Is Toyota genuine brake fluids a must?

[murtazamohammad54]

I checked the brake fluid level a few days back and it turns out I am a little low on brake fluid. Is there any difference between toyota genuine brake fluid and Seiken Brake fluid. Or is it just some gimmick to make money off people?

[fastian04]

Its preferable..oem chemicals are altleast genuine. Engine oils have lot of variety available and you can choose urs but not possible for other oils

[anon35615524]

Last year, I replaced Company filled Brake fluid in my JDM Vitz, with Seiken Brake Fluid, and it worked absolutely fine.

No harm IMO, provided brake fluid is 100% genuine and original, and compatible as per OEM requirements, like DOT 3 in DOT 3, 4 in 4, 5 in 5, etc.

[umarmuslim]

if the price difference is not huge

Genuine will give peace of mind

You can also check Denso, that is also cheaper than Toyota, & many products of Toyota are outsourced from Denso.

if the specs are exact you can you Seikin.

maybe you brake pads need changing and thats why the fluid level has dropped, get that checked and if thats the case you might not even need to top up fluid after getting a new set of brakes.

[murtazamohammad54]

@umarmuslim not sure if the brake pads are worn out since the car is just 20k driven 2015 corrolla. What do you think? Could the brakes wear out in just 20k mileage?

[anon35615524]

Yes. If the driver drives the car ruthlessly; hard braking, sudden braking, etc.

[umarmuslim]

It is never off the cards, plus there is no harm if you check them out.

I bought two Prados 21,000 & 23,000 km driven resp.

I had to change all 4 front & rear pads

It was a complete surprise for most of us at the showroom

But I would have changed them even if they werent worn, these pads tend to get hard over time and the car was already 5 years old. Hard pads wont probably grip as well as they should.

Never buy cheap chinese knock-offs.

Brands like Hitachi or Akebono can be used without any concerns, personally I only use Genuine Pads, in both my personal and for sale cars.

wassalaam

[Xulfiqar]

Its a gimmick only - Toyota do not produce any lube or hydraulic oil, Brake fluid is globally standardised as its a safety concern, The most common fluid recommendations that are used are US DOT (US Department of Transport) - Their class 3 brake fluid is factory filled in almost all toyotas.

Any brake fluid meeting DOT 3 spec is perfectly acceptable in your car.

I personally use the lowest cost I can get reliably, Never has failed in me in my life.