Citroen C3 brake fluid repalcement

soolin

I have a 4 year old low mileage (29k) Citroen C3 currently in for its MOT and a full service at a Citroen garage. The basic bill was quoted as £452 but they have just phoned to say that I must have my brake fluid changed which will add a further £70+ to the bill. This is my first Citroen and I told them that I have never had brake fluid changed before in previous cars but they say it is a Citroen requirement that the whole lot is stripped down every 2 years.


As I can't afford for the bill to go over £500 and they have confirmed that the MOT will be a pass even without a change of brake fluid I have asked them to leave it for now. I did ask whether the brake fluid actually needed changing, but they say that is immaterial, it just needs to be done as a routine extra to the service.

If it needs doing then I'll rebook it for a few weeks time but do other Citroen owners on here have this done regularly every two years as well?

hewhoisnotintheknow

they are talking pap,

hewhoisnotintheknow

also dont take it to a dealer, find a good small local garage

soolin

I have always used main dealers as I tend to sell my cars on after a few years and always thought I would get a better price if I had a full dealers service stamped book. However at these prices I might do as well to save a couple of hundred pounds every year and take less for the car when I sell it.

BenL

A lot of manufacturers have it as an additional option on 2 y/r service.

Ford have offered it to me before, don't think my Astra was though at 2 years.

soolin

I drove Fiats before and annual servicing was around £150 quid on a new car, so this £450+ bill was a bit of a shock! I don't recall ever having had brake fluid changed previously on any car.

My OH is taking his C8 in next month, we are thinking to get a written quote beforehand so that maybe we could shop around.

daveyjp

2 yearly brake fluid changes are now recommended on almost every model of car.

I see it as preventative maintenance - you have the oil changed at every service to ensure the car runs well, so why not brake fluid every two years?

Ask Citroen how much a new ABS pump is for your car - that may change your mind, but it can be done for less than £70.

Throbbe

I do replace my brake fluid every 2 years, because over time it absorbs moisture and becomes more compressible, affecting braking performance. 2 years is a very arbitrary figure, but it is an interval I'm reasonably happy with. I'm pretty sure you could test it to see if it needed replacing, but that the cost of the test would wipe out savings in reducing the interval. That said, I do it myself rather than shelling out £70.