I was at the dealership the other day and I was looking at one of the new S2000's they had in the showroom. I noticed that the brake fluid was clear with a hint of yellow in it. My brake fluid is dark and opaque. Is that normal or do I need to change my fluid? On a side note, I don't notice any braking problems.

 

It never hurts to change the fluid. It starts it life (OEM fliud) as an almost clear fluid with a touch of brown. As it ages it get darker and darker. if you track the car, you should change to a race fuild.

 

I just changed the fluid on my Accord... I don't think I had done it in the 50K miles I've owned the car (it has 190K miles total). It started out as a nasty, blackish-brown gunk (picture some nasty concoction of Coca-cola and chocolate milk). Then, of course, by the time the new fluid was flushed through, it was nearly clear.

Unfortunately for me, the "gunk" in the old fluid seemed to be all that was holding the seals in the master cylinder together, because shortly after I flushed the fluid, the master cylinder started going out and had to be replaced.

Anyway, to answer your question, it sounds like a good time to flush the fluid, if it looks dirty or the color is 'off'. Try and keep track and do it at least every 15-30K miles (for a street-only car).

 

Thanks!