Does the brand of brake fluid matter?
 

I am about to do a brake fluid flush on a '06 A3 & wonder if the brand of brake fluid really matters. Are all Dot 4 fluids the same?
Thanks to all replies.

Re: Does the brand of brake fluid matter?
 

You should change the brake fluid every 2 years regardless of the mileage. The recommended fluid is DOT 4. Do not use DOT 5, it is silicone based. The brands to choose from are:

Motul
ATE
Valvoline Synthetic
Castrol LMA

I prefer and recommend the Motul, for reasons being that it is the fluid recommended by hard core enthusiasts and racers who really need their brakes to work well.

Re: Does the brand of brake fluid matter?
 

Thanks for the quick response. Where would I find Motul - I asume it would be synthetic - is there enough of a difference to make it worth while?

Re: Does the brand of brake fluid matter?
 

You might get difference of opinions here but then again you might not and everyone might just agree. Using Motul is the prefered choice. I believe you can get it at NAPPA auto parts. Yes, synthetic.

Re: Does the brand of brake fluid matter?
 

thanks again. One last question - how much brake fluid will I need to do the fluid change on the A3>

Re: Does the brand of brake fluid matter?
 

Keep in mind your intent is to flush the entire system of existing fluid so I would purchase three litres to make sure.

Re: Does the brand of brake fluid matter?
 

Why couldnt you use a dot 5 , I was told to use that for A3 it was motul dot 5 approved . Thanks

Re: Does the brand of brake fluid matter?
 

To be clear, DOT 5.1 is completely different than DOT 5. As Mike said, do not use silicone based fluids. Other than that, just look at the wet/dry boiling points and choose what you need based on how hard you are on brakes. You're not going to need high-performance brake fluid unless you have sticky tires and a good brake setup. That said, the small price difference between crappy fluid and good fluid kind of makes the good stuff a no-brainer.

A power bleeder is a life-saver if you're going to bleed brakes on a regular schedule.