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      07-19-2020, 03:17 PM   #1
rapter
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Brake Fluid selection, does it matter?

Hi Everyone

is there a right and wrong dot 4.0 fluid to be used on our cars?

I was thinking of buying something from amazon such as:

https://www.amazon.ca/ATE-706202-Ori...ke-Fluid/dp/B0

https://www.amazon.ca/Pentosin-12041...s%2C155&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.ca/Pentosin-12241...s%2C155&sr=8-9
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      07-19-2020, 07:19 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rapter View Post
Hi Everyone

is there a right and wrong dot 4.0 fluid to be used on our cars?

I was thinking of buying something from amazon such as:

https://www.amazon.ca/ATE-706202-Ori...ke-Fluid/dp/B0

https://www.amazon.ca/Pentosin-12041...155&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.ca/Pentosin-12241...155&sr=8-9
Lol. I just went trough this myself. The dealer was closed and I had the car on jack stands. The Pentosin Blue is for older cars. If you want Pentosin get Pentosin LV. BMW switched to LV. low viscosity a long time ago. Honestly I don't think it will cause anything major but the ABS is more advanced and does more things now so the Low Viscosity works better. I found it at auto zone in one litter bottle and did my entire flush.

Pentosin LV for the win or get BMW which is probably the same stuff.
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      07-23-2020, 08:55 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nachob View Post
Lol. I just went trough this myself. The dealer was closed and I had the car on jack stands. The Pentosin Blue is for older cars. If you want Pentosin get Pentosin LV. BMW switched to LV. low viscosity a long time ago. Honestly I don't think it will cause anything major but the ABS is more advanced and does more things now so the Low Viscosity works better. I found it at auto zone in one litter bottle and did my entire flush.

Pentosin LV for the win or get BMW which is probably the same stuff.
Just did mine last month with Pentosin Lv = perfect👌
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      08-17-2020, 04:00 AM   #4
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I went with Motul RBF660, only thing i am not sure of or cant find info on this product is, is how often does it need to be replaced( every 6months, annually, every two years etc etc) Iv done about 200km on the car this year only, so would have to replace it because of Time, not usage.
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      08-17-2020, 10:08 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boost3d_1M View Post
I went with Motul RBF660, only thing i am not sure of or cant find info on this product is, is how often does it need to be replaced( every 6months, annually, every two years etc etc) Iv done about 200km on the car this year only, so would have to replace it because of Time, not usage.
BMW recommends every two years based more on time than miles as the real issue is that it draws water over time. If you track it, extreme heat might cause some breakdown also but DOT4 has similar properties so two years is plenty good. Once a year can't hurt the car but it does impact the environment since we have to dispose of that stuff.

Motul mostly caters to high performance where BMW caters to the masses that sometimes don't change on two year intervals so if your car is mostly sitting around, you are probably better off with BMW or Pentosin LV for sitting than more exotic high performance blend that was designed for higher heat loads.

Now the following is just an assumption so I am mentioning this since I don't have time right now to research it. So for disclosure this is my assumption:

The higher the heat load a brake fluid can handle, the shorter change interval recommended. DOT 3 can go 3 years, DOT4 2 Years. So I assume that a fluid with more thermal capacity would have substances that draw more water and have shorter life than one that draws less water. I think BMW and Pentosin LV achieve a durability and temperature balance that would probably be best for a car that sits. IMHO.
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      08-18-2020, 02:29 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nachob View Post
BMW recommends every two years based more on time than miles as the real issue is that it draws water over time. If you track it, extreme heat might cause some breakdown also but DOT4 has similar properties so two years is plenty good. Once a year can't hurt the car but it does impact the environment since we have to dispose of that stuff.

Motul mostly caters to high performance where BMW caters to the masses that sometimes don't change on two year intervals so if your car is mostly sitting around, you are probably better off with BMW or Pentosin LV for sitting than more exotic high performance blend that was designed for higher heat loads.

Now the following is just an assumption so I am mentioning this since I don't have time right now to research it. So for disclosure this is my assumption:

The higher the heat load a brake fluid can handle, the shorter change interval recommended. DOT 3 can go 3 years, DOT4 2 Years. So I assume that a fluid with more thermal capacity would have substances that draw more water and have shorter life than one that draws less water. I think BMW and Pentosin LV achieve a durability and temperature balance that would probably be best for a car that sits. IMHO.
Thank you so much for that very insightful post , i will be mindful of what you said and go back to using the OEM fluids especially since i dont have any real intention of tracking the car
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      11-25-2020, 02:15 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rapter

Hi Everyone

is there a right and wrong dot 4.0 fluid to be used on our cars?

... links ...

Hi,
The first link is not working. It looks like it was 'ATE brake fluid'. What brand would you choose: ATE or Pentosin? I used the Pentosin Blue for my 2009 BMW, but I'm not sure what to use now, as I'm buying a newer car (though a used one, the same dealer).





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      11-25-2020, 08:53 AM   #8
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BMW branded fluid is Pentosin. If you aren't planning to track the car, that is the best bet and will provide the best longevity.
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      11-25-2020, 03:33 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CarJunkie View Post
BMW branded fluid is Pentosin. If you aren't planning to track the car, that is the best bet and will provide the best longevity.
Yes, that is correct but Pentosin sells two types of Brake fluid. Our cars use the Pentosin LV (Low Viscocity).

Pentosin Blue will work but it is not what comes in the 1M.

Newer cars that with advanced ABS functionality use the LV. This is probably so it can flow quicker since there are more micro ABS applications than the old systems which were just to prevent lockup. Now your ABS system is computer controlled and doing things like traction/stability control, wheel spin control, hill hold etc.

So unless you are doing track, the best all around for longevity is to use BMW DOT4 or Pentosin LV.

If you want to use ATE brake fluid, ATE SL-6 is the low viscocity equivalent for 1M. The ATE 200 is the regular viscocity for older cars.

Last edited by nachob; 11-25-2020 at 03:39 PM..
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