Leaderboard

So, I bought a brake fluid tester for £2.49 from a dealer on eBay. It arrived quickly, well packaged, and it appeared to be a well-made piece of kit. First impressions – good. I put the required AAA battery in it (not supplied with the device), and pressed the initiating button. The green LED lit up showing that the tester was ready. Still looking good. Into the garage to take the cap off the brake fluid reservoir – not so good! It clearly had not been off for some time as it seemed to be welded in place (and access for my hand was not great). However, I did manage to loosen it with careful use of some grips. Took the cap off the tester to expose the two metal probes, pressed the starter button, and dipped the probes into the fluid. The LED display went immediately to the top of the range (red) indicating the presence of moisture in the range 4 to 5%! OK, it looks like the brake fluid is overdue for a refresh, but first I need to test the device on other fluid samples to fully check its ability to detect moisture. I just happened to have some unused brake fluid left over from a few years ago, and some used brake fluid. I tested the used first – result about 2% moisture. Then the unused fluid – little or no moisture. The tester seems to be spot on, and well worth the cost of half a pint of beer. My expectation was that such a cheap device (that had been made in China, shipped to the UK, advertised and sold by someone in the UK, who had to pay the cost of postage) would prove to be unreliable at best, and useless at worst. But I have been very pleasantly surprised! And now I shall get my local garage to replace the brake fluid, and have a look at the brake shoes and discs at the same time. PS I did think that if the device didn’t work, my modest investment would not go to waste – I would give the tester to one of my grandchildren, telling them that it was a Sonic Screwdriver!!