually when I bleed my brakes with vacuum there is always some false air being drawn through the treads of the bleed nipple, needing a hefty and continuous suction. How do you deal with the false air leak through the threads?

A bit of air round the threads is inevitable but manageable and so long as the fluid is moving away from the caliper, not a problem.
A smear of grease on the nipple threads helps, and don't crack it open too far.
These things have a decent volume (I think mine is 5 liters) so will draw for a while without having to pump it down again.

 

[knutk]

A bit of air round the threads is inevitable but manageable and so long as the fluid is moving away from the caliper, not a problem.
A smear of grease on the nipple threads helps, and don't crack it open too far.
These things have a decent volume (I think mine is 5 liters) so will draw for a while without having to pump it down again.

 

[Steptoe]

There are lot's of opinions out there regarding how often changing the fluids needs to be performed.
Most of the statements are based on eye-balling the fluids, and then say it's ok.

We all know what the manual says, and it's not my business to tell anyone what to do.

However, the thing is:
The brake fluid is hydroscopic. You can not tell the amount of moisture that has entered the fluid merely by looking at it. Further, the fluid in the reservoir does not necessary reflect the state of the fluid inside the calipper. There is hardly any circulation of the fluid inside the calipper, as the calipper sits at the end of the line.
Further, you will not be able to feel the deterioration of the fluid before it suddenly boils and makes the brake 100% useless, and if this happens, it hits quick.
Is this an exaggeration ?

Yours truly happens to live in a part of the world with lots of hills, and every year there are accidents happening (cars and MC) that may be traced directly to boiling brake fluid. Latest one I can recall happened less than a year ago and killed 5 people.

I leave it up to each and every one to decide if the modest cost of changing the brake fluid according to recommended intervals is worth it....

Brake fluid testers are available from as little as £10.

 

[knutk]

Brake fluid testers are available from as little as £10.

May be so, but do you think they will test the fluid in the calipper? Checking the fluid in the reservoir does not in any way tell you about the conditions of the fluid in the calipper.

I honestly have a problem to understand why it is so hard to follow the factory described procedures. Especially when postponing maintenance may be fatal.

 

[AberdeenAngus]

I honestly have a problem to understand why it is so hard to follow the factory described procedures. Especially when postponing maintenance may be fatal.

Manufacturers guidelines have to be generic and are generally aimed at worst case scenario.
They are not optimum for many scenarios.
For example my bike. Occasional use and stored in a dry garage, means that the 2 year brake fluid replacement schedule is way over the top and is wasteful.
There is also a small but real risk of introducing maintenance induced failure.
So, if the maintenance does not add value, you are possibly making the reliability of the system worse.

I know, through testing, that fluid removed at 2 years has virtually no water content and appears to be 'as new'.
I now change my fluid every 4 years (still with little/no measurable water content or degradation).

I appreciate though that this is from an engineers viewpoint with many years experience investigating machinery failure.
If you don't have the knowledge to make an informed decision, then sticking to manufacturers guidelines is recommended.
That does not mean though, that deviation from those guidelines is wrong.

I know what you mean though. I've ridden in Norway several times. I certainly wouldn't want to be coming down some of your roads with a motorhome behind me driven by someone who simply couldn't be bothered to get it serviced.

Let's just hope they start running a ferry from UK to Norway again so I can buy you a pint (though at your prices...maybe half a pint)

 

[knutk]

Manufacturers guidelines have to be generic and are generally aimed at worst case scenario.
They are not optimum for many scenarios.
For example my bike. Occasional use and stored in a dry garage, means that the 2 year brake fluid replacement schedule is way over the top and is wasteful.
There is also a small but real risk of introducing maintenance induced failure.
So, if the maintenance does not add value, you are possibly making the reliability of the system worse.

I know, through testing, that fluid removed at 2 years has virtually no water content and appears to be 'as new'.
I now change my fluid every 4 years (still with little/no measurable water content or degradation).

I appreciate though that this is from an engineers viewpoint with many years experience investigating machinery failure.
If you don't have the knowledge to make an informed decision, then sticking to manufacturers guidelines is recommended.
That does not mean though, that deviation from those guidelines is wrong.

I know what you mean though. I've ridden in Norway several times. I certainly wouldn't want to be coming down some of your roads with a motorhome behind me driven by someone who simply couldn't be bothered to get it serviced.

Let's just hope they start running a ferry from UK to Norway again so I can buy you a pint (though at your prices...maybe half a pint)

Let's hope so (Both ferry and pint)