Is Honda brake fluid really superior to its "clone"?

Greetings,
3 years have gone (so quickly) since I bought my brand new Honda
Accord 2001 and the "Maintenance Schdule for Severe Conditions"
official sheet from my Honda dealer says that its time to replace the
brake fluid. It says "Use Honda DOT 3".

My Honda dealer wants $80 for this service.
A local automobile service shop wants only $35 for this.

But when I asked whether he uses a genuine Honda DOT 3 fluid, he said:
"what I use is DOT 3 or 4 compatible".

Which means the container of his brake fluid doesn't carry the Honda
logo. To which he answered: "Honda doesn't make its fluids anyway".

My question is simple: Is the Honda DOT 3 really that special/superior
or is it marked up simply because it carries the Honda logo?

Thanks,
Daniel

 

Of course it's superior.... it costs more don't it!




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Do not write below this line. Reserved for me.

 

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You have to use Honda Z1 ATF, or Honda steering pump fluid, or Dual Pump
Fluid for AWD, but brake fluid is just brake fluid.

Use whatever you want, as long as it's Dot 3 or Dot 4.

It's good that you're following the schedule . . You probably even read
the manual . . . Cool. The next owner of your car will be a lucky person.

'Curly'

 

Nothing special about Honda brake fluid. I would use a good dot 3 fluid
and not worry about it.

 

i can do it with a mityvac and under an hour for about $6. that local
shop price is damn good.

as long as DOT5/silicone isnt used, its all good.

they dont

brake fluid and oil are 2 fluids in which case it doesnt matter what you
use. anything else, like tranny oil, auto trans fluid, and coolant will
start a flame war

 

Basically Honda DOT 3 is a "heavy duty" fluid with a high dry boiling
temperature. However - the boiling temp is going to decrease
substantially when it inevitably absorbs moisture. It's likely
similar to something like Quaker State "Heeavy Duty DOT 3".

I'd say regular DOT 3 or DOT 4 is the way to go. If you really want
the good stuff, Valvoline SynPower is a DOT 4 fluid that goes a bit
beyond the DOT 4 requirements, and has a really high dry boiling point.
You might even try a DOT 5.1 (non-silicone) fluid, which is a lot
pricier, but compatible with standard DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluids.

<http://www.pitposse.com/mobrfld5.html>
<http://www.motorspot.com/dot51.html>
<http://www.phattire.com/hopdot51brak.html>
<http://www.phillcomrally.com/Motul/BrakeFluids.htm>

"DOT 5.1" results from Yahoo Shopping:
<http://tinyurl.com/5mkgb>

 

Wow! Thank you very much for this detailed and learned answer. Thanks to
everyone else who replied to my posting as well. Based on your answers I
scheduled an appointment to do my 30K miles maintenance (break fluid,
transmission fluid, etc.) in the local shop. It will save me at least
$150...

Sometimes you just have to say No.

Regards,
Daniel