# Brake flush question



## Harrybinh (Sep 21, 2017)

Dealer recommended a brake flush on my next visit, but i have the power bleeder and plan to DIY. 
How much brake fluid do I need to be safe and the sequence of bleeding?
There are mixed answers regarding the sequence. 

TIA


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## Chris4789 (Nov 29, 2017)

I am also planning on doing the Brake Bleeding myself in a couple of months at the 3 year mark. I bought 2L of VW Brake Fluid*B-000-750-1L-DSP at $17/L so it is an inexpensive service. 
-You might be able to do it with 1L but using about 1.5L will insure a complete flush. 
-What did the dealer want to charge for the flush?


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## mhjett (Oct 16, 2000)

I used 2L for my '08 Jetta recently and it was plenty to completely flush all the lines. I'm sure that'd do the trick for the Atlas too. 

Not sure on sequence for the Atlas, but maybe someone with Erwin access will chime in.


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

Usually, the convention is start from the farthest and work your way closest to master cylinder...

Pass rear
Driver rear
Pass front
Driver front

But, VW as of late has been doing the opposite.

And you need a Low Viscosity DOT-4 fluid


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

BsickPassat said:


> ....And you need a Low Viscosity DOT-4 fluid


You need what is listed on the reservoir cap.


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## Chris4789 (Nov 29, 2017)

BsickPassat said:


> Usually, the convention is start from the farthest and work your way closest to master cylinder...
> 
> Pass rear
> Driver rear
> ...


I agree with your statement of "usual convention" but a friend in service at a dealer told me the order for my 2018 Atlas is:
Left front; Right Front; Left Rear; Right Rear


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

Chris4789 said:


> I agree with your statement of "usual convention" but a friend in service at a dealer told me the order for my 2018 Atlas is:
> Left front; Right Front; Left Rear; Right Rear


Like I said, VW does the opposite of usual convention


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## Syndicated (Feb 4, 2013)

VW/Audi does FL, FR, RR, LF. 
This is done to remove air from the system pretty quickly. A suggestion is to open the brake reso cap to allow it to bleed easier. 
When I was a tech for Audi I would do about half a liter per side ( 2L in all ) however we also had a special tool/machine that pushed fluid through so the system never went below max. If you are going to do it yourself just make sure you keep an eye on reso and keep it at max so I would bleed one corner fill with new fluid, bleed second corner, fill with new fluid, etc. however many times you feel the need to. One time should be good enough, honestly your just bleeding to put new fluid in, and remove any possible water build up, and make sure the lines don’t have an air in them to keep at the proper pressures. I worked as a tech at Subaru for about a year and the older Outbacks had a brake line recall where you had to change all the brake lines from ABS module back because the lines would brake. Doing regular brake flushes kind of helps prevent this issue.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

Brake fluid is 3 years then every 2. It's driven by the fact that the fluid will absorb moisture over time is all. I had my dealer tell me 30K miles which is BS/counter to the manual. 3 years....regardless of miles.


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## Chris4789 (Nov 29, 2017)

*My Atlas Brake Bleeding Routine*

Since I already had the Atlas on jack stands with the splash pan removed to change the oil and rotate the tires, this brake bleeding took an additional 45 minutes, moving slow to not make a mess & cleaning drips on the caliper. You may want to take pics and file away with parts receipt in case a warranty claim is necessary. 
-Cost was $10 for 1 L of VW brake fluid
-You can probably do this operation without removing the wheels but it is far easier when they are off for rotation 
-I hope these instructions are reasonably clear, Please post options & improvements or items I did not include
-Thank you to those I have gathered information from. This info was researched for my 2018 Atlas SEL-P 
-I am not a certified mechanic, use at your own risk.
-I’m sure there are YouTube videos for anyone with hesitations about this job, but it really is quite easy.

Supplies
-VW Brake Fluid*B-000-750-1L-DSP* Liter $10
-Your choice of bleeding equipment: Basic 2.5?mm ID hose; Hose w/one way valve; Pneumatic unit; Suction unit; etc.. (see YouTube for options)
-Brake fluid collector bottle 
-Waste Brake Fluid Container i.e. old Brake Fluid bottle (to dump old fluid into from collection bottle)
-Rags; Plastic tarp & Newspapers (under Caliper), Gloves, Safety goggles, 409 or similar cleaning fluid
-Camera 
-Knee pad
-Depending on your bleed method a helper may needed to pump brakes while you bleed them

Tools
-11mm Flare Nut wrench for caliper bleed fittings
-Light
-Small screwdriver to help with removing rubber bleed caps 

My Step by Step 
-Place a rag and newspaper in engine compartment under master cylinder to catch any leaks while filling
-Normally I would suck out old brake fluid with a turkey baster, but the Atlas has a yellow plastic screen attached to the inside of the reservoir which I did not want to force out. Anyone know how to remove it? (see Pic)
-Fill master cylinder with new brake fluid, replace and secure the cap; Be very careful to not drop the cap as it is difficult to retrieve with the belly pan on. Be careful to not let any brake fluid drop onto painted surfaces as it will remove paint

-Start on Left front; Remove the rubber cap from the bleed screw (use small screwdriver) on the top of caliper, wipe off bleed screw with rag
-Break open the bleed screw w/ 11mm flare nut wrench and close hand tight. Some of mine were very tight 
-Attach desired bleed drain tube
-I elected to have the wife manually pump the brakes to drain fluid through a bleeder tube with a one way valve
-Open bleed screw slightly, ask helper to push brake pedal slowly to the floor and release slowly back up to normal position. The one way valve keeps air from being sucked back into the caliper
-We repeated 12 times pausing every 5 to fill master cylinder. Since we were using all the fluid in the reservoir, I filled it above the MAX line to just below the rim, always replace master cylinder reservoir cap. 
-12 pumps may have been overkill for L front, but you have to push out the old reservoir fluid (front brake section) and fluid in the brake line
-Tighten bleed screw, remove bleed hose and replace bleed screw cap
-Use cleaner and wipe off any spills
-Dump old fluid into waste container
-Move everything to the next wheel

-Repeat on Right Front I did 16 pumps here. I filled master cylinder every 5 
-Repeat on Left Rear, With a longer line and needing to push out the old fluid in the second (rear brake) section of the reservoir I did 20 pumps. I filled the master cylinder every 5 
-Repeat on Right Rear I did 20 pumps here, I filled master cylinder every 5 

-Fill Master Cylinder to MAX Line
-This left about 2 oz. of fluid in the bottle


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## mhjett (Oct 16, 2000)

Great write-up, thanks for posting. 

If the reservoir screen is anything like the one in my Jetta, you can just pry it up and out. :thumbup:


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

I bought one of the pressure breeders..only $55. Wow...so easy to do it yourself.

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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

I've gone ten years and more on cars without any brake flushes. Never had a problem.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

speed51133! said:


> I've gone ten years and more on cars without any brake flushes. Never had a problem.


It an easy thing to do, it's called out in the manual of every car I have - time based changes (2-3 years) b/c the fluid is hygroscopic. I get it though - probably a v. minor feel change at best.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

Yes I know it's simple and called for. I've just never done it and never noticed any affects.


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## PZ (May 9, 2002)

speed51133! said:


> Yes I know it's simple and called for. I've just never done it and never noticed any affects.


 Water absorbed into the brake fluid lowers the temp the fluid would boil. Most people would never notice it. People who live in the mountains certainly would, as well as people who drive and brake hard. It's one of the reasons brakes fade.


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