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The shortage of individual auto parts that has emerged in our market has largely contributed to the growth in sales of counterfeit and substandard “consumables”, including brake fluids.
A number of comparative tests of automotive brake fluids, which were commissioned by the AvtoVzglyad portal by one of the research institutes of the capital, more than once revealed products of substandard quality among the products of this category. According to experts at this expert certification center, it is most commonly found with running brake fluids with the popular DOT 4 specification. So what kind of spec is this, DOT?
To begin with, we recall that the requirements for the composition and parameters of brake fluids are usually formulated by the national technical standards of a particular country. However, it appears that most of them were developed based on US industry regulations SAE J-1703 and the requirements of the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS 116).
And since the Department of Transportation (DOT) took part in the development of the standards, the Americans, and after them all other countries, began to assign the abbreviation DOT to brake fluid specifications.
As for the DOT 4 brake specifically, it is aimed at a wide range of modern cars, including those equipped with ABS. One of the most important indicators is the boiling point. As you know, during the operation of the brakes, their mechanisms are very hot. Part of the heat is absorbed by the hydraulic drive and thus by the brake fluid. If the overheating leads to boiling, the resulting vapor locks will drastically reduce the effectiveness of the braking system.
It is important here that the boiling point of the brake fluid has two control values. The first measurement is made immediately after opening the bottle, the second – after adding a certain amount of moisture to the brake fluid. The fact is that polyglycol compounds, on the basis of which brake fluids are made, are very hygroscopic and easily absorb water vapor from the air, which greatly lowers the boiling point.
For the DOT 4 specification, the default values are as follows: the boiling point of a “dry” liquid should not be lower than +230 C, and after the addition of 3 control percent moisture, the boiling point should not be lower than +155 C.
Comparative tests have also shown that the above temperature indicators do not meet the standards for some brake fluids. This is usually due to non-compliance with the technology of their production and storage, which is especially often recorded in counterfeits.
Therefore, when buying a “brake” it is imperative to check the tightness of the bottle and the soldered foil stopper, and the liquid itself should be regularly checked for “humidity” using a special tester (see photo above).
No less important for brake fluids is their performance at low temperatures, mainly kinematic viscosity. It characterizes the pumpability of the hydraulic drive and thus the winter performance. For DOT 4 fluids, the viscosity at 40 degrees frost should not exceed 1800 units according to the FMVSS 116 standard.
However, comparative tests organized by the AvtoVzglyad portal have repeatedly shown that individual samples do not meet this standard, which makes its use dangerous in the cold season.
All these facts emphasize once again: be extremely careful when buying brake fluids. If it is necessary to replace the brakes, purchase them only from trusted manufacturers in good standing. For example, suppliers of automotive chemicals from the German brand reinWell. In addition, in its range there was a synthetic brake fluid of the DOT 4 specification with improved performance characteristics.
For example, the composition of this product contains inhibitors that prevent corrosion and oxidation of metal parts of the hydraulic drive, even when operating at high temperatures.
In addition, reinWell’s DOT 4 brake fluid contains special components that prevent the formation of vapor “plugs” in the hydraulic brake drive and provide lubrication of all moving parts. The properties of this fluid at low temperatures have also been optimized, which guarantees reliable operation of the car’s brakes even in severe frost.
A number of comparative tests of automotive brake fluids, which were commissioned by the AvtoVzglyad portal by one of the research institutes of the capital, more than once revealed products of substandard quality among the products of this category. According to experts at this expert certification center, it is most commonly found with running brake fluids with the popular DOT 4 specification. So what kind of spec is this, DOT?
To begin with, we recall that the requirements for the composition and parameters of brake fluids are usually formulated by the national technical standards of a particular country. However, it appears that most of them were developed based on US industry regulations SAE J-1703 and the requirements of the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS 116).
And since the Department of Transportation (DOT) took part in the development of the standards, the Americans, and after them all other countries, began to assign the abbreviation DOT to brake fluid specifications.
As for the DOT 4 brake specifically, it is aimed at a wide range of modern cars, including those equipped with ABS. One of the most important indicators is the boiling point. As you know, during the operation of the brakes, their mechanisms are very hot. Part of the heat is absorbed by the hydraulic drive and thus by the brake fluid. If the overheating leads to boiling, the resulting vapor locks will drastically reduce the effectiveness of the braking system.
It is important here that the boiling point of the brake fluid has two control values. The first measurement is made immediately after opening the bottle, the second – after adding a certain amount of moisture to the brake fluid. The fact is that polyglycol compounds, on the basis of which brake fluids are made, are very hygroscopic and easily absorb water vapor from the air, which greatly lowers the boiling point.
For the DOT 4 specification, the default values are as follows: the boiling point of a “dry” liquid should not be lower than +230 C, and after the addition of 3 control percent moisture, the boiling point should not be lower than +155 C.
Comparative tests have also shown that the above temperature indicators do not meet the standards for some brake fluids. This is usually due to non-compliance with the technology of their production and storage, which is especially often recorded in fakes.
Therefore, when buying a “brake” it is imperative to check the tightness of the bottle and the soldered foil stopper, and the liquid itself should be regularly checked for “humidity” using a special tester (see photo above).
No less important for brake fluids is their performance at low temperatures, mainly kinematic viscosity. It characterizes the pumpability of the hydraulic drive and thus the winter performance. For DOT 4 fluids, the viscosity at 40 degrees frost should not exceed 1800 units according to the FMVSS 116 standard.
However, comparative tests organized by the AvtoVzglyad portal have repeatedly shown that individual samples do not meet this standard, which makes its use dangerous in the cold season.
All these facts emphasize once again: be extremely careful when buying brake fluids. If it is necessary to replace the brakes, purchase them only from trusted manufacturers in good standing. For example, suppliers of automotive chemicals from the German brand reinWell. In addition, in its range there was a synthetic brake fluid of the DOT 4 specification with improved performance characteristics.
For example, the composition of this product contains inhibitors that prevent corrosion and oxidation of metal parts of the hydraulic drive, even when operating at high temperatures.
In addition, reinWell’s DOT 4 brake fluid contains special components that prevent the formation of vapor “plugs” in the hydraulic brake drive and provide lubrication of all moving parts. The properties of this fluid at low temperatures have also been optimized, which guarantees reliable operation of the car’s brakes even in severe frost.
Source: Avto Vzglyad
I’m Sandra Torres, a passionate journalist and content creator. My specialty lies in covering the latest gadgets, trends and tech news for Div Bracket. With over 5 years of experience as a professional writer, I have built up an impressive portfolio of published works that showcase my expertise in this field.
