By Frank LingYou may have noticed that you seem to need to apply extra pressure on the brake pedal to get your car to stop. This could be a sign of worn brakes or more likely, a low level of fluid in the brake reservoir.
You check on this quite easily by taking a peek under the hood. Once the brake fluid reservoir is found you can make a quick determination by noticing how full the brake fluid tank is.
So common wisdom says that all you have to do is to just top off the reservoir, and away you go. But is this really a good idea?
Hidden Problems
In a well functioning braking system on a car, the brake fluid will go down slightly as the brake pads on your car wear down. This is normal.
Brake fluid doesn’t evaporate or get used up so if you need to replenish the supply, it should be by a very small amount.
But if you see a substantial drop in brake fluid, or if the color changes from its original clear or amber color to very dark, you may need to have your brake fluid flushed out and exchanged because of possible contamination issues.
Bring It In
If your brake fluid reservoir is constantly going low, it may be a sign of a more serious problem. There may be a leak in the brake lines and you’ll need to bring it in for servicing as quickly as possible.
Topping of the brake fluid reservoir may seem like a simple solution, but it may be masking what needs to be taken care of in the long run.
Source:
MSN Autos